Anxiety therapy
Transform anxiety into clarity, confidence, and calm.
Anxiety therapy can help when worry takes over your life. Whether anxiety shows up in the quiet moments or the busy ones—disrupting your sleep, affecting your relationships, and making even simple decisions feel overwhelming, you don't have to face it alone. If you're searching for an anxiety therapist in New Canaan, CT, you've already taken an important step toward relief.
Anxiety therapy in my practice focuses on breaking free from the grip of constant worry. I'm Jon Abelack, and I specialize in helping people find calm and confidence again. Whether your anxiety centers on your career, your relationships, or simply getting through each day, I provide the expertise and support you need to feel in control again.
When you need Anxiety therapy
You might be wondering if your anxiety is "bad enough" to see a therapist. The truth is, you don't need to wait until anxiety is completely debilitating. If worry is affecting your quality of life, you deserve support.
Common signs it's time to work with an anxiety therapist include:
Constant worry that feels impossible to shut off
Physical symptoms like racing heart, sweating, or shortness of breath
Avoiding situations because of anxious feelings
Difficulty sleeping due to racing thoughts
Tension in your relationships because anxiety makes you irritable or withdrawn
Performance struggles at work due to perfectionism or fear of failure
Second-guessing yourself constantly in your career or personal life
Anxiety doesn't just affect your mind—it impacts your body, your relationships, your work performance, and your overall sense of wellbeing. As your anxiety therapist, my role is to help you understand what's driving your anxiety and give you practical tools to manage it effectively.
My approach for Anxiety therapy
What makes my practice different is the combination of clinical expertise and real-world experience. Before becoming a therapist, I spent years working in the business world—something 99 percent of other therapists cannot say. This background gives me unique insight into the professional pressures and workplace dynamics that often fuel anxiety.
I understand what it's like to face high-stakes presentations, demanding bosses, competitive environments, and the pressure to perform. This perspective allows me to connect with clients dealing with career anxiety in a way that feels authentic and relevant.
Evidence-Based Treatment Tailored to You
As your anxiety therapist, I draw from proven therapeutic approaches, customizing treatment to fit your specific needs. Your anxiety is unique to you, shaped by your experiences, personality, and circumstances. That's why I never use a cookie-cutter approach. Instead, I create a personalized treatment plan that addresses your particular challenges and goals.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) forms the foundation of anxiety treatment in my practice. CBT helps you identify the thought patterns that fuel anxiety, challenge those thoughts, and replace them with more realistic perspectives. You'll learn to recognize when anxiety is distorting your thinking and develop skills to respond more effectively.
Solution-Focused Therapy gives you practical strategies you can use right away. Rather than spending months analyzing the past, this approach helps you identify what's working, build on your strengths, and create actionable steps toward your goals. It's particularly effective for career-related anxiety where you need results quickly.
Emotionally Focused Therapy is my approach when working with couples where anxiety is creating distance or conflict. This method helps partners understand the emotional patterns driving their interactions and build secure, supportive connections that naturally reduce anxiety.
Gestalt Therapy brings your attention to the present moment and increases self-awareness. Many people with anxiety spend so much time worrying about the future or ruminating about the past that they lose touch with what's happening right now. Gestalt techniques help you reconnect with yourself and make conscious choices rather than reacting automatically to anxiety.
Anxiety Treatment for Your Specific Challenges
Career and Work Anxiety
If your anxiety centers on your professional life, you're not alone. Many high-achieving individuals struggle with imposter syndrome, perfectionism, fear of failure, or constant worry about their performance. As an anxiety therapist with business experience, I understand these challenges intimately.
Together, we'll address work-related anxiety by developing confidence, setting realistic expectations, improving communication skills, and creating boundaries that protect your well-being without sacrificing your career goals.
Relationship Anxiety
Anxiety can make relationships feel exhausting. You might constantly worry about what your partner thinks, fear abandonment, struggle with jealousy, or find yourself overthinking every interaction. Relationship anxiety often leads to behaviors that push away the very connection you're seeking.
As your anxiety therapist, I help you understand these patterns, communicate your needs more effectively, and build the security needed for healthy relationships. For couples, I work with both partners to break anxiety-driven cycles and strengthen your bond.
Generalized Anxiety
Some people experience anxiety across multiple areas of life—health, finances, relationships, work, and world events. This persistent, free-floating worry can feel exhausting and uncontrollable. As an anxiety therapist, I help you develop tolerance for uncertainty, distinguish productive problem-solving from unproductive worry, and create practical management strategies.
Performance Anxiety
Whether you're preparing for presentations, competing in athletics, or facing other high-pressure situations, performance anxiety can undermine your success. I help clients develop mental skills for optimal performance, manage pressure effectively, and build sustainable approaches to achievement.
What Working With Me Looks Like
Initial Deep Dive
When you start working with an anxiety therapist, the first session sets the foundation for everything that follows. I take time to thoroughly understand your background—not just your current symptoms, but your history, your triggers, your relationships, your career, and what you've already tried. This comprehensive understanding allows me to create treatment specifically designed for your situation.
Weekly Sessions and Active Participation
Therapy works best with consistency. We'll meet weekly, giving you regular support and maintaining momentum in your progress. But therapy doesn't only happen in my office. You'll likely have homework between sessions—practicing techniques, noticing patterns, or trying new approaches. This active participation accelerates your progress and helps you integrate new skills into your daily life.
My ideal clients are committed to self-improvement and make therapy a priority. If you're ready to invest in yourself and do the work required for meaningful change, we'll make an excellent team.
Who Benefits From Working With Me
I work with individuals and couples who are dealing with anxiety's impact on their lives. My clients tend to face challenges in their romantic relationships and careers—two areas where anxiety often shows up most intensely.
You might benefit from working with me if you're:
A professional struggling with work stress, career decisions, or performance anxiety
Someone whose anxiety is affecting your romantic relationship or dating life
A couple where one or both partners' anxiety is creating distance or conflict
An individual committed to understanding themselves better and developing effective coping skills
Someone ready to make therapy a priority and engage actively in their own growth
FAQs about Anxiety therapy
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I work with clients experiencing various forms of anxiety, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, performance anxiety, and worry related to career transitions and relationship stress. My approach is personalized to address the specific way anxiety shows up in your life, whether that's racing thoughts, physical tension, or avoidance behaviors that keep you from living fully.
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Anxiety therapy involves understanding the root causes of your worry and developing practical strategies to manage it. I use evidence-based approaches like CBT and Solution-Focused Therapy to help you identify anxious thought patterns, challenge them, and replace them with healthier perspectives. We'll also work on coping techniques you can use in real time when anxiety strikes.
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My background in the business world gives me unique insight into career-related anxiety and workplace stress that most therapists don't have. I understand the pressures of professional performance, difficult workplace dynamics, and the anxiety that comes with career transitions because I've experienced that environment firsthand. This allows me to provide practical, relevant guidance alongside therapeutic expertise.
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The duration of therapy varies based on your individual needs and goals. Some clients find significant relief within a few months, while others benefit from longer-term support. During our initial deep dive into your background, we'll discuss what success looks like for you and create a treatment plan that reflects your specific situation.
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Yes, I often provide exercises or activities to practice between our weekly sessions. This might include thought records, relaxation techniques, or behavioral experiments that help you apply what we discuss in therapy to your daily life. These assignments are tailored to your comfort level and designed to accelerate your progress.
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Absolutely. Anxiety doesn't just affect your mind; it creates real physical sensations like rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, stomach issues, and difficulty breathing. Through our work together, you'll learn techniques to calm your nervous system and reduce these physical symptoms, while also addressing the underlying thoughts and patterns that trigger them.
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Yes, I work with individuals struggling with anxiety as well as couples where anxiety is affecting the relationship. Sometimes one partner's anxiety creates tension in the relationship, or both partners may be dealing with stress and worry. My training in Emotionally Focused Therapy allows me to address anxiety within the context of your relationship dynamics.
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During our intake process, I conduct a thorough exploration of your background, including when your anxiety started, what triggers it, how it impacts different areas of your life, and what you've already tried. This deep dive helps me understand your unique situation and create a personalized treatment approach that addresses your specific needs and goals.
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I offer both online sessions and in-person sessions, giving you flexibility based on your preferences and schedule. Many clients find that online therapy is just as effective for anxiety treatment, while others prefer the in-person connection. We can discuss which format works best for you.
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If anxiety is interfering with your relationships, career, sleep, or daily functioning, therapy can help. You don't need to wait until anxiety is severe to seek support. I work with clients at all levels of anxiety, from those experiencing occasional worry to those dealing with persistent, overwhelming fear. Reach out to discuss your specific concerns and we'll determine together if therapy is the right step for you.
Convenient Access to Anxiety Therapy
I offer both online and in-person sessions, giving you flexibility to choose what works best for your life. Online sessions provide convenience for busy professionals, while in-person sessions offer a face-to-face connection. Both options are equally effective for treating anxiety.
Located in New Canaan, CT
Begin your journey with Anxiety therapy
You don't have to live with constant worry, physical tension, or the limitations anxiety places on your life. As an experienced anxiety therapist in New Canaan, CT, I've helped many individuals and couples find relief and reclaim their lives from anxiety.
The work requires commitment and isn't always easy, but the results—feeling calm, confident, and capable—are absolutely worth it. You deserve to sleep peacefully, show up fully in your relationships, perform at your best professionally, and enjoy your life without anxiety calling the shots.
If you're ready to take the next step, I invite you to reach out. We can discuss your specific situation, answer your questions about therapy, and determine if we're the right fit to work together. Contact my practice today for information about scheduling and availability.