You Can take back control
Anxiety Therapy in Lansing, MI
Feel Empowered and Confident to Navigate Your Life
It feels as though anxiety has been in the driver’s seat for as long as you can remember. That heavy sense of impending doom and the constant flurry of worries can be so incredibly draining. Even in quiet moments, like grabbing your morning coffee, your mind and body remain on high alert, scanning for potential threats. It’s hard to focus on the beauty of the present when your internal security system is running overtime.
Maybe you've noticed that when your anxiety peaks, your performance dips. When a text or email goes unanswered, your mind spirals into worst-case scenarios. "Are they mad at me? Do they not like me anymore?" These thoughts can become all-consuming, stealing your peace. You find yourself second-guessing your responses and actions, caught in a cycle of self-doubt. If only there were a way to calm your racing thoughts and finally feel some relief.
perhaps You Feel a constant pressure to prove your worth.
Not just to yourself, but to your boss, coworkers, professors, and even your friends and family. You put in extra hours to make sure everything is just right. You're always the one stepping up at work, staying late to get things done. But somehow, it still doesn’t feel like it’s enough. The pressure to prove yourself has you dreading mornings, and even coffee isn’t cutting it anymore. You just want to feel like you’re enough, and for your mind and body to feel it, too.
Please know that you deserve to feel a deep sense of calm. You deserve to feel in control, not just of your thoughts and emotions, but of your entire life. With anxiety therapy in Lansing, MI, we can work together to find the path back to your most grounded, peaceful self.
It’s time to find relief from the constant pressure and rediscover your inner strength.
Support is available as you work toward feeling more grounded and steady.
How anxiety therapy works
When anxiety feels like it’s running the show, it can be hard to know where to begin. In anxiety therapy, we start by slowing things down and getting curious about what your anxiety is responding to. Together, we explore how it shows up in your thoughts, emotions, and body, and how it may be impacting your work, school, relationships, and sense of self. We take time to identify patterns (like constant worry, second-guessing, avoidance, or feeling on edge) and understand what tends to trigger them. As awareness grows, anxiety often begins to feel less overwhelming and more manageable. You start to recognize what’s happening in real time instead of feeling swept away by it.
Therapy is always collaborative and moves at your pace. I take a person-centered approach, which means our work is guided by your unique needs and goals. When helpful, I may incorporate evidence-based tools that support this work. The focus is not on forcing change, but on helping you feel more grounded, supported, and capable of responding to anxiety in a way that works for you. Over time, many people notice they feel more confident navigating anxious moments. Instead of avoiding what feels uncomfortable, you begin to feel more equipped to face it — with greater clarity, self-trust, and balance.
anxiety therapy can help quiet the noise
While a small amount of stress can be a helpful guide in dangerous situations, it’s meant to protect you, not hold you back. When worry becomes constant and starts to cloud your daily life, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed, distracted, and stuck in your own head. Anxiety therapy helps you begin to understand your anxiety rather than feeling controlled by it. Together, we build awareness around what triggers your anxiety, what may be contributing to it and what’s been keeping it going. Over time, you start to recognize your own patterns more clearly. This includes what supports you and what tends to make things feel harder.
As we work through this, we also look at how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are connected, and how certain patterns can quietly keep anxiety feeling loud. With greater understanding comes the ability to respond differently. Therapy focuses on building tools that help ease anxiety in a way that feels healthy and sustainable, rather than relying on avoidance or pushing yourself past your limits. With support and practice, anxiety can begin to take up less space. You may feel more grounded, more clear-headed, and more capable of navigating daily stressors with confidence. Over time, that natural stress response can shift from something that overwhelms you into something you understand — and know how to manage.
i’m here to support you through anxiety
Anxiety doesn’t have to stay in control of your life. When it’s been running in the background, or completely taking over, it can feel exhausting and discouraging. Even the idea of facing it may feel overwhelming right now. Still, change is possible. Over time, it’s possible to feel less anxious and more grounded, balanced, and secure in yourself and your decisions. In anxiety therapy, you’re offered a supportive, non-judgmental space where you don’t have to have everything figured out. I walk alongside many driven and deeply caring women and college students who find themselves struggling with constant worry and self-doubt. Though you are incredibly capable, you may feel held back by the weight of people-pleasing and the fear of disappointing those around you. You may find yourself overthinking interactions, avoiding conflict, or putting your own needs last in relationships.
Therapy gives you room to slow down, reflect, and begin reconnecting with yourself in a way that feels safe and manageable. As an anxiety therapist in Lansing, MI, I work alongside you to better understand how anxiety has been shaping your thoughts, behaviors, and relationships. Together, we gently explore patterns that may have developed over time, often influenced by past experiences or relationship dynamics. We then begin creating space for new, more supportive ways of responding. Over time, many people notice meaningful shifts. Anxiety begins to take up less space. You may feel more confident expressing yourself, setting boundaries, and navigating relationships. Many clients describe feeling calmer, more grounded, and more like themselves again. Support is available when you’re ready to take the next step.
my approach to anxiety therapy
At Forward Outlook Counseling, this work is person-centered and guided by what feels most important to you. We move at a pace that feels manageable, without rushing or forcing change. Therapy is collaborative, and you’re not expected to have the right words or know exactly where to start. At times, I may draw from approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based strategies, or other tools if they feel supportive for you. These are used flexibly and thoughtfully, based on what you’re experiencing and what feels most helpful in the moment.
Many people come into therapy feeling nervous or unsure of what to expect. Over time, sessions often begin to feel steadier and more grounding. There’s space to talk through what’s coming up, notice patterns, and explore things at a level that feels safe. As the work continues, anxiety may start to take up less space. You might notice it feels a little easier to express yourself, set boundaries, or respond differently in relationships. For many, this work creates more room to feel present and connected in daily life.
Anxiety Therapy in Lansing, MI is meant to support you in navigating what you’re carrying, with care, honesty, and respect.
Frequently asked questions about anxiety therapY
Anxiety therapy can bring up a lot of questions. You may wonder whether what you’re experiencing is “enough” to seek support, what sessions will actually feel like, or whether working on anxiety might feel overwhelming. Many people are curious about how anxiety is treated, how quickly things might change, or what therapy looks like beyond the first few appointments. The questions below reflect common concerns for people exploring anxiety therapy in Lansing, MI, and are meant to offer clarity, reassurance, and a better sense of what support can look like.
FAQs
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Anxiety can look and feel different for everyone, which is why many people aren’t sure whether what they’re experiencing “counts” as anxiety. You might notice constant worry, difficulty relaxing, feeling on edge, or a sense that your thoughts won’t slow down, even when there’s no immediate problem. For some, anxiety shows up emotionally through self-doubt or fear, while for others it’s more physical, like tension, restlessness, or trouble sleeping. At Forward Outlook Counseling, anxiety therapy focuses less on labels and more on understanding how these experiences are affecting your daily life, relationships, and overall well-being.
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Stress is usually connected to a specific situation, such as work deadlines, exams, or major life changes, and often eases once that situation passes. Anxiety tends to feel more persistent and harder to turn off, even when there isn’t a clear reason for it. You may feel constantly on edge, stuck in worry, or physically tense most of the time. Working with an anxiety therapist in Lansing, MI can help you better understand whether you’re dealing with stress, anxiety, or a combination of both, and learn ways to respond that feel more supportive and sustainable.
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High-functioning anxiety often affects people who appear capable, responsible, and successful on the outside, while feeling overwhelmed internally. You may perform well at work or school, stay busy, and meet expectations, yet struggle with racing thoughts, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or fear of disappointing others. Because these struggles aren’t always visible, high-functioning anxiety is easy to minimize or dismiss. Anxiety therapy in Lansing, MI can offer space to slow down, explore what’s happening beneath the surface, and find relief without feeling like you need to change who you are.
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It’s common to worry that anxiety means life will always feel limited or overwhelming. While anxiety may not disappear completely, therapy can help it take up much less space in your life over time. Many people begin to feel more confident managing anxious thoughts, responding differently to triggers, and trusting themselves again. With anxiety therapy in Lansing, MI, life can feel calmer, more balanced, and more manageable, even when anxiety shows up occasionally.
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Anxiety therapy focuses on understanding how anxiety shows up for you and what it’s responding to. Instead of trying to eliminate anxiety entirely, therapy helps you build awareness around your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and patterns of behavior. This understanding allows you to respond to anxiety with more intention rather than feeling controlled by it. At Forward Outlook Counseling, anxiety treatment is collaborative and paced around what feels manageable, with the goal of helping anxiety feel less overwhelming in everyday life.
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There isn’t one single type of therapy that works best for everyone with anxiety. Anxiety can look very different from person to person, which is why therapy is most effective when it’s tailored to your unique needs and experiences. Some people benefit from approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety, mindfulness-based strategies, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), or exposure-based work. In therapy, we focus on what feels most helpful and supportive for you, rather than following a rigid or one-size-fits-all approach.
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At Forward Outlook Counseling, anxiety therapy begins with getting to know your specific experience and what brings you to therapy. Early sessions focus on understanding your symptoms and how anxiety shows up in your thoughts, emotions, body, and daily life. From there, we build awareness around triggers, patterns, and what tends to increase or decrease anxiety. As therapy continues, we work together to develop coping strategies and ways of responding to anxiety that feel realistic and aligned with your needs.
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I use a person-centered approach that blends talk therapy with evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MBCT). These approaches are used flexibly rather than as a strict formula, depending on what feels most supportive for you. Therapy always moves at a pace that feels right, with an emphasis on safety, collaboration, and understanding. At Forward Outlook Counseling in Lansing, MI, tools are introduced thoughtfully and only when they feel appropriate for where you are in the process.
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I work with people experiencing a wide range of anxiety concerns, and it’s common for someone to experience more than one type at the same time. Some people come into therapy knowing exactly what they’re struggling with, while others simply know they feel overwhelmed, irritable, on edge, or stuck in their thoughts. At Forward Outlook Counseling, anxiety therapy helps bring clarity over time, even when it’s hard to name what’s going on initially. Common concerns include high-functioning anxiety, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, people-pleasing and relational anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, trauma-linked anxiety, ADHD-related anxiety, and chronic stress or burnout.
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It’s very normal to wonder whether therapy will actually help, especially if anxiety has been part of your life for a long time. Anxiety therapy isn’t about quick fixes or forcing change, but about building understanding, awareness, and tools gradually. Many people begin to notice small but meaningful shifts, such as feeling more grounded, less reactive, or more confident navigating situations that once felt overwhelming. Working with an anxiety therapist in Lansing, MI allows therapy to adapt as your needs change, supporting progress at a pace that feels right for you.
For many people, progress in therapy doesn’t happen all at once. It often looks like small shifts, feeling a little more aware of your triggers or recovering more quickly after anxious moments. You might also feel more confident speaking up when something doesn’t feel right. Therapy can also help you better understand what’s been driving your anxiety and why certain patterns have been hard to break. Over time, these small changes can add up, making anxiety feel more manageable and less central to your daily life.
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When you’re ready to begin anxiety therapy in Lansing, MI, with Forward Outlook Counseling, the first step is reaching out by email (sarah@forwardoutlookcounseling.com) or completing the contact form to schedule an initial consultation. This initial connection allows us to make sure therapy feels like a good fit and that your questions are answered. If we decide to move forward, we’ll schedule your first session, and you’ll receive a link to complete initial paperwork. From there, therapy can begin either in person or virtually, focusing on what feels most important to you as we work toward reducing anxiety and building confidence.
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At Forward Outlook Counseling, anxiety therapy is offered in a way that’s thoughtful, steady, and responsive to what you’re experiencing. If you’re considering Anxiety Therapy in Lansing, MI, this work is approached with care and respect for your pace; without pressure to rush, explain everything, or know exactly where to begin. Sessions are available both in person and through secure telehealth, allowing you to work with an anxiety therapist in Lansing, MI in a way that feels most comfortable for you.
Starting therapy doesn’t require having things figured out. For many people, it begins with simply creating space to slow down and talk through what’s been feeling overwhelming or hard to manage. The process unfolds gradually, with attention to feeling safe, supported, and grounded. When helpful, tools and mindfulness-based strategies may be incorporated, always guided by what feels most supportive in the moment. If and when you’re ready to take the next step, getting started can be simple:
Reach out via email or the contact form to schedule an initial consultation
Learn more about me and my approach to anxiety therapy, and see if it feels like a good fit for you
Begin therapy in a space that respects your boundaries, your needs, and your pace
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Anxiety therapy is one part of the support offered at Forward Outlook Counseling. Healing often unfolds over time, and many people find that different types of support become meaningful at different stages of their lives. As needs shift, therapy can adapt to focus on what feels most relevant and supportive in the moment.
Alongside anxiety therapy, Forward Outlook Counseling offers Therapy for Women and Therapy for College Students in Lansing, MI, and support for concerns such as trauma, relationship challenges, narcissistic abuse, and ongoing emotional stress. These services are approached with the same care, collaboration, and respect for pace, allowing the work to evolve as awareness grows or life circumstances change.
There is no single path or timeline for healing, and support does not need to look the same for everyone. You’re invited to explore services that feel aligned with where you are right now: emotionally, relationally, and within the rhythms of your daily life. Therapy is meant to meet you where you are and shift with you as your needs and goals continue to take shape.