COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT)

For Anxiety Disorders

IN CALIFORNIA & NEW YORK

Dried flowers and ferns in a vase

Helping you feel more calm, confident, and present.

DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?

You’ve always been a worrier, and it’s helped you set and achieve your goals. Lately, though, it’s been interfering with your work and personal life. It feels like you spend all your time worrying about your career, health, or relationships and less time enjoying those things. If this resonates, you may be struggling with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). If your anxiety is focused on your own or a loved one’s health, you may be struggling with health anxiety (illness anxiety disorder and/or somatic symptom disorder).

Anxiety doesn’t always look like worrying. Sometimes, it can show up as disturbed sleep, stomach problems, or irritability. Some people procrastinate, others overwork. Anxiety can even come in the form of specific phobias: intense fears of objects or situations that make your heart race and your stomach drop.

For some, anxiety shows up most intensely in social situations. Social anxiety (social phobia) is the fear of judgment from others. Social anxiety may show up around romantic interests, authority figures, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. This can make it challenging to do things like make friends, ask for a raise, go on dates, attend parties, or give speeches.

No matter how anxiety is showing up for you, I can help you feel more confident and free. With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), DialecticaI Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), I will help you reclaim your life from anxiety.

Dr. Regina Lazarovich standing serenely in a meadow

MEET YOUR THERAPIST

Hi, I’m Dr. Regina Lazarovich, PhD

Clinical Psychologist specializing in social anxiety, health anxiety, generalized anxiety, and phobia therapy in CA & NY

I can help you become more confident, peaceful, and present.

I am skilled in several evidence-based approaches for anxiety disorders, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC). In our work together, I’ll draw on these approaches and tailor them to your unique circumstances and needs.

CBT for anxiety is a research-based approach that can help you change unhelpful patterns of thought and behavior. CBT is the “gold standard” treatment for anxiety disorders. Research indicates that over 60% of those who undergo CBT experience a significant improvement in anxiety symptoms in 12 - 20 sessions. The tools and skills learned during CBT can last a lifetime.

DBT skills can help you better deal with difficult emotions such as fear and anxiety. I will teach you mindfulness so that you can improve your ability to be in the present moment. Practicing mindfulness can help you become more responsive rather than reactive. I will also teach you strategies for dealing with distressing emotions and ways to reduce the intensity of difficult emotions while increasing positive ones. We can also work on communication skills. This may include asserting yourself, setting boundaries, and clearly expressing your needs.

ACT combines mindfulness with behavior change strategies to help you take back control from anxiety. This approach can help you get unstuck from unhelpful thoughts and get in contact with the present moment. We can also work on identifying and living in alignment with your authentic values.

MSC combines the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion. It’s a powerful tool for building emotional resilience. Over a thousand research studies have demonstrated that people who are more self-compassionate experience less depression, anxiety, perfectionism, stress, and shame and more happiness, life satisfaction, self-confidence, and physical health. Together, we can improve your ability to relate to yourself with the kindness and compassion you would show a good friend.

I can also help with panic attacks, OCD, BDD, BFRBs,  disordered eating and negative body image.

How It Works

STEP ONE

Click Request an Appointment and let me know what you're struggling with. We begin with a free 20-minute consultation to determine whether we're a good fit to work together.

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STEP TWO

If we’re a good fit, we’ll schedule an intake session. The initial 50-minute session will focus on getting to know you and gathering information. We'll set goals based on your values and priorities. I'll create a treatment plan to help you reach them.

STEP THREE

We'll meet weekly for 50-minute sessions. While this frequency allows us to build momentum, we can discuss the session frequency that best suits your needs. Together, we will work on helping you feel better and more engaged in what matters most to you.

Common Questions About Anxiety

  • You do not need to meet the full criteria for an anxiety disorder to benefit from therapy. Stressful events and life transitions often bring up anxiety. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help. If you feel that anxiety is getting in the way of the life you want then you are worthy of support. I would be honored to guide you on the journey to greater well-being.

  • Anxiety disorders can fall into several categories, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and panic disorder with or without agoraphobia.

    I describe the symptoms of GAD, social anxiety and phobias below. Click here to learn more about the symptoms of panic attacks and agoraphobia.

  • According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) for adults include:

    • Extreme anxiety and worry about a variety of events or activities (e.g., relationships, health, work and/or school) that is felt more days than not for at least 6 months.

    • It’s hard to get the worry under control.

    • Three or more of the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, difficulty with focus or concentration, irritability, muscle tension, and disturbed sleep.

    • The anxiety significantly disrupts important areas of life such as relationships or career.

    • The anxiety cannot be attributed to a medication, drug, medical condition or another mental health condition.

  • According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), symptoms of social anxiety disorder (social phobia) for adults include:

    • Intense anxiety about one or more social situations where there is a risk of being judged by others. For example, performing for others (e.g., public speaking), being observed (e.g., eating or drinking), or social interactions (e.g., meeting new people).

    • Feeling afraid of acting in a way that will make your anxiety visible to others and cause them to judge you (e.g., feeling embarrassed or humiliated, being rejected, and/or offending others).

    • Either enduring the feared social situation with anxiety or avoiding such situations entirely.

    • The degree of anxiety or fear is disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the social situation and to the sociocultural context.

    • The anxiety is persistent, lasting 6 months or more.

    • The anxiety significantly interferes with relationships, career, or other important areas of life.

    • The anxiety cannot be attributed to a medication, drug, medical condition or another mental health condition.

  • According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), symptoms of specific phobia for adults include:

    • Extreme and persistent fear or anxiety that is triggered by a specific object or situation (e.g., heights, insects, animals, getting an injection, seeing blood, flying, driving, elevators, choking, etc…).

    • Being exposed to the feared object or situation provokes immediate fear or anxiety.

    • The feared object or situation is either avoided entirely or endured with intense fear or anxiety.

    • The fear or anxiety is disproportionate to the actual danger or sociocultural context.

    • The fear or anxiety is persistent, lasting 6 months or longer.

    • The fear or anxiety interferes with important areas of functioning such as relationships or career.

    • The fear or anxiety cannot be attributed to a medication, drug, medical condition or another mental health condition.

  • Most specific phobias fall into one of four major categories: specific situations, animals, medical treatment, and the natural environment. Each specific phobia has its own name. The following is a list of names of some of the most common specific phobias that I treat:

    • Acrophobia (fear of heights)

    • Aerophobia (fear of flying)

    • Aquaphobia (fear of water)

    • Astraphobia (fear of storms)

    • Claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces)

    • Dentophobia (fear of going to the dentist)

    • Emetophobia (fear of vomit)

    • Enochlophobia (fear of crowds)

    • Glossophobia (fear of public speaking)

    • Hemophobia (fear of blood)

    • Iatrophobia (fear of doctors)

    • Mysophobia/Germophobia (fear of contamination)

    • Nosocomephobia (fear of hospitals)

    • Zoophobia (fear of animals)

    • and more!

Have more questions? Read my General FAQ here.