Anxiety Therapist in Lanham & Wheaton, MD

Anxiety is rarely just “feeling nervous.” It’s lying awake running through tomorrow’s worst cases. It’s a racing heart in the grocery store line, a tight jaw by noon, a stomach that won’t settle before a meeting. It’s rereading an email five times before you send it, or canceling plans because the thought of small talk is exhausting. Many people live this way for years and assume it’s simply their personality.

Anxiety is one of the top specialties at McGuire Therapeutic Services. Our anxiety therapists in Lanham and Wheaton, MD work with clients from Seabrook, Landover, Hyattsville, College Park and Silver Spring who look high-functioning on the outside and feel worn out on the inside, as well as people whose worry has made work, school or leaving home hard. Both deserve real help, and both can feel better with the right support.

Anxiety often travels with something else. If panic started after a frightening event, we may weave in trauma-focused therapy. If worry sits on top of low mood, we address both together rather than treating them as separate problems that happen to share a calendar. And if your anxiety is tied to a relationship, job or family situation, that context becomes part of the work too.

If you live with social or panic-related anxiety, even the first appointment can feel like a hurdle, so we try to make it predictable. You’ll fill out intake forms ahead of time. In the session, your therapist will ask when the anxiety started, what a typical day looks like, what you’ve already tried, and what you’d do more of if worry weren’t in the way. You’ll leave with a plan and often one small skill to try that week.

If you’re too anxious to come in, start by telehealth from home and move to in-person sessions later. If anxiety is severe or comes with sleeplessness or depression, we can also talk about a psychiatric assessment and medication management through our clinic. And if anxiety ever comes with thoughts of ending your life, call or text 988 at any hour.

Anxiety shows up differently depending on age and circumstance. Teens may complain of stomachaches, avoid school or melt down over homework that looks manageable from the outside. New parents may feel flooded by worst-case scenarios about their baby’s health. People in demanding jobs often hide anxiety behind long hours and overpreparation. Older adults may worry intensely about health, money or falling, and sometimes describe the anxiety as physical symptoms first.

Whatever your stage, the core of treatment is similar: understand what keeps the anxiety going, practice new responses, and build confidence that you can handle discomfort. We tailor the details to your life, whether that means involving a parent in a teen’s sessions, working around a shift schedule, or including your faith if that’s important to you. Spanish-speaking clinicians are also available; call to be matched.

We accept Maryland Medicaid, Medicare, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth, UnitedHealthcare/Optum, Johns Hopkins EHP and others, and we confirm your coverage and copay before your first session. Self-pay sessions are $150, and a sliding scale is available by application. Our Lanham office is on Annapolis Road near the Beltway, and our Wheaton office serves clients from Silver Spring, Kensington and Aspen Hill.

Before your first visit, you’re welcome to call with questions, hear how we work and see whether it feels like a fit. Many anxious clients tell us that simply knowing what to expect lowers the dread of the first appointment. Please give 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel, and let us know if there’s anything that would make your visit easier, like a quieter waiting time.