ANXIETY THERAPY SPECIALIST
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is our body’s natural response to a perceived threat. Sometimes, our brains are tricked into thinking that many things are threats and we can live in a constant state of fight or flight. When anxiety becomes overwhelming and interferes with daily life, it is time to get some help.
How can an Anxiety Therapy Specialist help?
We understand that anxiety can feel like it is robbing you of living your life.
Understanding the root cause of your anxiety will help us target it and work to give you some relief.
We believe that befriending your emotions is a path towards relief of anxiety.
Suppressed emotions often manifest themselves in a physical way in the body; anxiety is one of those ways. We work to help you begin to recognize, acknowledge, and express your emotions in healthy, productive ways.
We work to help you become aware of your body and begin to label your emotions.
Tuning into your physics body can help you become more aware of what you are feeling. We then work to label these feelings and process them together.
We encourage verbal and written processing.
We encourage clients to get a journal and begin writing their feelings down; we also encourage sharing emotions with safe, supportive people.
We will help you navigate the possibility of medication.
Sometimes we need some help with medicating our intense and overwhelming anxiety symptoms; we can help you decide if this is a good step for you.
Therapy Modalities We Use
We believe anxiety is telling a story. Most of our work is aimed at finding where that story began and what belief is keeping it in place. We teach coping skills alongside that, because relief matters while the deeper work is underway.
- Narrative Therapy — Anxiety is telling a story about who you are and what you have to be in order to be safe. We work out what that story is, where it began, and whether it is still true.
- Attachment-Based Therapy & Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — Much of what we believe about safety and connection was learned in our earliest relationships, long before we had words for it. This work brings those patterns into view and gives you a way to change them in the present.
- Restoration Therapy — A framework for naming the core pain underneath the anxiety and the coping behaviors built on top of it, then practicing something different in the moment it matters.
- Inner Child Work — Meeting the younger part of you who first concluded the world was not safe, and offering that part something it did not get at the time.
- Existential Therapy — Some anxiety is not a symptom to be removed. It is a real response to questions about meaning, mortality, freedom, and being alone, and it deserves to be taken seriously rather than managed away.
- Person-Centered Therapy — You are the authority on your own life. Our work is to create the conditions where you can hear yourself clearly.
- Grounding & Mindfulness Techniques — Practices that bring you back to the present moment and help you observe thoughts and emotions without judgment.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — Skills for interrupting anxious thought patterns and taking meaningful action even when anxiety is present. We use these for relief while the deeper work is underway.
What to Expect in Therapy
- Sessions will focus on developing emotional awareness, practical coping skills, and long-term healing strategies.
- Clients will learn to balance processing difficult emotions with staying grounded in the present.
- We will work at a pace that feels safe and supportive.
Meet Our Anxiety Therapy Specialists
MARISA COCKRELL, MA, LPC - FOUNDER
I am passionate about working with individuals and couples, teens and adults who find themselves struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, and their sexuality or gender. I work to create an environment of connection and care, without judgement, where clients can come to a better understanding of themselves and how they relate to others. I believe the therapist and client work together as a team to find and process ways to better cope with the pain in one’s life.
I hold a Masters in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary. I am EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) trained. I am certified as a facilitator with Prepare and Enrich and I am certified in Restoration Therapy, Level 1. I also have extensive training under Dr. Mark Yarhouse in navigating sexual and gender identity for people of faith and training in Narrative theory work with Dan Allender.
Together, we will explore and address current concerns, as well as work to discover how the coping skills client’s have developed since childhood are causing stumbling blocks for them today.
chelsea rhoden, ma, lpc
My main area of focus is trauma, and I also work with clients ages 13 and up who face a broad range of issues. I work to integrate spiritual, emotional, psychological, and physical aspects into the counseling process in order to help the whole person grow and heal.
I hold a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary. I am EMDR Trained. I am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and am trained in Restoration Therapy, Level 1.
The trust between client and therapist is one of the most powerful components in the therapeutic process. I see the opportunity to build this trust as an honor, and I utilize an eclectic approach tailored to best help the individual. It is a privilege to navigate life’s challenges alongside my clients, and it would be a joy to serve you in this way.
TAYLOR GARCIA, MA, LPC
My experience in and out of the counseling office has lead me to find success in working with children, adolescents, parents, and women of all ages. My areas of interest include ADHD, anxiety, boundaries, family of origin issues, life transitions (specifically the transition into motherhood) and parenting. I approach counseling with the whole person in mind; treating mind, body, and spirit. I find it a great honor to be let into other people’s stories and witness their achievement in finding freedom and meaning in their lives.
I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University and then received my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colorado. Post graduation I have worked with clients of all backgrounds but especially enjoy those wanting to incorporate their Christian faith into the counseling process. I am fully trained in EMDR to help clients process trauma and am working towards my Perinatal Mental Health Certificate (PMHC) through Postpartum Support International.
“You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
– C.S. Lewis
The hope imbedded in the above quote is what I believe is at the heart of the therapeutic process.
Many of us have experienced loss, unmet needs or trauma in our childhood and while we can’t go back and change those things we can find agency today to be the person, partner, woman, or mother we want to be. I believe that the relationship between counselor and client is vital to the changes that clients make in their lives; therefore, I strive to create a warm, empathic, and honest working relationship.
NATHAN BLATTMAN, MA, LPC
So many of us experience pain that leaves us feeling overwhelmed, confused, and alone. I desire for each of my clients to know that they are deeply cared for and do not have to carry their burdens alone. Through providing a space of genuine care and acceptance, I seek to help people make sense of their experiences and emotions. I am honored to journey alongside individuals, couples, adults and adolescents to help them better understand their pain and discover a path to peace.
It is my passion to work with those wrestling with anxiety, depression, addiction, and anger. For many people, these experiences are endured or pushed to the side as an inescapable part of life. My desire is to help people work through the things that often feel insurmountable and find peace on the other side.
I hold a Master of Arts in Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary and I am Restoration Therapy Certified, Level 1. While I work predominantly from the framework of Restoration Therapy, I practice an eclectic range of therapy to best meet each individual’s needs and goals.
– photos by Barbara Z, Naranja Dulce Photography
MELISSA RENEAU, MA, LPC ASSOCIATE
SUPERVISED BY MICHELE BACHMAN, MA, LPC-S
SUPERVISED BY MICHELE BACHMAN, MA, LPC-S
I enjoy working with individuals, couples, and teens who are experiencing transitions in their lives. I also work with individuals who are struggling with anxiety or depression. I have experience helping couples and individuals transition to parenthood. I work to create a nonjudgmental space where clients feel safe and supported so they can explore their lives. Together we can explore your current concerns and help you explore your next steps.
I am an LPC-Associate under the supervision of Michele Bachman, MA, LPC-S. I earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University. I am trained in EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. I have completed the Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) Externship. I am also certified as a facilitator with Prepare and Enrich.
ABIGAIL FONTENOT, MA, LPC ASSOCIATE
SUPERVISED BY PAM COSART, LPC-S
SUPERVISED BY PAM COSART, LPC-S
I believe that everyone has a unique, intricate and beautiful story that is waiting to be told. There are times when we just need a safe place that provides opportunities to understand the complexities, and experiences within our lives. Counseling can be that place! I enjoy working with people across the lifespan including early adolescence, teens and adults. My heart is with those suffering from the effects of traumatic experiences, struggling in relationships, dealing with depression, anxiety or disordered eating and those navigating sexual issues. Each one of us longs for wholeness, to be known and to find peace. Perhaps it’s in your current stress, unhelpful thoughts, or confusing feelings. Life contains an array of experiences which shape who we are. It can be overwhelming to make connections and find healthy rhythms for ourselves. If you are seeking healing for yourself through counseling, that is a courageous first step! Healing can happen when we take time to understand to our stories. I consider it an honor to sit with people as they learn to fully pay attention to themselves and honor their lives.
I employ counseling techniques from a biblically integrated perspective using approaches from person-centered therapy, existential therapy, and restoration therapy. I believe that the counseling relationship is essential to the therapeutic process. Walking alongside clients through their pain, and questioning is a privilege for me. I view my role to be partnering with clients on their healing journey and finding ways to encourage and facilitate personal growth. Allowing someone to weed through the brokenness with you is a commendable thing that is not to be taken lightly. I believe that learning to live life with God is what is most transformational. He is the source of contentment, comfort and light. Holding the hope that only He offers is what I love to do for clients who are seeking to take hold of that hope for themselves.
I hold a masters degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, and I am an LPC-Associate under supervision of Pam Cosart, LPC-S.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ANXIETY
WHY DO I FEEL ANXIOUS WHEN NOTHING IS WRONG?
Because anxiety usually isn’t a response to what’s happening now — it’s a response to something your body learned to expect. Anxiety is a signal, not a malfunction. It means some part of you is braced for a danger it once had real reason to brace for, and no one has told that part the danger has passed.
The more useful question isn’t what’s wrong with me. It’s what is my body trying to protect me from, and when did it learn to do that?
WHAT KIND OF THERAPY DO YOU USE FOR ANXIETY?
We work primarily from narrative therapy, attachment-based therapy, existential therapy, and person-centered therapy. Several of our clinicians are trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and certified in Restoration Therapy. We also use cognitive behavioral techniques for coping and symptom relief.
The distinction matters. Coping skills help you manage anxiety while it’s happening, and that’s real help worth having. But managing a signal isn’t the same as understanding what’s sending it. The deeper work is finding where the anxiety started and what belief keeps it in place, so it has less to hold onto.
DO YOU USE CBT?
Yes — for coping. Cognitive behavioral therapy has strong research support for reducing anxiety symptoms, and we teach those skills because relief matters and people need something that helps this week, not in six months.
But symptom management and root cause are two different projects. CBT is part of how we work, not the whole of it. If coping skills alone were enough, you would have stopped being anxious the first time someone taught you to breathe.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GET TO THE ROOT OF ANXIETY?
It means finding the place in your story where the anxiety began.
Anxiety almost always has an origin — a relationship, a season of life, an event, or a message you absorbed about what you had to be in order to be safe, loved, or acceptable. Often it was a reasonable conclusion at the time. It just never got revisited.
When you can locate that beginning and work with the part of you still living there, the anxiety has less to feed on. Without that piece, symptom management often means managing symptoms indefinitely.
WHAT IS A CORE BELIEF, AND HOW DOES IT FUEL ANXIETY?
A core belief is a conclusion you drew about yourself, other people, or the world — usually early, usually without words. Things like: I’m only safe if I’m perfect. If I stop being useful, I’ll be left. Something bad is always about to happen. My needs are too much for people.
Anxiety is often the alarm system attached to that belief. It goes off whenever life gets near the thing you concluded you couldn’t survive.
Change the belief and the alarm stops firing so often. That work is slower than learning to manage the alarm. It also tends to hold.
WHAT IS INNER CHILD WORK?
It’s working with the younger version of you who first learned the world wasn’t safe.
That part doesn’t disappear. It grows up alongside you, still carrying the same conclusions and still trying to protect you using strategies that made sense when you were eight and don’t serve you at forty.
Inner child work means meeting that part with understanding instead of frustration, and offering it something it didn’t get the first time. It isn’t about being childish, and it isn’t about blaming your parents. It’s about reaching the place where the pattern started, because that’s where it can change.
WILL I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD?
Not necessarily, and never before you’re ready.
Some people find the origin of their anxiety quickly and it’s clearly early. For others it’s more recent — a job, a loss, a relationship, a health scare. We follow what’s actually there rather than assuming.
What we won’t do is push you into the hardest material in week one. Depth work requires safety first. If it doesn’t feel safe, it isn’t working, and that’s information we pay attention to.
WHY DO I HAVE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS IF IT'S JUST ANXIETY?
Because anxiety is a physical event, not only a mental one. The stress response floods your system with adrenaline and cortisol, producing a racing heart, chest tightness, digestive trouble, muscle tension, dizziness, and shortness of breath. The symptoms are entirely real.
Your body isn’t overreacting for no reason. It’s doing exactly what it learned to do, at exactly the moment it learned to do it. The symptoms are the message, and they usually make sense once you find out what they’re about.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANXIETY AND AN ANXIETY DISORDER?
Anxiety is a normal response to threat, and everyone experiences it. It becomes a disorder when it’s persistent, out of proportion to the situation, and interfering with your work, relationships, or daily functioning.
The clinical threshold for generalized anxiety disorder is roughly six months of excessive worry that’s difficult to control, alongside symptoms like restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or disturbed sleep.
That said, you don’t need to meet a diagnostic threshold to deserve help. Plenty of the people we see are functioning well by every external measure and exhausted by what it costs them.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN TYPES OF ANXIETY?
Generalized anxiety disorder involves persistent worry across many areas of life. Panic disorder involves sudden episodes of intense fear with physical symptoms — racing heart, shortness of breath, a sense of doom. Social anxiety disorder centers on fear of judgment in social or performance situations. Specific phobias involve intense fear of a particular object or situation.
They overlap frequently. And in our experience the category matters less than the origin — two people with identical panic symptoms often have entirely different stories underneath them, and those stories need different work.
CAN THERAPY HELP ANXIETY WITHOUT MEDICATION?
Often, yes. Therapy works comparably to medication for many people with anxiety, with lower relapse rates after treatment ends. Some people do best with both, particularly when symptoms are severe enough to make the deeper work difficult to access.
Medication can quiet the alarm enough for you to look at what’s setting it off. That’s a legitimate use of it. It’s a decision to make with information rather than by default, and we’re glad to think it through with you.
I'VE ALREADY TRIED THERAPY FOR ANXIETY AND IT DIDN'T WORK. WHY WOULD THIS BE DIFFERENT?
Often because the previous work addressed the symptom rather than the source.
If you learned to identify cognitive distortions, practiced breathing, kept a thought record, and still feel anxious — that isn’t failure, and it doesn’t mean you’re treatment-resistant. It usually means the anxiety is anchored to something that was never located.
We’d want to know what you’ve already tried, what helped even slightly, and what fell flat. That’s useful information, not a mark against you.
HOW LONG DOES ANXIETY TREATMENT TAKE?
Coping skills can make a difference within a few weeks. Root-level change takes longer — often several months — because you’re working with patterns that took years to form.
Most people notice something shifting earlier than they expect, though usually not in the way they expected. The first sign is often not that the anxiety is gone, but that it makes sense.