For many people, panic attacks come out of nowhere, causing a wave of intense fear, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Maybe there was a lead up where you felt on edge and couldn't relax, stuck in negative thought loops you couldn’t escape from, and then suddenly you were having difficulty breathing. Or maybe you were trying to make a decision, even a simple one, and you were stuck overthinking all the options until you felt lightheaded. Or maybe you were worrying so much about the future that you mentally tied yourself in knots to the point that you physically tied yourself in knots too, resulting in nausea, sweating, and dizziness.
At the New York City Psychotherapy Collective, we specialize in helping people find relief from the overwhelming symptoms of panic attacks. Our team of therapists is highly experienced in treating panic symptoms and anxiety disorders.
Understanding panic attacks
Panic attacks are sudden, intense fear or discomfort that peaks quickly. They can be incredibly frightening, and many people feel like they're losing control.
Research shows that common symptoms of a panic attack include many physical symptoms that might seem like a heart attack at first:
Increased, rapid heart rate or palpitations
Shallow breathing or a feeling of choking
Chest pain or heart palpitations
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Sweating (hot flashes) or chills
Nausea
An overwhelming sense of impending doom
Panic attacks (or anxiety attacks) are very common, affecting as much as 11% of the population each year, and often occur without warning. While there’s no single exact cause of panic attacks, stress, trauma, or underlying anxiety disorders may play a role in identifying when and how panic attacks occur. These episodes can be disruptive, leading to fear of future attacks, avoiding certain situations, or impacting daily life and work.
How therapy for panic attacks can help
Psychotherapy is one of the leading treatments for the management of panic attacks and panic disorder. Therapy for panic attacks offers a structured way to identify triggers, manage symptoms, and regain control over your life. Working with a therapist can help you develop strategies to break the cycle of panic and anxiety, and explore the root of your anxiety. Panic attacks are often noticed when there's a shift in your bodily sensations, which might be due to being in crowded spaces, being in uncomfortable social settings, or being reminded subconsciously of traumatic events.
Therapy is not one size fits all. Some of the things you can explore in therapy include:
Learning effective coping skills for managing symptoms
Understanding your physiological and mental triggers for anxiety and panic
Reducing the frequency and intensity of panic attacks
Processing childhood and ongoing stressors that can trigger anxiety and panic
Building long-term resilience and emotional strength to support you in making significant changes
Reframing the way you view yourself and your symptoms to increase your self-empathy
Making positive changes in identifying and addressing the root causes of your mental health conditions
Finding the right mental health professional is an extremely important step in the process. A strong therapeutic relationship allows for openness, trust, and the greatest chance of success in overcoming recurrent panic attacks. Our practice takes the time to get to understand your needs and connect you with the therapist who will be the best fit to help you.
Why choose the panic attacks therapists at the New York City Psychotherapy Collective
At New York City Psychotherapy Collective, we work hard to provide personalized, compassionate, and individually tailored care to each client. We understand that panic attacks can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to face them alone.
Why choose us?
A team of highly trained, licensed expert therapists who specialize in anxiety and panic disorders
Evidence-based therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness techniques
A supportive, non-judgmental environment where individuals suffering from the panic disorder experience can feel safe exploring their emotions
Tailored treatment plans to meet your needs regarding specific phobias to improve your well being on a deeper level
Conveniently located virtual therapy throughout New York City and New York State
Take the first step toward improving your panic attacks by reaching out here for a free consultation.
Meet 10 top-rated therapists for panic attacks in New York
1. Anjna Arun, MHC-LP
As a therapist, Anjna works with clients who are feeling lost, overwhelmed, or unsure whether they're living for themselves or just to meet the expectations of others. Their relationships are causing stress or leaving them feeling disconnected, and they're struggling to align where they are now with where they thought they'd be. Anjna uses psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Gestalt modalities and utilize techniques from each to create a treatment plan that is individualized to your needs.
Credentials: Mental Health Counselor - Limited Permit (MHC-LP)
Education: MA, CUNY Brooklyn College
Specialties: Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression
Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person-Centered Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy
2. Maggie McCarthy, LMSW
As a therapist, Maggie works with adults in their 20s and 30s dealing with a history of unresolved pain. With a keen awareness of both individual factors and the impacts of social injustice and intersectional oppression, Maggie supports her clients on their journeys of personal growth towards true healing. Maggie utilizes mindfulness practices, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), somatic therapy, and narrative therapy to help her clients understand and reimagine past experiences, challenge negative thinking, and promote holistic healing within their minds and bodies.
Credentials: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
Education: MSW, Columbia School of Social Work
Specialties: Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression
Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Somatic Therapy, Narrative Therapy
https://newyorkcitypsychotherapists.com/maggie-mccarthy-lmsw
3. Julia Laplaza, LMHC
As a therapist, Julia works with college students and young adults just entering the workforce. Julia has been successful in helping clients find relief from painful past experiences and overcome barriers towards meeting their goals. In your work together, clients will be able to discover new insights about themselves and get to the root of their challenges. Julia's goal is to help clients regain control of their lives and see long term change.
Credentials: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Education: MA, Baruch College
Specialties: Trauma, Anxiety, Relationships, Transitions, Boundaries
Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person-Centered Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Psychodynamic
4. NIKOL METAXA ROZENFELD, LMHC
As a therapist, Nikol offers a warm, direct, and practical approach to help you understand and manage your anxiety. Using evidence-based methods, she helps you explore what's happening beneath the surface during panic attacks by examining your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Nikol creates a compassionate space where you can develop self-awareness and practical coping tools, moving beyond quick fixes to build lasting resilience. Her approach acknowledges both your immediate needs for symptom relief and the deeper patterns that may be contributing to your anxiety. Together, you'll work to understand your panic attacks in the context of your whole life experience, developing strategies that feel authentic and sustainable for you.
Credentials: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), License #015639
Education: MA, Texas State University
Specialties: Eating Disorders, Trauma, Anxiety, Relationships, Transitions, Boundaries
Teletherapy Modalities Used: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Humanistic therapy
https://newyorkcitypsychotherapists.com/nikol-metaxa-rozenfeld-lmhc
5. Laina Mason, LCSW
As a therapist, Laina brings over 15 years of counseling experience, specializing in helping clients navigate the challenges of both historical and recent traumas, including sexual violence, as well as major life transitions. Laina's clients are often dealing with varying levels of anxiety, sadness, and disconnection, which can hinder their ability to sustain relationships, feel successful in their endeavors, set boundaries, find joy, or revel in the fullness of a life that integrates their whole self. Laina's approach focuses on helping clients understand and process their experiences, empowering them to regain control over their lives.
Credentials: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Education: MSW, University of Albany
Specialties: Sexual Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression
Modalities Used: Internal Family Systems (IFS), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Polyvagal and Somatic Experiencing
6. Olivia Jessar, LMSW
As a therapist, Olivia helps her clients move beyond simply understanding their panic attacks to actually transforming their relationship with anxiety. Her trauma-informed, psychodynamic approach creates a safe space to explore how past experiences may be contributing to your current anxiety, while acknowledging the impact of broader societal pressures and cultural narratives. Working collaboratively, Olivia helps you not just develop coping tools, but truly understand the deeper patterns driving your panic attacks. She particularly understands the unique challenges faced by women and LGBTQIA+ individuals, recognizing that anxiety manifests differently for everyone. Rather than focusing solely on symptom management, Olivia's approach empowers you to access your own innate capacity for healing while feeling deeply seen and understood in the process.
Credentials: Licensed Master Social Work (LMSW), License #125608 (New York)
Education: MA, Virginia Commonwealth University
Specialties: Trauma, LGBTQIA+ Issues, Anxiety, Coping Skills, Depression, Eating Disorders, Family Conflict, Life Transitions, Mood Disorders, Relationship Issues, Self Esteem, Stress, Women's Issues
Teletherapy Modalities Used: Somatic Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic, Motivational Interviewing
7. Allison Soss, LMHC
As a therapist, Allie helps clients overcome negative self-talk, life transitions, relationship issues, and imposter syndrome and achieve an increased understanding of feelings, emotions, relationships, communication, and self-worth. Allie works primarily with adults having difficulty managing the stress of their relationships, career, life transitions, self-esteem, communication, and boundaries. Allie works with her clients to create a safe space, empathetic self-perception, and an inviting environment to help clients achieve their goals and build long-lasting skills.
Credentials: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Education: MA, Baruch College
Specialties: Trauma, Anxiety, Relationships, Transitions, Boundaries
Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person-Centered Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Psychodynamic
8. Jenny Maenpaa, LCSW, EdM, Practice Owner:
As a therapist, Jenny helps stressed-out, overachieving women overcome impostor syndrome and dissatisfaction. As a result of working with Jenny, women go from just chasing the brass ring to achieving sustainable happiness in every aspect of their lives.
By bringing a scientific, evidence-based perspective to nebulous concepts like "burnout" and "boundaries" - words we hear a lot but don't always know much about - she helps break down the origins of these behaviors and create new ways of operating in the world that serve everyone better.
Credentials: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Master’s in Education (EdM), Founder of New York City Psychotherapy Collective
Education: MSW, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
Specialties: High-Functioning Anxiety, Burnout, Imposter Syndrome
Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Feminist Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Psychodynamic
https://newyorkcitypsychotherapists.com/jenny-maenpaa-lcsw-edm
9. Kathryn werner, lcsw-r, pmh-c:
As the maternal mental health specialist at the practice, Kathryn works with women struggling with perinatal and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, including postpartum anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and depression. Kathryn creates a space where you can say things out loud that you haven’t been able to say anywhere else.
Credentials: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Certification in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C)
Education: MSW, New York University School of Social Work
Specialties: Maternal Mental Health, Infertility, and Pregnancy Loss
Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy
https://newyorkcitypsychotherapists.com/kathryn-werner-lcsw
10. Janette Marsac, LMSW, RDN:
As a therapist, Janette works with anyone who struggles with food, dieting, and body image. Janette’s clients come to her when they recognize they have to stop sacrificing relationships, important events, their health, and their sanity to follow rigid, rule-based eating patterns and overly control their intake. Janette helps her clients rewrite their relationships with food and their bodies.
Credentials: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)
Education: MA, Fordham University School of Social Work, MA, Nutrition and Dietetics
Specialties: Nutrition, Diet, and Body Image
Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy
https://newyorkcitypsychotherapists.com/janette-marsac-lmsw-rdn
FAQs about panic attacks therapy
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If you're experiencing frequent panic attacks, or if the fear of having another one is affecting your life, therapy could be a beneficial step. Signs that therapy may help include avoiding certain situations, constant worry about future attacks, or feeling out of control during episodes. Even if you're unsure, seeking support early can prevent further distress and provide tools for coping.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is widely recognized as one of the most effective treatments for panic attacks. Therapists at our practice also use exposure therapy, mindfulness, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients build resilience. We tailor our methods to your individual needs for the best outcomes for all kinds of people with panic disorder.
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While therapy may not "cure" panic attacks in every case, many clients experience a significant reduction in symptoms. With the right approach, you can learn to manage and, in some cases, prevent future attacks, allowing you to live a more peaceful life.
One client of ours came to us after months of unpredictable panic attacks that were disrupting her daily life. The attacks would hit on the subway on her way to work, when she was out on dates with her boyfriend, or out at a bar with friends. Through therapy, she learned effective coping strategies, and after several months of work, she was able to regain control and significantly reduce the frequency of how often she would experience panic attacks.
How to get started
Starting panic attack therapy is easy. Here's how:
Reach out for a free consultation for therapy services via our online form.
We'll match you with a therapist based on your specific needs and preferences.
Begin your therapy journey with an initial session and personalized treatment plan.
Your journey to recovery starts here.
Therapy can be life-changing for those dealing with panic attacks. It provides tools, support, and a safe space to identify underlying psychological factors, process those in order to break the panic cycle, and regain control through cognitive restructuring. Schedule a consultation with us today and take the first step toward a calmer life, one where you aren't constantly wondering how long until the next time you'll find yourself experiencing panic attacks.
