Panic attacks and panic disorder
Therapy for panic attacks
It comes on in seconds, and then you spend the rest of the week waiting for the next one.
A therapist for panic attacks works on both: the attack itself, and the planning, the avoiding, and the watching of your own body for the first sign. In person in the Houston area, or online anywhere in Texas.
at a time.
- Select insurance plans accepted
- Self-pay $100–$150 per session
- For adults in Houston-Willowbrook, The Woodlands, and Katy
- Online across Texas
In crisis or thinking about suicide? Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. Counseling here is not an emergency service.
Who you might work with
Licensed counselors, matched to what you need
You are matched with a counselor based on what you need and who is available. These are some of the team.
Tell us that panic is what you want to work on and we will take that into account when we match you.
AJ Huynh
Director · LPC
Works with ACT, CBT and mindfulness-based approaches, with a focus on what matters to you rather than symptoms alone.
Brenda Resendez
Clinical Director · LPC
Blends ACT, CBT and motivational interviewing, adapting the approach to where you are rather than a fixed program.
Ricardo Alvarez
LPC
Draws on mindfulness, IFS and ACT, and offers EMDR at The Woodlands. A gentle, flexible approach that meets you where you are.
Cost and coverage
Know the cost before you begin.
For insured sessions, we verify your benefits and share an estimated out-of-pocket cost before the first session. That estimate is separate from the self-pay rates below.
Self-pay, per session
- Fully licensed clinician
- $150
- Associate clinician
- $100
Matching may include an associate clinician. Tell us if cost is a concern so we can discuss the options available to you.
Plans we currently work with
Coverage, cost, and availability depend on your plan, your eligibility at the time of service, and the clinician you see.
- Aetna
- Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Texas
- UnitedHealthcare
- Cigna
- Oscar
- Oxford
- Horizon BCBS
- BCBS of Massachusetts
- Original Medicare
- UHC Medicare Advantage
- Quest Behavioral Health
- Carelon Behavioral Health
Do not see your plan? Ask our team: consultations are free, and a limited number of sliding-scale openings may be available.
Daily life
The attack is minutes. The rest of it is the week.
Sitting near the door. Checking where the nearest restroom is.
Driving the long way to avoid the freeway. Saying you are tired because the real answer takes too long.
Avoiding the thing does work, briefly, which is exactly why it grows. You can talk about all of it before you change any of it.
What you might work on
- The first thirty secondsWhat your body does, what you do next, and which of the two is making it worse.
- The waitingThe hours between attacks, and what to do with the part of you that is scanning.
- The places you have droppedDriving, the store, the elevator, being far from home, getting them back at a pace you set.
- The fear underneathWhat you believe is about to happen, and what has actually happened every time so far.
You can try something between sessions, then talk about what fit and what got in the way.
Understanding panic
What is happening, in plain terms
These describe the parts people tend to recognize. They are a starting point for a conversation, not a test you have to pass to deserve help.
A panic attack
A surge of fear that peaks within minutes, with physical symptoms strong enough that people often go to an emergency room the first time. Frightening, and not dangerous in itself.
Panic disorder
When the attacks keep happening and the fear of the next one starts changing how you live. The difference between a panic attack and panic disorder is that second part.
Anticipatory anxiety
The waiting. Checking your pulse, rehearsing exits, reading the day ahead for anything that might set one off.
Avoidance
Dropping the freeway, the store, the meeting. Each thing you drop makes sense on its own, and together they narrow the map.
Agoraphobia
When the avoidance reaches places it is hard to leave: crowds, transport, being far from home or alone. It often travels with panic disorder and is treatable alongside it.
Why it keeps happening
Fear of the sensations makes the sensations more likely, and avoiding them keeps you from finding out that they pass. That loop is what treatment is aimed at.
What can contribute
- Family history
- Trauma or chronic stress
- Sensitivity to physical sensations
- Anxiety, depression, or long periods of strain
- A major life change, illness, or loss
- Avoidance that has built up over time
Panic rarely has one cause, and none of it is anyone’s fault. Understanding what sits underneath is part of the work, not a prerequisite for starting it.
If you want to read more first, see managing panic attacks. Where panic sits inside broader worry, anxiety counseling may fit better.
How we work
How therapy for panic attacks actually works
Three approaches do most of the work here, and mindfulness runs through all of them. Which one your therapist leans on depends on what you bring.
You can ask about it in the first session, and change your mind later.
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CBT for panic attacks
Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at what you believe is about to happen during an attack (a heart attack, fainting, losing control) and sets it beside what has actually happened every time so far. It also works on the habits that keep the fear going: checking your pulse, sitting near the exit, leaving early.
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Acceptance and commitment therapy
ACT shifts the goal from making the sensations stop to making room for them, so a racing heart no longer gets to decide where you go. The work is organized around what matters to you (the drive, the store, the trip) rather than around the symptoms alone.
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Interoceptive exposure
Practicing the sensations on purpose, in small doses, with your therapist in the room (a minute of fast breathing, a spin in a chair, a flight of stairs) so your body gets to find out that a pounding heart or a dizzy spell rises and then passes. It is done gradually, and only once you have agreed to it.
Our focus
Panic is a large part of what this practice does.
It is one of the reasons people find us, and it is work our counselors do often rather than occasionally.
Getting started
A person to talk to. A place to begin.
Matching starts with what matters to you. You have a say in your goals and in whether the therapist feels like a fit.
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Tell us what you need
Use the matching form to share what brings you here and whether you prefer an office or online sessions.
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Explore your match
We suggest a counselor based on what you shared, who is available, and whether you want an office or online. You can ask about their approach before you decide.
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Start where you are
In your first session, talk about what feels hard. Nobody will ask you to do anything you have been avoiding on day one.
Before your first session
If it helps, you might jot down:
- When the last attack happened, and where you were
- What you have stopped doing because of them
- What you would like to be different in a year
These notes are optional. You do not need a log, a count, or a tidy history: bring whatever you can say that day.
The Reset Guarantee
If the fit is wrong, your first session with a new counselor is free.
Near you, or online
Choose where you meet
Meet in person at one of our three Houston-area offices, or choose telehealth anywhere in Texas.
Houston-Willowbrook
12807 Haynes Rd, Building C1
Houston, TX 77066
The Woodlands
2219 Sawdust Rd, Suite 1204
The Woodlands, TX 77380
Katy
21715 Kingsland Blvd, Suite 105
Katy, TX 77450
Online across Texas
Prefer to meet from home? Explore telehealth counseling in Texas.
Online therapy for panic attacks runs the same way as an office session, with the same counselors. If driving is one of the things you have been avoiding, it is a reasonable place to start, and you can move to an office later.
A few questions
Before you start
Have a different question? Ask our team when you get matched.
Do I need a diagnosis to start?
No, many people come here after one or two frightening episodes that have never been given a name. If it is changing what you do, that is reason enough.
How do I know it is panic and not something physical?
You cannot tell from the inside, because the symptoms overlap with heart and thyroid conditions, which is why so many first attacks end in an emergency room, and that is the right call. Once a physician has ruled the other causes out, counseling is for the panic itself, so if yours have not been checked, please have that done alongside.
Will I be made to face the things I avoid?
Not without agreeing to it first, and nothing is sprung on you. Going back to avoided situations is a large part of what helps, and it is done gradually, in an order you and your therapist decide.
Can a panic attack actually hurt me?
A panic attack is not itself dangerous, however convincing it is at the time, and it passes. That is worth knowing and it is rarely enough on its own: the work is in what your body has learned to do, not only in what you know.
Do I need medication as well?
Some people use it, some do not, and that is a decision for you and a prescriber, since our counselors do not prescribe. If you already take something, counseling runs alongside it; if you want to explore it, we will say so rather than leave it unsaid.
How long does this take?
It depends on how long the pattern has been in place and how much of your life it has taken up. Your therapist will talk with you about what progress would look like rather than promise a number of sessions.
Can I meet with a counselor online?
Yes. Secure video sessions are available across Texas, with the same therapists you would see at one of our offices.
What if my therapist is not the right fit?
If the fit is wrong, tell us and we will match you with a different counselor. Your first session with them is free.
Your next step
You do not have to wait for a calm week to start.
Tell us what has been hard, and we will help you find a counselor.
In crisis? Call or text 988 any time.
Counseling here is not an emergency service.
