An 8-week panic disorder treatment program, online across Texas
The attack lasts minutes. Waiting for the next one can take over the whole week.
That waiting is what this program works on. You get eight one-on-one video sessions with a Texas-licensed counselor, plus a companion app for the days in between.
In crisis or thinking about suicide? Call or text 988 any time, or call 911 if you are in danger.
Why panic attacks keep coming back
Panic disorder is fear of the next panic attack. That fear puts the body on alert, and the alert is what the next attack is made of.
Not sure which one you have? Read panic attack vs panic disorder, or what to do during an attack.
A sensation
Your heart starts racing, or a wave of dizziness hits in the checkout line.
A what-if thought
“What if it’s my heart?” “What if I lose it in front of everyone?”
A reaction
You leave. Next time you skip the place, or keep checking your body for signs.
The body learns danger
Escaping brings relief, so the body files the feeling as dangerous. The next attack comes sooner.
Then it starts again, a little sooner.
The feeling isn’t the problem. The reaction to the feeling is, and a reaction can be unlearned.
What happens in each of the 8 weeks
Weeks 1 and 2 explain why panic happens, with no exposure practice yet. From Week 3 on, each session includes practice done together with your counselor.
- 1
Why panic happens
Nothing is wrong with you. You learn why the sensations aren’t dangerous and start noticing the fear of panic.
- 2
What acceptance is
Acceptance means unlearning the reaction, and nobody asks you to like the feeling. You start spotting your reactions, even the quiet ones.
- 3
Practicing acceptance
Your first gentle body exercises begin. You learn to stay with a feeling while it rises and passes.
- 4
What-if thoughts
Where those thoughts come from, and how to stop obeying them, arguing with them, or pushing them away.
- 5
Bringing it on, on purpose
You practice the sensations panic uses, a step at a time. Night panic is covered here too.
- 6
Places and safety behaviors
Stores, highways, crowds, being far from home. You work up a ladder you choose, dropping one safety behavior at a time.
- 7
Getting your life back
The trip, the drive to see family: you go after what panic took. Each outing is for the thing itself, and stops being a test.
- 8
Staying free
A lapse isn’t a relapse. You leave with a written plan for when panic visits again.
How this panic disorder treatment works
The program pairs acceptance with exposure therapy for panic disorder. Exposure is among the most studied treatments for panic, and acceptance is what makes it bearable.
Acceptance, without the fight
Trying to make panic stop is what keeps it going. Letting the feeling come and pass is a skill from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
Exposure, at your pace
You meet the feeling on purpose, in small steps you choose with your counselor. Your body learns that what it feared didn’t happen, and you can stop any practice.
Where CBT fits
Exposure is the core of CBT for panic disorder. ACT is part of the same family, with less arguing with thoughts and more practice.
When panic starts closing off places
For some people, panic shrinks the map: the grocery store, the freeway, the line at the bank, being far from home. That pattern is called agoraphobia, and it is treated with the same steps.
Here, treatment for agoraphobia starts at home, since video sessions mean there’s no office to get to first. In Week 6 the practice moves out to the places on your list, one rung at a time.
Support for the days between sessions
Your sessions are where you learn the method. The companion app is where you practice it, and your counselor can see how it’s going.
A short weekly video
One opens each week of the 8 weeks.
Every week.
Check-ins
Tell your counselor how the week went, by voice or text, before your session.
Before each session.
A weekly score
Seven questions a week, charted so you can both see what is changing.
Every week.
Messages
Write to your counselor between sessions. Replies come within 1 business day.
Any time.
A practice tool
From Week 3, practice the body exercises in the app. You keep it for 6 months after the program.
From Week 3.
Who you’ll work with
“Panic is what I work with most. I used to struggle with it myself, so I won’t talk to you like a textbook.”
AJ Huynh, MA, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas · Founder, Acceptance Path Counseling
What the program costs
One price covers all 8 sessions and the app. You choose how to pay before you start.
If it isn’t a good match
Tell us at any point. We refund the sessions you haven’t had.
Would rather use insurance?
Weekly panic disorder counseling is billed to the plans we work with, in person or online.
Ways to pay
- Pay in full
- $1,995
- 2 payments
- $1,050 each ($2,100 total)
- Affirm or Klarna
- If you’re approved (terms on the next page)
HSA and FSA cards are accepted. We give you superbills, so you can ask your insurance to reimburse out-of-network care.
Is the program right for you?
It may fit if
- You’re 18 or older and live in Texas.
- Panic attacks, or the fear of them, decide where you go.
- You can give it one session and a few short practices a week.
Something else may fit better if
- You’re in crisis or need care today.
- You live outside Texas.
- You’d like to meet in person at our Willowbrook, The Woodlands or Katy office.
The free call is where we work this out together, and we’ll point you elsewhere if this isn’t it.
Questions about panic disorder treatment
How long does panic disorder treatment take?
This program runs 8 weeks, with one session a week. Some people choose to keep going with weekly counseling afterwards, and that is fine too.
Does online therapy for panic attacks work?
Video sessions use the same methods as an office visit. For many people with panic, getting to an office is part of the problem, so starting from home is what makes starting possible.
Can I be treated for panic disorder without medication?
Many people work on panic with counseling alone, and our counselors do not prescribe. If you already take medication, keep taking it and talk to your prescriber before changing anything.
Exposure sounds terrifying. Will I be pushed?
No. The first two weeks have no exposure practice at all, and after that you choose each step with your counselor.
You can stop any practice at any time.
I’ve had panic attacks for years. Is it too late?
No. Whether it has been one year or twenty, what your body learned, it can unlearn.
Do you take insurance for the program?
The program isn’t billed to insurance. We accept HSA and FSA cards and give you superbills for out-of-network reimbursement.
If you want to use your plan, weekly panic disorder counseling may be a better fit.
What happens on the free 20-minute call?
You talk with a Texas-licensed counselor by phone or video about your panic and what you have tried. It isn’t a sales pitch, and we will tell you honestly whether the program fits.
What if panic comes back after the 8 weeks?
In Week 8 you write your own plan for when panic visits again. You also keep the practice tool in the app for 6 months.
I don’t live in Texas. Can I join?
Not yet. Every counselor is licensed in Texas, so for now the program is only for adults who live here.
Start with a free 20-minute call
Ask anything you like about the program and find out if it fits. There’s no obligation to join.
This page is educational only, and no counseling relationship begins until the paperwork is signed. If you’re in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 if you are in danger.