Anxiety Therapy in Chicago with Sarah Schufreider, LCSW

The Experience of Living with Anxiety

You are so stressed and overwhelmed. Your mind keeps racing and you can't concentrate. You are barely sleeping and are worried all of the time. You are noticing that you can't even enjoy the things you usually love because your mind is going a million miles a second.

It feels like you have tunnel vision, and the only thing you can see and feel is an impending sense of doom. No matter how many times you tell yourself that this isn't rational, you can't shake the feeling that things are going to fall apart. Your chest is always tight. You have headaches. You are always exhausted.

You find yourself worrying that the people you love don't want to be around you anymore, that you are too much, that you bring too much heaviness into the room.

Symptoms of Anxiety

Having occassional worriesi is normal. But, when someone is suffering with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), the feeling of worry and dread are persistent, intense and they interfere with daily life.

Common signs and symptoms of GAD include:

• Worrying excessively about everyday things

• Have trouble controlling their worries or feelings of nervousness

• Feel irritable or “on edge” frequently

• Feel restless or have trouble relaxing

• Difficulty concentrating

• Have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep

• Experience physical pain including as headaches, stomachaches, chest tightness and muscle tension

• Sweat a lot, feel lightheaded, or feel out of breath

  (Source: Generalized Anxiety Disorder: What You Need to Know - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH))

The cumulative toll of these symptoms cause you to avoid the moments you actually want to be part of. And missing out on life hurts too!

You Want Your Life Back & It Is Possible!

Meet Sarah Schufreider, LCSW

With over 17 years in the field, I have worked with people from every walk of life. I have sat with people through some of the most frightening and disorienting moments. I know that the world is scary, stressful, and unpredictable. And I know, with genuine conviction, that it is possible to feel more secure in your ability to thrive within that uncertainty.

I will speak to you directly and honestly. There is plenty of space here for the hard stuff, and there is also room for humor and lightness, because life holds both, and good therapy should too. I offer sessions online on a HIPAA-compliant platform and am licensed in Illinois (Illinois License #
149016639).

Education and Experience

Education:

• Boston University, Master of Social Work with Trauma Certificate, 2010

• College of the Holy Cross, Bachelors of Arts, 2007

Certifications:

• Bria Better Health Menopause Mental Health Level 2 Certification (In Progress)

• Bria Better Health Menopause Mental Health Level 1 Certification, 2026

• 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher Certification (RYT-200), 2019

• Yoga To Transform Trauma Certification, 2019

Trainings:

• Eli Lebowitz / Yale Child Study Center SPACE Training, 2021

• PESI’s Exposure Response Prevention Training, 2021

How Therapy for Anxiety Actually Works

Equipped with my education as masters-level social worker (MSW) with a certification in trauma, I know that anxiety serves a purpose, even when it is uncomfortable. It is your nervous system responding in a way that is trying to help you. And with the right support, you can learn to help your nervous system respond differently.

In my practice, when working with clients experiencing anxiety, I draw from a number of therapeutic techniques including trauma-informed care, cognitive behavioral therapy, somatic experiencing, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), and exposure response prevention. No matter what technique we are using, goals for sessions include:

• Beginning to understand your body.

  That tight chest, those persistent headaches, the exhaustion that sleep never fixes. These are not signs that something is catastrophically wrong with you. They are your body responding to anxious emotions.

• Exploring how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact with and influence each other.

  This is not about positive thinking or convincing yourself that everything is fine. It is about learning to see what is actually happening inside you and finding the places where you genuinely have some power.

• Interrupting the downward spirals.

  We work to help you stop pouring energy into the spiral of negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Instead, we start channeling your towards things that are actually in your control.

Over time, clients who do this work state that they notice:

• A decrease in the emotional overwhelm that used to feel impossible to escape.

• Less avoidance of the people, places, and experiences they actually want to be part of.

• A growing sense of their own capacity to handle hard things and still move forward.

The goal is not to become someone who never feels anxious. The goal is to become someone who knows what to do when anxiety shows up, and who no longer has to let it make every decision.

*** Please note: Therapy is not a substitute for medical care and clients with physical symptoms are encouraged to see their doctor to assess any physical symptoms.***

YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP DOING THIS ALONE

If reading this felt uncomfortably familiar, that is not a coincidence. Reaching out is one small step, and it might be the one that changes the direction of everything.

To learn more, either:

• email Sarah at sarah@sixheartscounseling.com

• fill out this contact form on the website

I’d love to help you. Schedule your free 15- minute phone consultation for anxiety therapy in Chicago and greater Illinois.

My other specialties incorporate mid-life issues including menopause mental health, postpartum depression, relationship support, parenting special needs kids, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), and grief.

Frequently Asked Questions about Anxiety Therapy in Chicago