Anxiety Is More Than Worry
Anxiety is one of the most common reasons children, teens, and adults seek therapy in New Jersey — and one of the most misunderstood. It can show up as racing thoughts and what-ifs, but just as often it looks like irritability that feels disproportionate, physical tension in your jaw or chest, difficulty sleeping even when you are exhausted, avoidance of things you used to do without thinking, or a low-grade sense of dread you cannot quite explain. These are all faces of anxiety, and they are all worth taking seriously.
Understanding the Roots
At Therapy Aligned, we treat anxiety not just as a set of symptoms to manage but as a signal worth understanding. For many people, anxiety has roots in early relational patterns, nervous systems that learned to stay on guard, perfectionism, or lives that demanded too much for too long. Therapy can explore what drives your anxiety alongside ways to manage it.
How We Work with Anxiety
Our clinicians draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for skill-building and behavioral change; Internal Family Systems (IFS), psychodynamic therapy, and attachment-based approaches to explore the deeper patterns beneath the anxiety; and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and existential frameworks to help you build a life defined by meaning rather than avoidance. The blend is tailored to you — practical tools for daily relief alongside deeper work that addresses why your nervous system stays activated even when you are safe.
Clinicians who work in this area
Chandni Patel
LCSW, LCADC
Accepting new clients
Jacob Ventricelli
LAC, NCC
Accepting new clientsPractices under clinical supervision
Dan Juengst
MSW, LSW
Waitlist for new clientsPractices under clinical supervision
Andrew H. Kim
LCSW, LCADC
Waitlist for new clientsTherapy Aligned is not a crisis service. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or call 911 in an emergency.
In-Person and Virtual Therapy in New Jersey
Sessions are available to children, teens, and adults in person in Metuchen and virtually throughout New Jersey. Virtual sessions use secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth. Whether you are in North, Central, or South Jersey, you can connect virtually with our licensed clinicians from the comfort of your own space, with no commute or waiting room. We are in-network with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare/Optum, Oscar, and Medicare, and we offer self-pay options as well.
What the Research Shows
Anxiety is both common and treatable, and the evidence reflects that.
- • An estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults had an anxiety disorder in the past year. (NIMH)
- • Among adolescents ages 12–17, anxiety was the most common diagnosed mental health condition in 2023, affecting 16.1%. (HRSA / NSCH)
- • In a 2020 Cochrane review of 87 trials, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) led to remission of the primary anxiety diagnosis in 49.4% of children and adolescents, compared with 17.8% who received no treatment. (Cochrane)
“A form of psychotherapy known as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is highly effective at treating anxiety disorders.” — American Psychological Association
