How to Choose an Anxiety Therapist

Not everyone who feels anxious needs a therapist. If you are still weighing that, start with Do I need therapy for anxiety?

If you have decided you want that support, the next question is who. This guide covers what to check, what the research says about approach and fit, and what to ask. It applies to any therapist you are considering, including Dr. Rabin. For questions that suit any kind of therapy, see the best questions to ask a new therapist.

What license should an anxiety therapist have?

There is no license specific to anxiety. In Massachusetts, therapy is provided by licensed psychologists, licensed independent clinical social workers (LICSWs), licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs), psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners. The differences between them, including who can prescribe, are set out in psychologist, psychiatrist or counselor.

A license shows that the person met the state's requirements for that profession. It does not tell you how much of their work is with anxiety, so treat it as the starting point.

You can check a license yourself. Massachusetts has a public lookup for psychologists, social workers and mental health counselors at checkahealthlicense.mass.gov. Physicians, including psychiatrists, are listed on the Board of Registration in Medicine's Find My Doctor site.

What training and experience should you look for?

No single certificate settles this. What you want to hear is that anxiety is a regular part of the therapist's work and that they can say how they approach it. The American Psychological Association suggests asking directly: "Do you have experience helping people with symptoms or problems like mine?" The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) suggests asking about credentials, experience and whether the therapist has a specialty. Useful things to find out:

• How much of their practice involves anxiety, and for how long.
• Whether they have worked with the form yours takes: constant worry, panic, fear of social situations, a specific fear, worry about health, or anxiety tied to a past trauma.
• What they were trained in, and whether that includes the treatment you are hoping for.
• What they do when anxiety comes with depression or with trauma.

A careful therapist may also send you to a physician. The American Psychological Association notes that a psychologist might suggest this to rule out an underlying medical condition. Its example is a thyroid disorder in someone who is depressed.

Which approach has the strongest evidence?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), including exposure-based CBT, has the largest research base for anxiety disorders. A 2016 meta-analysis pooled 144 randomized trials of CBT, 54 for major depression and 90 for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. The authors found that the effects are large when CBT is compared with a waiting list, and small to moderate when it is compared with care as usual or a pill placebo. Only 17.4% of the trials were rated high quality, and the authors wrote that the effects should be considered with caution.

Exposure therapy is a type of CBT. NIMH describes it as spending brief periods in a supportive environment learning to tolerate the distress caused by certain items, ideas or imagined scenes, until the fear goes down over time.

Psychodynamic therapy has been studied much less. A 2014 meta-analysis found 14 randomized trials with 1,073 patients. In those trials it did better than control conditions (g = 0.64) and did not differ significantly from other active treatments. In the largest head-to-head trial, 495 people with social anxiety disorder in Germany were assigned to CBT, psychodynamic therapy or a waiting list. Remission rates were 36%, 26% and 9%. CBT was significantly superior for remission but not for response, and a two-year follow-up found no significant differences between the two therapies after 6 months.

What this means for choosing: if you want exposure-based CBT for a specific anxiety disorder, ask any therapist, including Dr. Rabin, whether they offer it or would refer you. If you also want to understand what is driving the anxiety, ask how the therapist works on that. Types of anxiety therapy and what the research says goes through each approach.

How much does fit matter?

It matters, though it is not the whole story. A 2018 meta-analysis of 295 studies covering more than 30,000 patients looked at the working relationship between client and therapist, which researchers call the alliance. A stronger alliance was consistently associated with better results (r = .278). The studies were correlational, they covered all kinds of problems and not anxiety alone, and the results varied from study to study. So the finding does not show that the relationship causes the improvement, or that it matters more than the method.

NIMH calls rapport and trust essential. The American Psychological Association's advice is to look for someone who makes you feel comfortable and inspires confidence. On a first call, notice whether you feel listened to, whether your questions get plain answers, and whether you could imagine telling this person the things you usually keep to yourself.

What should you ask on a consultation call?

Some therapists offer a short call or consultation before a first appointment. You do not need to tell your whole story. Most of these questions are drawn from lists published by NIMH and the American Psychological Association:

1. What experience do you have with anxiety like mine?
2. What approach would you use, and what is the evidence for it?
3. Do you offer CBT or exposure-based work if that turns out to be what I need, or would you refer me?
4. What would the goals be, and do you recommend a time frame or a number of sessions?
5. How will we check whether it is helping, and what happens if I am not improving?
6. Are medications an option, and who would prescribe them?
7. What are the limits of confidentiality?
8. What do you charge, do you accept insurance, is there a sliding scale, and what is your policy on missed appointments?

What are signs to keep looking?

These are this guide's own suggestions about fit and professionalism. They do not come from a study or a guideline.

• A promise of a result, or of a date by which you will feel better.
• Vague or irritated answers when you ask how they work. NIMH lists the rationale for a therapy and its evidence base among the things to ask about.
• A license you cannot verify.
• Pressure to commit before you have had a chance to ask questions.
• A first conversation in which you do not feel listened to.

If you start and it does not feel right, say so. The American Psychological Association's line on a poor match is: "It's not you; it's just a bad fit."

What practical details should you settle first?

Before you start, be clear on the fee, whether the therapist bills insurance, where and when sessions happen, and whether online sessions are an option.

For reference, Dr. Rabin is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 21 years of clinical practice. Her training is described on the about page. She sees clients in person at 1577 Beacon Street in Brookline and by secure telehealth when the client is physically in Massachusetts (see online therapy in Massachusetts). Her approach to anxiety therapy is psychodynamic, attachment-based, trauma-informed and mindfulness-based. It looks at what drives the anxiety as well as how to respond to anxious thoughts and physical sensations in the moment. She also offers CBT and can coordinate with a prescriber.

Her fee is $375 per session. The practice is private-pay and out-of-network, with a monthly superbill you can submit for possible reimbursement, and a sliding scale is available on request. Details are on the fees and insurance page. Every question on this page is fair to put to her. She offers a free consultation of about 15 minutes, which you can request through the contact page.

Keep reading

• What to Expect in Anxiety Therapy
• Psychologist, Psychiatrist or Counselor: Who to See for Anxiety
• All anxiety guides

Sources

• National Institute of Mental Health, Psychotherapies (last reviewed February 2024)
• American Psychological Association, Understanding psychotherapy and how it works (2023)
• Cuijpers P, Cristea IA, Karyotaki E, Reijnders M, Huibers MJ, How effective are cognitive behavior therapies for major depression and anxiety disorders? A meta-analytic update of the evidence, World Psychiatry (2016)
• Keefe JR, McCarthy KS, Dinger U, Zilcha-Mano S, Barber JP, A meta-analytic review of psychodynamic therapies for anxiety disorders, Clinical Psychology Review (2014)
• Leichsenring F et al., Psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in social anxiety disorder: a multicenter randomized controlled trial, American Journal of Psychiatry (2013)
• Flückiger C, Del Re AC, Wampold BE, Horvath AO, The alliance in adult psychotherapy: a meta-analytic synthesis (2018)
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Check a License (health professions license verification)
• Leichsenring F et al., Long-term outcome of psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in social anxiety disorder, American Journal of Psychiatry (2014)
• American Psychiatric Association, What is Psychiatry? (2026)
• American Heart Association, Warning Signs of a Heart Attack (last reviewed December 12, 2024)

Last reviewed October 2026. This guide is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.