Therapy For Women Struggling With Anxiety, People-Pleasing Or Emotionally Abusive Relationships

Therapy May Be A Good Fit If You:

• Often second-guess your thoughts or feelings

• Feel anxious or emotionally drained in close relationships

• Find yourself overthinking conversations after they’ve happened

• Struggle to trust your own perceptions

• Feel responsible for other people’s emotions

• Feel stuck between staying, leaving, or doing nothing at all

You don’t need to have the “right words” for what you’re experiencing to begin therapy.

I work best with women who want to understand themselves and their relationship experiences—not just cope with symptoms—and are open to deeper insight and change over time.

Why This Feels So Confusing

When relationships trigger anxiety and feel unclear or emotionally intense, it’s often not because you’re “overthinking”—it’s because the patterns involved are genuinely difficult to make sense of while you’re in them.

Over time, you may begin to:

• Question your own judgment after interactions

• Adapt by over-explaining, people-pleasing, or second-guessing yourself

• Feel emotionally drained without a clear reason why

• Wonder whether your reactions are “too much” or “not enough”

• Lose confidence in your ability to read situations accurately

These patterns often develop gradually in relationships where clarity, consistency, or emotional responsiveness from your partner has been uneven. Because of that, they can be hard to identify in real time.

Therapy can help slow things down so you can understand what’s been shaping your reactions and how to trust your own internal experience again.

Why Anxiety & People-Pleasing Makes You Vulnerable To Emotional Abuse

Why is it so hard to recognize what's happening?

Many people who end up in emotionally abusive relationships have a history of people-pleasing, high empathy, and anxiety. These aren't weaknesses—they're often survival strategies you developed earlier in life. But they can make you particularly vulnerable to manipulative partners. This does NOT mean it is your fault. Abusers are experts at identifying ways to control you. They will try to exploit your kindness, agreeableness, and tendency to avoid conflict.

People-pleasing shows up as:

• Difficulty setting boundaries or saying no

• Feeling responsible for other people's emotions and happiness

• Chronic self-doubt and second-guessing yourself

• Fear of conflict or disappointing others

• Perfectionism and never feeling "good enough"

• Putting everyone else's needs before your own

Anxiety often manifests as:

• Constant worry and rumination, especially about the relationship

• Difficulty trusting yourself or your perceptions

• Overthinking every interaction and conversation

• Physical symptoms like racing heart, shallow breathing, or feeling on edge

• Hypervigilance—always scanning for signs of danger or disapproval

• An inability to relax or feel safe, even in your own home

For more information about therapy for anxiety & people-pleasing, go here.

How Therapy Helps

In our work together, we focus on understanding the patterns behind what you’re experiencing—not just managing how it feels in the moment.

This often includes:

• Slowing down recent relationship experiences so you can see them more clearly

• Identifying patterns that may have shaped how you interpret other people’s behavior

• Understanding where self-doubt or overthinking tends to show up

• Reconnecting with your internal signals—what you feel, notice, and need

• Building the ability to make decisions without second-guessing yourself as much

Over time, the goal is not to give you quick answers about specific relationships, but to help you develop a steadier way of understanding yourself in relationships overall.

I don’t pressure clients toward immediate decisions or interpretations. Instead, we work at a pace that allows clarity to develop in a grounded and sustainable way.

For more information about therapy for emotional & narcissistic abuse, go here.

Strong Match Indicators

I may be a strong fit for therapy if you:

• Find yourself caught in cycles of confusion, doubt, or overthinking in relationships

• Notice you often question your own perceptions after interactions with others

• Feel pulled between wanting clarity and not wanting to make the wrong decision

• Tend to prioritize other people’s emotions while losing touch with your own needs

• Are ready to understand your relational patterns, not just manage emotional distress

• Want more grounded decision-making, even when emotions feel uncertain

This work tends to go deeper than immediate reassurance or quick answers. It’s a good fit if you’re open to slowing things down and making sense of what’s been happening over time. This type of work is most helpful when you’re looking for clarity and insight into relational patterns rather than short-term problem-solving.

This Is Not A Good Fit If You Are:

• In immediate crisis or danger (call 911 or 988)

• Seeking couples therapy or family therapy

• Looking for advice or a quick fix

• Seeking medication management (I’m an LCSW, not a prescriber)

I focus on insight and clarity in relational patterns. I may not be the best fit for high-conflict situations involving ongoing safety concerns or where physical abuse is present. If you’re unsure, a brief consultation can help clarify fit.

Why Clients Choose Me

Clients often come to me when they:

• Feel overwhelmed but “should be able to handle it”

• Feel misunderstood or that others minimize their experiences

• Want a therapist who understands how they feel in relationships

• Need a non-judgmental space to think clearly

• Don’t want to be rushed into decisions

Practice Details

Licensure: Licensed Clinical Social Worker-Board Approved Clinical Supervisor in Louisiana (#7223); telehealth LCSW in Florida (#TPSW2396) and LCSW in Virginia (#0904014789)

Experience: Master of Social Work degree; 25 years of experience supporting women struggling with anxiety, people-pleasing and emotionally challenging relationships. I receive ongoing training in treating anxiety, trauma and attachment wounds.

Format: In-person in Baton Rouge + telehealth in LA, FL, and VA

Fee: $250 per 60-minute session (private pay). Many clients choose private pay for greater privacy, flexibility, and depth of work.

Insurance (Limited Availability): I am currently in-network with Aetna, Cigna, Optum, and United Healthcare as I transition toward a fully private-pay practice.

Out-of-Network: Superbills available upon request

Consultation: Free 15-minute consultation to assess fit

I help women who feel exhausted by anxiety and people-pleasing or are stuck in emotionally abusive relationships quiet the noise, understand their patterns, rebuild trust in their own perceptions, and make clearer, more grounded decisions in relationships over time.

Where To Go Next

If you’re exploring support related to anxiety & people-pleasing → Anxiety & People-Pleasing Therapy

If your relationship feels confusing, controlling and too intense → Emotional & Narcissistic Abuse Therapy

Schedule a Consultation

If you’re wondering whether I’m the right therapist for you, you can start with a brief consultation.