Anxiety therapy in NYC for the mind that never switches off
Looking for an anxiety therapist in NYC usually starts on a night when your body is exhausted and your mind is still running through tomorrow's list, last week's conversation and a problem that hasn't happened yet.
Anxiety rarely announces itself as anxiety. It shows up as being the most prepared person in the room, as rereading an email six times before sending it, as a tight jaw, a stomach that won't settle, or a short temper with the people you love most. From the outside you look capable. On the inside you are bracing all the time. Rubina helps you understand what your anxiety is trying to protect, and teaches you how to stop living on high alert.
- LCSW
- CASAC-2
- Author of Stop Being Okay
- Urdu · Hindi · Punjabi
- In person in NYC
- Online across New York
How anxiety shows up for the people Rubina sees
These are composite sketches, not real clients, but many people recognize a piece of themselves in them.
The one who is always fine
A senior manager in Midtown is praised for staying calm in every crisis. Nobody sees her lying awake rehearsing worst-case scenarios, or the way her chest tightens every Sunday evening. She came to therapy because her doctor found nothing wrong and suggested she talk to someone.
Log kya kahenge
A young woman from a close-knit family hears one question under every decision: log kya kahenge, what will people say. What she studies, who she marries, what she wears to a cousin's mehndi. Her anxiety isn't random. It is the voice of a whole community she loves and fears disappointing.
The new parent who can't stop checking
A father checks the baby monitor, the locks and the news constantly. He thought becoming a parent would feel like joy, and it does, but it also feels like waiting for something terrible. He has never told anyone because men in his family don't talk about fear.
Rubina's approach to anxiety
Rubina starts by getting curious rather than trying to make the anxiety disappear on day one. Worry usually began as a smart response to something real — an unpredictable home, a family where mistakes carried shame, a move to a new country where you had to get everything right. Understanding where it came from takes away some of its power.
Then the work becomes practical. Rubina uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you notice the thoughts that spiral and test them against what is actually happening. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness help you make room for uncomfortable feelings without obeying them. DBT skills give you ways to calm your nervous system in the moment, in a meeting, on the subway or in the middle of a family argument.
Culture is part of the treatment, not a footnote. If your anxiety is tied to family expectations, honor or a fear of being talked about, Rubina won't tell you to simply stop caring what others think. She'll help you decide which opinions deserve a vote and which ones you can thank and set down. If that pressure is familiar, the page on therapy for South Asian women may speak to you too.
What often changes over 8 to 12 sessions
Everyone moves at their own pace, and nothing here is a promise. These are the shifts clients commonly describe:
- You can name what you are feeling before it turns into a full spiral
- You have two or three calming tools that actually work for your body
- Sleep starts to come a little easier because your mind has somewhere else to put the list
- You say no, or not yet, without spending the next day apologizing in your head
- Mistakes feel like information instead of proof that you are failing
- You understand the link between your anxiety and the burnout or low mood that sometimes follows it
If you would like to start working on anxiety on your own first, Rubina's six-week self-guided course, Quiet the Storm, teaches many of the same tools in short video lessons.
The kinds of anxiety Rubina works with
Anxiety is not one thing, and the right approach depends on how it shows up for you. Most of this work draws on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety, alongside mindfulness and self-compassion practice. These are the patterns people bring most often:
- Generalized anxiety — the constant background worry, the what-ifs, the mind that will not switch off at night
- Panic attacks and panic disorder — the racing heart and the fear of the next one, worked through with CBT for panic step by step
- Social anxiety — replaying conversations, dreading gatherings and family events, feeling watched and judged
- Public speaking and performance anxiety at work, in interviews or in front of relatives
- Overthinking and rumination — the loop of analysing every decision before and after you make it
- Separation anxiety as an adult, including the worry that comes with becoming a parent
- Intrusive thoughts, obsessions and checking habits that take up more of the day than you would like
- Specific fears and phobias, such as a fear of flying that keeps you from visiting family abroad
All of this is outpatient therapy: weekly or fortnightly sessions while you carry on with your life. If you have been searching for an anxiety therapist near me, sessions are in person in New York City and online anywhere in New York State, so near can simply mean your own living room.
What sessions look like
Individual sessions are 50 minutes. Rubina sees clients in person in New York City and online across New York State over secure video, which many anxious clients prefer at first because there is no commute and no waiting room.
In the first session you talk about what anxiety looks like in your life, when it began and what you have tried. You don't need to arrive calm or organized. Sessions can be in English, Urdu, Hindi or Punjabi. Fees are listed on the fees page.
Rubina K. Singh, LCSW, CASAC-2
Rubina has spent more than fifteen years in mental health. She holds a BSW from Rutgers, an MSW from Capella and is completing her doctorate in social work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York, a CASAC Level 2 addiction counselor, and the author of Stop Being Okay. She grew up between cultures, and she speaks English, Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi.
Questions people ask
How do I know if what I feel is anxiety or just stress?
Stress usually eases once the situation passes. Anxiety tends to stay, or move on to the next worry, even when things are going well. If worry is affecting your sleep, your body, your relationships or your ability to enjoy good moments, it is worth talking about — whatever we call it.
Will I have to stop caring about what my family thinks?
No. Caring about your family is not the problem. The work is about loosening the fear so that their opinions inform your choices instead of controlling them.
Do you prescribe medication for anxiety?
No. Rubina is a licensed clinical social worker, not a prescriber. If medication might help, she can talk with you about seeing a psychiatrist or your primary care doctor and coordinate with them if you wish.
Can anxiety therapy happen online?
Yes. Online sessions work well for anxiety and are available anywhere in New York State. Many clients join from home, their car or a quiet office.
What if I panic during a session?
Then that becomes the session. Rubina will slow things down and walk you through grounding in real time, which is often where the most useful learning happens.
Do natural remedies, tapping or acupuncture help with anxiety?
Rubina does not offer acupuncture, tapping, herbal or homeopathic remedies, and she can't advise on supplements — please ask your doctor before starting any. What she offers is talking therapy with an evidence base for anxiety, such as CBT. Some clients use other approaches alongside therapy, and you are welcome to bring them into the conversation.
Is this intensive anxiety treatment or regular therapy?
It is regular outpatient psychotherapy for anxiety, usually one 50-minute session a week. If you need a more intensive program or a hospital level of care, Rubina can help you think about next steps. In an emergency, call or text 988 or call 911.
Last reviewed October 13, 2026 by Rubina K. Singh, LCSW
Reaching out is the whole first step.
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