Anxiety Counseling for Teens & Young Adults in Fort Wayne, IN
A racing heart, tight chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, for a lot of people, that's what leads to an ER visit or an urgent care appointment before anyone mentions the word "anxiety." The physical symptoms are real, not imagined, and not something to just push through. Anxiety counseling at Unwilted Counseling helps teens and young adults (ages 13–25) understand what's actually happening in the body and mind, and treat it directly rather than repeatedly ruling out physical causes.
If anxiety is showing up alongside depression, Anxiety & Depression Therapy may be the better starting point. If it's specifically about social or performance situations, see Social Anxiety Counseling. This page focuses on anxiety more broadly, generalized worry, panic, phobias, and physical symptoms.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to talk through what you're experiencing.
_edited.jpg)
For Parents: Recognizing Anxiety in Your Teen
Teen anxiety doesn't always look like worry on the surface. It often looks like:
-
Perfectionism or extreme distress over grades that seem otherwise fine
-
Frequent stomachaches, headaches, or "not feeling well" with no medical explanation, especially before school
-
Avoiding school, activities, or social plans without a clear reason
-
Irritability or anger that can look like "attitude" but is actually distress
-
Difficulty falling asleep, or reassurance-seeking ("is everything okay?") that doesn't stop once answered
If several of these have been going on for weeks rather than days, it's reasonable to ask for professional input rather than waiting to see if it resolves on its own.
Why Anxiety Feels Physical
Anxiety activates the body's fight-or-flight response, the same system that would kick in if you were actually in physical danger. Stress hormones flood the system, heart rate increases, breathing quickens, and muscles tense, preparing the body to fight or flee. The problem is that this system can't always tell the difference between a genuine threat and a stressful thought, so it fires anyway, producing very real chest tightness, a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, or a feeling of impending doom, with no actual danger present.
This is exactly why so many people end up in urgent care or the ER during a first panic episode, often certain something is physically wrong. Understanding this mechanism, that the body is responding to a false alarm, not malfunctioning, is often the first meaningful relief a client experiences, before any other treatment even begins.
What Is Anxiety, Really?
Some anxiety is a normal, useful response to real stress, it sharpens focus before a big test or a job interview, and it fades once the situation passes. An anxiety disorder is different: worry or fear that is frequent, disproportionate to the actual situation, and interferes with daily functioning, often without a specific trigger a person can point to. When anxiety reaches that point, it's a legitimate, diagnosable clinical condition, not a personality trait or a matter of willpower.
Types of Anxiety We Treat
-
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - persistent, excessive worry across multiple areas of life, often without a single clear cause.
-
Panic Disorder - recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and the fear of having another one.
-
Specific Phobias - intense, focused fear of a particular object or situation.
-
Health Anxiety - persistent worry about having or developing a serious illness, often despite medical reassurance.
-
Test & Performance Anxiety - anxiety specifically tied to academic testing or performance situations.
For anxiety centered specifically on social judgment or interaction, see Social Anxiety Counseling.
Signs It's More Than "Just Stress"
-
Physical symptoms - racing heart, chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea - with no medical cause found
-
Worry that persists even when there's no specific problem to solve
-
Avoiding places, situations, or activities out of fear something bad will happen
-
Difficulty sleeping due to a mind that won't stop running through worst-case scenarios
-
Physical restlessness, muscle tension, or a constant sense of being "on edge"
-
Anxiety that has lasted for months, not just during one stressful stretch
Why Anxiety Develops
Anxiety typically develops through a mix of genetics and temperament, brain chemistry, and lived experience, a stressful or unpredictable environment, a specific frightening event, chronic stress, or a learned pattern of treating uncertainty as dangerous. For teens and young adults specifically, ongoing brain development in regions that regulate fear and decision-making can make this life stage particularly susceptible to anxiety taking hold.
How Unwilted Counseling Can Help
-
Starts with understanding your specific pattern. Panic disorder and health anxiety are both "anxiety," but they need different tools treatment is built around the specific trigger and pattern, not a generic worksheet.
-
Takes the physical symptoms seriously. The racing heart and chest tightness are treated as real and worth understanding, not dismissed as "all in your head."
-
Builds skills that work outside the session. CBT, exposure work, and body-based awareness are practiced until they're usable in the actual moment anxiety shows up at school, at work, or in daily life.
-
Moves at a pace you can actually sustain. Exposure work is gradual and collaborative nothing is pushed faster than you can genuinely tolerate.
-
Same therapist, every session. As a solo practice, there's no re-explaining your history to a new provider partway through treatment.
-
Flexible access. In-person in Fort Wayne, virtual across Indiana and Ohio, or a mix of both.
-
A low-pressure first step. A free 15-minute consultation lets you ask questions before committing to anything.
Our Approach
-
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - identifying and restructuring the thought patterns that fuel anxious spirals.
-
Exposure Therapy - gradual, supported exposure to feared situations or sensations, retraining the brain's fear response rather than reinforcing avoidance.
-
Body-Based Awareness - learning to recognize and work with the physical sensations of anxiety directly, rather than being blindsided by them.
-
Mindfulness Practices - reducing the rumination and worry loops that keep anxiety active between triggers.
Treatment starts with understanding exactly which type of anxiety is present and what specifically triggers it; generic "stress management" tips rarely work for a genuine anxiety disorder, because they don't address the underlying fear response.
Meet Your Therapist:
Destina Rekeweg, LMHC
Clients work directly with Destina Rekeweg, LMHC, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with training in CBT and exposure-based interventions specifically for anxiety and panic-related conditions in teens and young adults.
She holds a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and has over three years of experience working exclusively with the 13–25 age range, also trained in EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) for cases where trauma contributes to anxiety.
In-Person Counseling and Virtual Counseling
Sessions are available in person in Fort Wayne, Indiana, or virtually across Indiana and eligible parts of Ohio via the Counseling Compact.
In-Person Counseling in Fort Wayne
Sessions take place in a private, comfortable office at 3514 Stellhorn Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46815.
Virtual Counseling
Secure, HIPAA-compliant virtual therapy is available across Indiana and eligible parts of Ohio, with no transportation barriers and flexible scheduling.
What to Expect: Treatment Timeline
-
Weeks 1–4: Assessment, understanding the specific anxiety pattern, and building initial coping skills.
-
Weeks 5–12: Active CBT and, where relevant, exposure work, often with noticeable reduction in avoidance and physical symptoms.
-
Weeks 13–20: Deeper pattern change and relapse prevention as new responses become more automatic.
-
Beyond 20 weeks: Maintenance, with sessions spaced out as needed.
Note: Timelines vary based on the type and severity of anxiety, consistency, and individual circumstances.
Getting Started
-
Free consultation (15 minutes) - a low-pressure conversation to ask questions, with no obligation to continue.
-
Comprehensive assessment (50 minutes) - identifying the specific type and triggers of anxiety and building a personalized treatment plan.
-
Weekly therapy (50 minutes) - CBT, exposure work, and body-based skills tailored to the specific anxiety pattern.
Investing in Anxiety Counseling
Unwilted Counseling is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly, which allows treatment to be guided by clinical need rather than what an insurance panel will authorize. Clients may use out-of-network benefits for possible reimbursement.
-
Initial intake assessment (50 min): $160
-
Ongoing sessions (50 min): $135
-
Intensive sessions: $202.50 (75 min) / $270 (100 min) / $405 (150 min)
Full details are available on the fees and policies page.
Related Concerns We Treat
-
Anxiety & Depression Therapy - when anxiety and depression are both present
-
Social Anxiety Counseling - for anxiety centered on social or performance situations
-
Depression & Mood Disorder Counseling - for mood-specific concerns
-
Self-Harm & Emotional Regulation Therapy - when anxiety includes intense emotional dysregulation
-
Trauma Therapy - when anxiety is rooted in past painful experiences
-
Emotion Regulation Counseling - for broader difficulty managing emotional intensity
-
Individual Therapy - for a broader, personalized approach to overall mental health
Frequently Asked Questions
About Anxiety Counseling
Anxiety triggers the body's fight-or-flight response, which releases stress hormones that increase heart rate, redirect blood flow, and tense muscles in preparation for danger, even when there is no actual physical threat. This is why anxiety can produce very real physical sensations, including chest tightness, a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, or nausea, and why many people initially seek emergency medical care before recognizing the cause as anxiety.
Everyday stress is a normal, temporary response to a specific pressure and typically resolves once the situation passes. An anxiety disorder involves persistent, excessive worry or fear that continues even without a clear trigger, interferes with daily functioning, and often includes physical symptoms. When anxiety is frequent, disproportionate, and disruptive, it is a legitimate, diagnosable, and treatable clinical condition rather than simply stress.
Anxiety counseling addresses generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, specific phobias, health anxiety, and test anxiety, among others. Social anxiety, which centers specifically on fear of judgment in social situations, is addressed through a related but distinct specialty.
Yes. Many people reduce anxiety symptoms significantly through therapy alone, particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy, which are among the most research-supported treatments for anxiety disorders. Some clients also work with a prescriber for medication, and therapy can complement that care, but medication is not required to see meaningful improvement.
Exposure therapy involves gradual, supported exposure to feared situations or sensations in a controlled way, helping retrain the brain's fear response over time. Rather than avoiding what triggers anxiety, which tends to reinforce it, exposure therapy builds tolerance and reduces the intensity of the fear response through repeated, manageable practice.
Unwilted Counseling is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly. Clients may use out-of-network benefits for possible reimbursement. Ongoing 50-minute sessions are $135, and the initial intake assessment is $160.
Good Faith Estimate: Clients paying privately have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate explaining expected costs of care. You may request this prior to scheduling.
Start Anxiety Counseling With Us Today!
Ruling out physical causes is important, but once that's done and the racing heart and tight chest keep coming back, it's worth treating the actual source directly. A free 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure way to ask questions and find out what treatment could look like. Call or text (260) 255-6432 or request your free consultation.
