Anxiety Therapy for College Students and Adults in New York
Mental Health Counselor- Graduate Intern
You’re sitting there trying to focus, but your mind is already ten steps ahead.
You reread the same paragraph three times and still don’t know what it said.
Your hands feel shaky before a presentation, your chest tight before an exam, and your thoughts immediately go to what if I mess this up?
You tell yourself to calm down, but your body doesn’t listen or it’s later at night, and you finally slow down...then that’s when everything hits.
Thinking about the future, everything you need to do, everything that could go wrong. Feeling exhausted, but not able to fully relax. Wanting a break from your own thoughts, but not knowing how to get one.
At some point, it starts to affect more than just school or work.
Your relationships feel harder to be present in.
You have less energy for things you used to enjoy.
And it starts to feel like anxiety is running more of your life than you are.
What Brings Someone Into Therapy at This Stage
Most clients come in when the anxiety stops feeling manageable.
For students, that often looks like:
- Constant stress around grades, performance, or falling behind
- Panic before exams, presentations, or deadlines
- Negative thoughts about failure that are hard to shut off
- Physical symptoms like tightness in your chest, restlessness, or feeling on edge
For adults, it can look more like:
- Feeling constantly exhausted, even when nothing specific is “wrong”
- Panic attacks that feel unpredictable or overwhelming
- Losing energy for things you used to care about
- Feeling disconnected from yourself or your life
- Thoughts like “this is my fault” or being overly critical of yourself
For many people, the common thread is feeling like they’ve lost a sense of control over their thoughts, their body, or how they respond to stress.
How We Work Together
Therapy with me is focused on helping you understand what’s actually happening when anxiety or panic shows up. Then I give you tools that work in the moments you need them most.
We start by getting specific. When does the anxiety show up? What does it feel like in your body? What thoughts come with it? How does it start affecting your behavior, your decisions, your day?
From there, we work on changing how you respond to those moments.
That often includes:
- Learning how to recognize early signs of anxiety before it builds
- Understanding and challenging thoughts that immediately go to worst-case scenarios
- Using grounding and mindfulness tools to calm physical symptoms like chest tightness or shakiness
- Practicing situations that feel stressful so they become more manageable over timebuilding ways to respond that feel more steady instead of reactive
I also incorporate somatic work, so you’re not just trying to “think your way out” of anxiety, but actually learning how to work with your body as well.
For clients navigating deeper patterns like self-blame, low self-worth, or the impact of past experiences...we take time to understand where those patterns come from and how they’re still showing up now.
This work is collaborative. You’re not just talking through your week. We’re actively working on helping you feel more in control of your responses in real life.
Why Zehra Is a Strong Fit for This Work
A lot of the clients I work with are used to pushing through. They’re showing up to class, work, responsibilities even when internally it feels overwhelming, exhausting, or hard to keep up with their own thoughts.
My approach is both supportive and structured. I’m here to listen and validate what you’re going through, but also to guide you through practical ways to manage it.
I also bring a culturally informed and holistic perspective into the work. That means making space for your background, values, and experiences, and integrating them into how we approach therapy in a way that actually fits you.
Professional Background
I am a graduate clinical intern in Mental Health Counseling and Wellness, supervised by licensed clinicians. I hold both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology, along with a graduate-level certificate in Victimology Studies from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
I have experience supporting survivors of trauma, including sexual assault and domestic violence, as well as individuals navigating anxiety, panic, and major life transitions such as starting or returning to school.
My work integrates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), somatic approaches, mindfulness, and culturally informed care to support clients in understanding and managing both the mental and physical aspects of anxiety.