What Is Anxiety and When Does It Need Treatment?
Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in the United States, and also one of the most undertreated, because many people assume it is something they simply have to manage rather than something that can genuinely improve with the right support.
Anxiety becomes a clinical concern when it is persistent, difficult to control, and interfering with daily life: work, relationships, sleep, or the ability to be present. It can show up as constant worry (generalized anxiety disorder), fear of specific situations or objects (phobias), obsessive health concerns (health anxiety or illness anxiety disorder), or anxiety tied to pregnancy and the postpartum period.
The common thread is a nervous system that has learned to treat certain triggers as threats, and a mind that has developed patterns of thought and behavior to manage that perceived threat. Those patterns make sense in the short term. Over time they tend to make the anxiety worse. Effective treatment works by interrupting those patterns at the root.
How Erin Treats Anxiety at Nido Waco
Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, LPC-S, CEDS-S, has worked with anxiety disorders throughout her nearly 20-year clinical career, including at a nationally recognized anxiety treatment center. Her training in ERP through the Behavioral Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) gives her a particularly strong foundation for anxiety presentations that involve avoidance, compulsive behaviors, or intrusive thoughts, including cases where OCD and anxiety overlap, which is more common than many people realize.
At Nido Waco, anxiety treatment draws on CBT as the primary framework, with ERP incorporated where avoidance and compulsion cycles are present, and IFS and DBT used to address the underlying patterns that maintain anxious thinking. Treatment is tailored to your specific presentation rather than a generic anxiety protocol.
Types of Anxiety Erin Treats
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Persistent, difficult-to-control worry across multiple areas of life: work, health, relationships, finances, or the future. Often accompanied by physical symptoms like tension, fatigue, or difficulty sleeping.
Health Anxiety
Excessive preoccupation with having or developing a serious illness, despite medical reassurance. Often involves repeated checking behaviors, reassurance-seeking, and avoidance of medical information or appointments.
Phobias
Intense fear of specific situations or objects that leads to significant avoidance. Treatment typically involves gradual, structured exposure to the feared stimulus.
Perinatal Anxiety
Anxiety occurring during pregnancy or the postpartum period. This can include generalized worry, intrusive thoughts, or postpartum OCD. Erin has specialized training in perinatal mood disorders and brings personal experience with the postpartum period to this work.
OCD-Related Anxiety
When anxiety is driven by obsessive thought cycles and compulsive behaviors, ERP is the gold-standard treatment. See the dedicated OCD therapy page for more detail on how Erin approaches this presentation.
What to Expect from Anxiety Therapy at Nido Waco
Initial Assessment
Treatment
Ongoing Progress
Frequently Asked Questions about Anxiety Therapy
There is significant overlap between anxiety and OCD, and some people have both. The key distinction is whether intrusive, unwanted thoughts are driving repetitive behaviors or mental rituals to relieve distress. If that pattern sounds familiar, it is worth exploring OCD as part of the picture. Erin will assess this in the initial session.
Yes. Long-standing anxiety often feels like a personality trait rather than a condition, but it responds to treatment. Chronic anxiety typically reflects deeply ingrained patterns of thought and avoidance that CBT and ERP are specifically designed to address.
Yes. Erin works with clients ages 16 and up.
Nido Waco is in-network with UnitedHealthcare (Optum) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. For all other plans, Nido Waco is a private pay practice. Erin can provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement if applicable.
Therapy and medication address anxiety through different mechanisms and are not mutually exclusive. CBT and ERP produce durable changes in thought and behavior patterns. Medication can reduce symptom intensity, particularly in the short term. Many people benefit from both. Erin does not prescribe medication but is comfortable working alongside a prescriber if that is part of your care.
Start with a Conversation
If anxiety is affecting your work, your relationships, or your ability to be present in your own life, effective treatment is available.
Nido Waco Counseling & Consulting
1615 Wooded Acres Dr, Suite CWaco, TX
76710-2863 View Staff & Treatments
