Specialty · Anxious Attachment Therapist in Tampa, FL
I work with adults who feel anxious in relationships, doubt their own worth, and struggle to relax even when things are going well.
People with an anxious attachment style often seek frequent reassurance from partners, friends, or family, but that reassurance rarely brings lasting relief. It's common to carry a persistent fear of rejection or abandonment, even in relationships that are going well, along with a tendency to be self-critical and assume the worst about how others see you. When this pattern centers on over-focusing on a partner's needs and moods at the expense of your own, it's sometimes described as codependency.
Anxious attachment is a learned pattern. It's usually rooted in inconsistent caregiving early in life, and it responds well to therapy, especially work that goes beyond understanding the pattern intellectually and builds an actual felt sense of safety in relationships.
What This Can Look Like
Seeking reassurance that rarely brings lasting relief
Rejection sensitivity, a fear of rejection or abandonment that shows up even without a clear reason
Difficulty setting boundaries in close relationships
Self-criticism paired with a belief you'll eventually be rejected
Focusing on what others think of you more than what you want
Feeling emotionally needy or overly dependent on a partner's attention
How Therapy Helps
People are wired to look for a steady place to return to when things feel hard, and a stable base to operate from when things are going well. When that wasn't reliably available early on, the nervous system adapts by staying alert instead of settling. We work on recognizing when that alarm goes off in your current relationships, understanding what it's asking for, and building the felt experience of a relationship you can rely on, including the one in the room.
Where This Leads
This tends to move toward secure attachment, which mostly means trusting good relationships without constant vigilance.