Consultant Clinical Psychologist
BSc (Hons), DClinPsy, CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS
Dr Liz White
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Does this feel familiar?
Anxiety can look very different from person to person, but the pattern is often the same: your body goes into threat mode and your mind starts trying to prevent danger - through worry, checking, avoidance, or constant scanning for what might go wrong.
You might recognise yourself in some of these:
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Your mind feels busy and vigilant, always running scenarios or “what if?” loops.
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You get physical symptoms (tight chest, racing heart, dizziness, nausea) and then worry about what they mean.
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You avoid situations, places, conversations, or decisions because you don’t want to feel anxious.
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You rely on safety behaviours to cope - reassurance seeking, researching, over-preparing, checking, staying close to exits, keeping things tightly controlled.
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You feel relief briefly…and then anxiety returns, often stronger or sooner.
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You find it hard to tolerate uncertainty, and your mind keeps pushing for guarantees.
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Anxiety is affecting sleep, concentration, confidence, or your ability to enjoy life.
How anxiety keeps going
Anxiety is your brain’s way of trying to keep you safe.
The problem is when it starts treating everyday uncertainty like danger - it’s a threat system doing its job.
The problem is that the system can become over-sensitive, and the things we do to feel safe in the short term can accidentally keep it switched on.
Most anxiety follows a loop like this:
Trigger
Short term coping
The
Anxiety Loop
Threat response
A situation, sensation, thought, or uncertainty shows up (a meeting, a bodily sensation, a message, a decision).
Your body shifts into alarm mode and your mind starts scanning for danger and meaning:
“What if something goes wrong?”
“What if I can’t cope?”
“What if this means something is seriously wrong?”
You do what works in the moment: avoid, check, reassure yourself, over-prepare - and it settles things briefly. But that relief teaches your brain the trigger was dangerous, so the alarm comes back faster next time.
Therapy focuses on changing the response so your brain learns, through experience, that you can handle uncertainty and discomfort without your life shrinking around it.
Types of anxiety I help
Panic attacks/fear of panic
Intense physical symptoms and the fear of them returning
Social anxiety
Performance anxiety, fear of judgement, self-consciousness, avoidance, mental
Sleep anxiety
Anxiety rising at night, racing mind, fear of not sleeping
Generalised anxiety
Constant worry, persistent “what if?” thinking, tension, mental busyness
Work stress and burnout
High pressure, overload, perfectionism, difficulty switching off
Overthinking
Rumination, loops of analysis, indecision, low self-trust
Health anxiety
Body scanning, reassurance seeking, Googling, difficulty tolerating uncertainty
Phobias
Specific triggers that lead to avoidance and life restriction
Separation anxiety (adult)
Distress when apart from loved ones, reassurance seeking
If you’re not sure where you fit, that’s common - you don’t need the perfect label to start.
How anxiety therapy helps
Reducing avoidance and safety behaviours
The subtle habits that keep anxiety stuck: over-preparing, checking, reassurance seeking, monitoring your body, staying close to exits, avoiding situations that matter to you.
Changing your relationship with thoughts and sensations
Learning to notice anxious predictions and physical symptoms without treating them as emergencies you must fix straight away.
Building tolerance for uncertainty
Anxiety wants guarantees. Therapy helps you practise “good enough” certainty and move forward even when you can’t know everything.
Rebuilding confidence through real-life practice
Not by talking about anxiety endlessly, but by doing small, planned experiments that teach your brain: I can cope with this.
A note on neurodiversity
I work in a neuroaffirming way. That means we don’t try to “treat” your neurotype (ADHD, Autism etc). Instead, we focus on what’s causing distress, and we shape therapy around how your brain works, including sensory needs, attention, shutdown/overwhelm, and sustainable pacing.
How we’ll work together
Therapy works best when it’s structured, practical, and paced properly. Here’s what working together typically looks like:
We map what triggers your anxiety, how it shows up in your body and mind, and what you do to cope (including avoidance and safety behaviours that keep it going).
Once you can see the pattern, you can change it.
Fees & practicalities
Here are the key details upfront, so you know what to expect.
Sessions via Zoom or in person (City of London)
Cost: £160 - £180
Session length: 50 mins
Frequency
Most people start weekly or fortnightly and we review as we go.
15 minute call
I offer a brief 15-minute call with every enquiry so we can check fit and next steps. I don’t use automated booking - after you contact me, I’ll reply with a few time options by your preferred method.
Insurance
I’m recognised by Bupa and WPA. If you’re using insurance, you’ll need to obtain approval before your first appointment and share your authorisation details in advance. Any policy excess is payable directly to me.
FAQs
Enquire about anxiety therapy
It can be daunting reaching out when you feel anxious.
You don’t need perfect clarity before reaching out - we can work out the pattern together.
What happens next
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Send an enquiry using the form below, or text me on 07716 558 686.
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I’ll reply by email or text (your choice) with next steps and, if helpful, a few times for a brief 15-minute call.
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If we decide to go ahead, we’ll arrange a first appointment and a clear plan.