Removing Barriers to
Therapy and Treatment
Keep It Short and Straighforward!
TL;DR – What Makes My Anxiety Therapy Different?
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✅ Anxiety isn’t the problem—it’s a message. Instead of just managing symptoms, we figure out what your anxiety is trying to tell you.
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✅ More than just CBT. If you’ve tried therapy before and still feel stuck, you might need more than thought-stopping techniques and mindset shifts.
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✅ Root-cause approach. We identify whether your anxiety is signaling a change you need to make, something you need to stop, start, or reframe.
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✅ Mind and body integration. We go beyond talk therapy with interventions designed to change how anxiety feels in your body.
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✅ Actionable solutions. No endless venting. You’ll leave with practical steps to actually reduce anxiety—not just understand it.
"Anxiety isn’t the enemy—it’s a message. Traditional therapy teaches you to silence it. I teach you to understand it, act on it, and finally move forward. You don't need more coping skills. You need solutions and I have them."
Anxiety Therapy That Goes Beyond Symptom Management
Anxiety isn’t random. It exists for a reason—it’s your body’s way of telling you something. But most therapy approaches focus only on reducing symptoms rather than understanding the message behind them.
Traditional CBT teaches you how to reframe anxious thoughts, stop negative thinking patterns, and manage symptoms. And for some people, that’s enough.
But if you’re someone with high self-awareness, you probably already know why you’re anxious.
You’ve read the books, tried the exercises, and thought-stopped yourself into exhaustion—but the anxiety is still there. That’s because understanding your anxiety isn’t enough—you need to know what to do with it.
That’s where I come in.
Anxiety as a Message, Not the Problem
Anxiety is like an alarm system—but most people treat the noise, not the reason it’s going off in the first place. My approach helps you figure out:
🔹 What is your anxiety trying to tell you?
🔹 Is it a signal to change something in your life?
🔹 Do you need to stop doing something that’s keeping you stuck?
🔹 Do you need to start something new?
🔹 Or is this a perspective shift—where the alarm isn’t a warning, but a guide?
I integrate mind and body interventions, helping you not just think differently, but actually feel different. When we get to the root cause, anxiety stops being a problem and starts being a tool—one that helps you create a life where you no longer feel trapped by fear.
If you’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t quite work, it’s not because you failed—it’s because you needed a different approach. Let’s find out what your anxiety is really trying to tell you.
Here's How It Works
Meet Sarah:
Access to Answers Changed Everything
Sarah is a tech professional who always knew she was capable, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. She was constantly restless, overthinking everything, and unable to relax—even when nothing was actually wrong. She had tried all the usual advice: breathing exercises, meditation, journaling, and even therapy in the past. But nothing seemed to stick.
At first, Sarah was skeptical about trying therapy again. She had already done so much work on herself—what could possibly be different this time? But in our first session, I laid out everything she had already tried. I pointed out how her past therapists had focused on managing anxiety, but no one had helped her understand why it was happening in the first place.
That clicked.
Sarah realized that her anxiety wasn’t random—it had a purpose. It was her mind’s way of flagging something important, but she had been treating it like an inconvenience rather than a message. Together, we uncovered the root causes of her anxiety:
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Avoidance disguised as productivity—keeping herself busy to avoid difficult emotions.
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Perfectionism—believing that if she could just get everything right, she’d finally feel at peace.
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Hyper-independence—struggling to ask for help because she feared being seen as weak.
Once we identified why her anxiety existed, Sarah finally had something she never got before—a plan that actually addressed the problem. Instead of just reframing her thoughts, she learned to act on the message her anxiety was sending.
Within a few sessions, something shifted. Sarah wasn’t just managing anxiety—she was using it. Instead of letting it overwhelm her, she started listening to it, working with it, and making real changes in her life.
What Sarah Had to Say:
"I didn’t need another ‘coping strategy.’ I needed to know why my anxiety wouldn’t go away. Once I understood that, everything changed."
What to Expect in Therapy
Session 1: Breaking the Loop and Identifying What’s Really Going On
This isn’t your typical therapy intake. If you’ve been in therapy before, we won’t start from childhood or spend the session just gathering background information. Instead, we’ll pinpoint the exact moment therapy stopped feeling helpful—the point where it started to feel like a repetitive check-in rather than actual progress. If this is your first time in therapy, we’ll identify any core beliefs or internal conflicts (I call these paradox loops) that might still be running your life without you realizing it.
What’s a Paradox Loop?
A paradox loop (click for article) is when your mind is stuck between two conflicting messages, forcing you into an impossible choice. It’s the reason you may feel stuck in the same patterns despite knowing better.
Example:
👉 “I have to be perfect to be loved, but if I try too hard, I’ll push people away.”
👉 “I need to slow down to feel better, but if I stop, I’ll fall behind.”
We’ll also establish a baseline for your anxiety, assessing its range and when it feels most intense. By the end of this session, you’ll walk away with a specific, actionable intervention designed to interrupt the cycle and give you a new perspective.
Session 2: Testing What Works and Adjusting Course
The second session is where we see what changed and what didn’t. Anxiety isn’t just a single issue—it usually operates in layers, and we’ll start peeling them back. We’ll review how the first intervention worked and, if necessary, refine it to fit your specific needs.
This is also where we start identifying the real problem beneath the anxiety. Anxiety itself is not the issue—it’s a reaction to something specific. We’ll name it so you’re not just saying, “I’m anxious.” Instead, you’ll be able to say, “I’m anxious because I’m afraid of making the wrong decision in my career,” or “I’m anxious because I don’t know how to set boundaries without guilt.”
Each session, we focus on one core anxiety pattern at a time—so we don’t just “talk about” your anxiety, we treat it step by step.
Session 3 and Beyond: Turning Anxiety into Clarity
From the third session onward, we continue this process for each anxiety pattern you experience. With each round, we get more specific—moving from “I feel anxious all the time” to “I know exactly why I feel anxious, and I have a plan to handle it.”
Our goal isn’t just symptom relief—it’s to help you understand, process, and act on what your anxiety is trying to tell you. Most clients see significant improvement within 3 to 7 sessions, and our work is structured to bring about meaningful change in 10 sessions or fewer.
This isn’t therapy that drags on endlessly. We address the problem, test real solutions, and help you get your life back.
What Makes My Approach Different
I specialize in helping people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or invalidated in their struggles. Depression isn’t one-size-fits-all, and I don’t offer generic advice you could find on Google or TikTok. Instead, my approach is tailored, focused on real solutions, not just symptom management.
🔹 Access to Genuine Treatment Options – Including medication referrals, if appropriate. Having the support of a licensed therapist helps you navigate barriers to getting what you need.
🔹 Expert Analysis of Your Unique Patterns – We’ll identify the subtle habits and routines that may be keeping you stuck—patterns you might not even realize are holding you back.
🔹 Root Cause Exploration – Instead of just managing burnout, guilt, and frustration, we’ll uncover what’s actually causing them—so you can break the cycle for good.
Who I Work With
I work with self-aware, high-achieving individuals who are ready for a breakthrough—whether they’ve been officially diagnosed with a mental health condition or not.
Most of my clients are tired of cookie-cutter therapy and quick-fix advice that never fully addresses the depth of their struggles. If you feel like you’ve already tried "thinking more positively" or CBT techniques and they haven’t worked, you’re not alone.
My approach moves beyond traditional therapy experiences. Instead of just changing your thoughts, we focus on active interventions and insights that lead to real transformation. If you're ready to uncover what’s really going on and create a plan that actually works—let’s get started.
"You don’t have to keep living in a constant state of worry and tension. Anxiety isn’t just something to manage—it’s something to understand. The first step is figuring out what your anxiety is trying to tell you and addressing the root cause. Whether it’s changing what’s keeping you stuck, letting go of what no longer serves you, or reframing the way you see the problem, small shifts can lead to major breakthroughs.
You don’t have to do this alone. Schedule your free, confidential consultation today and take the first step toward clarity, relief, and real change."
-Derrick Hoard LMFT
Free Consultation
In this no-obligation session, we’ll explore your experience with anxiety—what triggers it, how it shows up in your life, and what you’ve already tried. Together, we’ll identify the patterns keeping you stuck and uncover what your anxiety might be trying to tell you.
This is your chance to ask questions, share your story, and gain clarity about why your anxiety persists and what can actually help. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, restless, or constantly on edge, this consultation will provide insights and real solutions—not just symptom management.
Let’s take the first step toward lasting relief and real change. Book your free consultation today.