Anxiety Therapy in Bengaluru, Kolkata & Online
Support for generalised anxiety, panic, phobias, social anxiety and health anxiety, from an RCI-certified clinical psychologist with a decade of experience in government psychiatric hospitals.
Understanding the anxiety spectrum
Anxiety shows up in many different forms. For some people it is a persistent, hard-to-switch-off worry about everyday things — work, family, health, the future — that clinicians often describe as generalised anxiety. For others it arrives suddenly and intensely, as panic attacks with physical sensations like a racing heart, breathlessness or dizziness. Anxiety can also be tied to specific situations, such as a particular phobia (flying, heights, injections), to social settings (social anxiety, a fear of being judged or embarrassed in front of others), or to health-related worry that keeps returning despite reassurance (health anxiety).
These presentations overlap and vary in intensity from person to person. Clinical psychology approaches anxiety by first understanding your specific pattern — what triggers it, how it shows up in your body and thinking, and how it is affecting your daily life — before deciding on a way to work with it.
Approaches used for anxiety
A few approaches are commonly used, individually or in combination, depending on assessment:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): examines the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and works on the patterns that tend to keep anxiety going.
- Exposure-based techniques: used where avoidance has built up around specific fears or situations, with exposure introduced gradually and at a pace that is manageable.
- Mindfulness-based approaches: can help build a different relationship with anxious thoughts and physical sensations, rather than getting caught up in or fighting them.
The specific mix of approaches used depends on what the anxiety looks like for you, and is discussed and agreed on together as part of the assessment process.
What sessions look like
An initial session usually focuses on understanding your history and current concerns in some detail. From there, subsequent sessions work through the approach agreed upon, with regular check-ins on how things are progressing. Sessions are available in person in Bengaluru and Kolkata, or online for clients anywhere in India — the online format uses the same approaches as in-person work.
Srijita Gupta is an RCI-certified licensed Clinical Psychologist (RCI Reg. No. A56917) and an Accredited Professional Life Member of the Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists (IACP), with over 10 years of experience across government psychiatric hospitals including NIMHANS Bengaluru and the Institute of Psychiatry, SSKM Kolkata. She holds an M.Phil in Clinical Psychology from the Institute of Psychiatry, Centre of Excellence (IPGME&R and SSKM Hospital), Kolkata, and an M.Sc in Clinical Psychology from the University of Calcutta.
Anxiety alongside other concerns
Anxiety often occurs alongside other difficulties, such as low mood or depressive symptoms, or in the context of a stressful life transition. If you're unsure whether what you're experiencing is anxiety, low mood, or something else, that is a reasonable starting point for an initial conversation rather than something you need to work out on your own beforehand. You may also find it helpful to read about therapy for depression, or, where anxious thoughts take the form of intrusive, repetitive thinking and compulsive behaviours, about OCD treatment.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a helpline such as Tele-MANAS (14416) right away. This page is not a substitute for emergency care.
Common questions about anxiety therapy
What kinds of anxiety do you work with?
Generalised anxiety, panic attacks, specific phobias, social anxiety, and health anxiety are all part of the anxiety spectrum that clinical psychology addresses. Sessions begin with an assessment to understand your specific pattern before deciding on an approach.
Which therapy approaches are used for anxiety?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), exposure-based techniques, and mindfulness-based approaches are commonly used for anxiety, chosen and adapted based on individual assessment.
Are online anxiety therapy sessions available?
Yes. Srijita Gupta offers online consultations across India in addition to in-person sessions in Bengaluru and Kolkata.