MARCH 2026

 

If I’m honest, I know exactly how this feels. I am currently avoiding planning not 1, but 2, birthday parties for my girls who turn 4 and fourteen at the end of this month. The idea of 2 cakes, 2 invites, 2 sets of logistics… I’m tired just thinking about it!

 

My avoidance is serving a purpose and for now, I am breathing easy. However, ask me next week and I’m sure I’ll be either cutting corners, asking for favors, or paying way more than I’d like to get it all done. My avoidance is (sort of) working… but just for now.

 

The reason we often avoid is because avoidance is incredibly effective.

It lowers anxiety immediately.
It reduces discomfort.
It restores calm.

 

If your child doesn’t go to the sports game, their anxiety decreases.
If they skip the test prep, the dread fades.
If they stay home from school, relief comes fast.

 

We postpone hard emails.

We avoid uncomfortable conversations.

We distract ourselves from uncertainty.

 

 

Because what feels relieving in the short term quietly shrinks confidence in the long term.

 

First, anxiety is not dangerous. It’s a stress response. But when we consistently escape discomfort, the brain learns:

 

 

 

📚 Procrastinating homework

🌀 Asking for repeated reassurance 

⚽️ Quitting activities once they get hard

✔️ Needing a parent to “check” everything

🧊 Emotional shutdown when performance is involved

 

Research-supported strategies include:

Confidence doesn’t come from success alone. True confidence comes from surviving hard things.

 

Because testing season amplifies avoidance patterns, we recently created a practical one-page guide for parents following our local school presentation on test anxiety.

 

If your child is navigating testing pressure, this resource offers concrete tools you can start using immediately.

 

 

Avoidance doesn’t disappear when childhood ends. Adults avoid: 

 

💼 Career Risks

🪩 Social Situations 

💬 Hard Conversations

🧠 Therapy

 

The pattern is the same: immediate relief followed by long term limitations.

 

If you’ve noticed yourself postponing something important, try this:

 

If you are finding that you or your child's avoidant behaviors are increasing, structured support can make a meaningful difference.

 

Our clinicians work with children, teens, and adults using CBT, ERP, and evidence-based approaches that focus on building confidence through skillful exposure.

 

Upcoming Events

 

 

SAVE THE DATE!

 

 

 

 

PANEL DISCUSSION

 

Dr. Ivy Ruths will be joining a panel of local mental health professionals for “Living in an Anxious World,” hosted by Nick Finnegan Counseling Center.

 

The discussion will bring together clinicians across disciplines to explore how anxiety is showing up in children, teens, and adults — and what families can do to navigate it with clarity and confidence.

 

 

This event offers an opportunity for families and community members to engage in thoughtful conversation about anxiety in today’s world and hear practical, evidence-based perspectives from local experts.

 

 

 

 

 

WEBINAR FOR CLINICIANS

 

Not all thoughts of harm signal risk-and not all risk presents as intrusive thoughts.This talk will examine the clinical distinctions between harmrelated obsessive-compulsive disorder (harm-OCD) and genuine suicidal ideation (SI) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) urges, with emphasis on accurate assessment and differential formulation. 

 

 

 

Practice Updates

 

We are excited to share that Houston Anxiety & Wellness Center is officially launching our Eating Disorders Specialty Clinic.

 

This clinic will provide structured, evidence-based outpatient care with an Intensive Outpatient Program option, along with strong parent and family-based treatment. Because anxiety, OCD, and eating disorders so often overlap, our approach integrates CBT, ERP principles when appropriate, and family involvement from the start.

 

The clinic will be led by Dr. Alyssa Hertz, who will step into the role of Director of Eating Disorders Services. Under her leadership, we are building a program that is clinically rigorous, collaborative with medical providers, and deeply relational with the families we serve.

 

Our goal is to offer specialized, high-quality care for children, adolescents, and adults struggling with eating disorders, including presentations complicated by anxiety and OCD.

WE'RE HIRING!

As we grow, we are seeking a fully licensed psychologist who specializes in eating disorders and is trained in CBT-E and Family-Based Treatment. PsyPact certification is strongly encouraged.

 

We are looking for someone who values evidence-based care, enjoys working closely with families, and wants to help build a specialty clinic within a thriving group practice.

 

If you or someone you know may be a fit, please reach out or share this opportunity.

Accepting New clients

 

 

Reminder - Cancellation Policy: 

If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment, you must email our clinic coordinators at info@houstonanxiety.com or call the clinic at 832-205-8120 to cancel or reschedule your appointment at least 48 hours before your appointment time or you will be charged the full fee of your intake or therapy session.

 

 

or Book an Appointment

Houston Anxiety & Wellness Center
832-205-8120  |  Info@HoustonAnxiety.com

 

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