Compassionate + Inclusive Therapy in Durham, North Carolina
Therapy for the sensitive, overwhelmed, overthinkers.
Feeling anxious, stuck in your head, or “not good enough”? Life can feel heavy and uncertain, but you don’t have to do it alone. Right now, you might be experiencing:
Fear and self-doubtthat feel paralyzing, holding you back from being your authentic self and living the life you want.
Intrusive, unwanted thoughts that feel distressing and hard to shake.
Patterns of seeking reassurance, over analyzing, replaying conversations, or repeating certain behaviors or mental rituals, even if part of you knows it doesn’t actually help.
Life’s obligations pulling you in every direction, leaving little room for joy or rest.
An inner self-critic is loud and persistent, leaving youfeeling “not good enough.”
Anxiety around communicating your thoughts, feelings, or boundaries—and frustration when it doesn’t seem to work.
The loneliness and exhaustion of living with a chronic illness that others can’t fully understand
Many of my clients describe feeling stuck in their heads, overwhelmed by emotions, and hard on themselves when they can’t meet high expectations. The good news is that shame and anxiety don’t have to be your internal default setting. Together, we’ll gently explore what feels “too much” or “not enough,” and find a new way forward—one rooted in clarity, compassion, and connection.
I work with…
Individuals
Navigating anxiety/OCD, trauma, chronic illness and challenges in relationships.
Couples
Navigating challenges in relationships.
I specialize in working with individuals navigating…
Anxiety can feel paralyzing—like being trapped in fear, flooded by sensations of panic, or caught in loops of overthinking and self-doubt. It can make it hard to rest, relax, or tolerate uncertainty. You might notice yourself avoiding anything that triggers fear, or feeling constantly on edge and irritable.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts or fears (obsessions) that create anxiety, and repetitive behaviors or mental rituals (compulsions) meant to relieve that anxiety. While these behaviors may bring temporary relief, they often keep the anxiety cycle going and make life feel smaller and more controlled by fear.
Receiving a diagnosis like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, POTS, Lyme disease, mold toxicity, chronic migraines, or an autoimmune condition can turn your life upside down. Suddenly, the routines and activities that once felt simple become challenging, and the road ahead feels uncertain. It’s common to feel overwhelmed, anxious, or discouraged as you try to make sense of this new reality.
At Connected Living Psychotherapy, we understand how deeply chronic illness can affect your emotional well-being. Together, we’ll explore ways to cope with uncertainty, adjust to life with a new diagnosis, and reconnect with meaning, self-compassion, and hope along the way..
Trauma isn’t just about what happened to you — it’s about how those experiences affected you. It can come from a single event, like an accident or loss, or from smaller, ongoing experiences that slowly wear you down — like being criticized, dismissed, or made to feel invisible. Growing up with emotionally unavailable caregivers, feeling unsafe in relationships, or experiencing discrimination can also leave lasting marks.
When we go through too much without enough support, our bodies and minds adapt in ways that help us survive but can later leave us feeling stuck, disconnected, or on edge. At Connected Living Psychotherapy, we focus on helping you gently process these experiences, understand how they’ve shaped you, and reconnect with a sense of safety, self-trust, and meaning.
Relationships
Relationships are at the heart of being human. Whether it’s with family, friends, partners, coworkers, or within your community, our connections shape who we are. Building and maintaining healthy relationships is central to emotional well-being—but it can also be one of the most challenging parts of life.
Communication patterns, trust, attachment styles, past experiences, cultural influences, and family-of-origin dynamics all affect how we relate to others. Through therapy, you can gain insight into these patterns and develop tools for communicating more effectively, deepening connection, repairing ruptures, and showing up more authentically in your relationships..
Meet Anna Vargas, LCMHC
(she, her, hers)
As a therapist, I help people…
Reconnect with their sense of self-worth beneath layers of doubt and self-criticism.
Step out of fear based cycles to do what’s meaningful and important.
Celebrate the wins, not just fixate on the losses.
Discover what brings joy and connection to their lives.
Listen to their needs without guilt.
Heal from complicated or painful family dynamics.
Feel more confident in how they show up in relationships.
What brings me the most joy as a therapist is connecting with folks on a human to human level, giving others the opportunity to be safely seen, heard, understood and feel a little less alone because I believe that is when real transformation and change happens.
All stories are welcome here.
One of the most important parts about therapy is emotional safety for everybody.
It is of the utmost importance to me that every person I work with feels welcome in the therapy space, no matter their background, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, ability, or body. Discrimination impacts mental health. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, I have seen first hand what this impact looks and feels like. It’s a big reason why I do this work. Feeling “othered” because your story is different from the majority is deeply painful. I am dedicated to continuously learning and respecting all cultural backgrounds and increasing my own self-awareness through ongoing reflection, supervision, and education.
Schedule A Free Consultation
Begin your journey towards more self-compassion and understanding today. We’ll explore what you’re looking for and how I can support you to ensure we’re the right fit.