Building a Healthier Relationship with Anxiety
Anxiety is often treated as something to fight, control, or eliminate, but those efforts frequently make it stronger. This session offers a different and more helpful perspective: understanding anxiety as a natural human response that shows up in times of uncertainty, pressure, and change.
Participants will explore how anxiety operates in both the mind and the body, why attempts to suppress anxious thoughts and feelings can increase distress, and how a healthier relationship with anxiety can reduce its grip. Rather than aiming to “get rid of” anxiety, the focus is on learning practical, compassionate ways to respond to worry, self-criticism and uncomfortable emotions.
Through reflection and simple tools, this conversation invites participants to stay connected to their values, relationships, and responsibilities, even when anxiety is present, so life doesn’t have to remain on hold while waiting to feel calm. A thoughtful and empowering session for anyone who wants to live more fully, with or without anxiety.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Maleeha Abbas is a counseling psychologist with extensive clinical experience in evidence-based treatment for anxiety and related disorders. She worked for over four years at the Evidence-Based Treatment Centers of Seattle (EBTCS), Washington, where she specialized in working with adults experiencing anxiety-related difficulties, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, and body-focused repetitive behaviors.
Dr. Abbas earned her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the VA Puget Sound – American Lake Division, where she received rigorous training in evidence-based treatments across diverse clinical settings, including PTSD, substance use disorders, and primary care.
Following her doctorate, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the VA Puget Sound – Seattle Division, where she received advanced training in interventions for PTSD, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and mood-related disorders. Her clinical work is grounded in scientifically supported therapies, with a strong emphasis on compassionate, practical approaches to mental health care.
This session is free and open to all. Just visit the venue to attend it.
The Black Hole
Plot 5H, Street 100, G-11/3, Islamabad.
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