Anxiety treatment at Kolmac: Outpatient care for anxiety and co-occurring addiction
You don’t have to face it alone; meaningful progress is possible with the right mental health support.
Understanding anxiety disorders
For over 50 years, Kolmac has pioneered outpatient treatment that allows people to heal while continuing with work, school, and family life. Our mental health programs bring the same trusted model to those struggling with anxiety.
Anxiety disorders go beyond everyday stress or situational worry. They include conditions such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, each characterized by persistent, excessive fear or worry that interferes with daily functioning.
We specialize in supporting individuals who:
- Experience persistent worry, panic, or fear that disrupts daily activities
- Need structured treatment that fits with life’s responsibilities
- Want evidence-based strategies for managing symptoms and building resilience
Anxiety and substance use: The connection
Anxiety and substance use disorder frequently co-occur, and the relationship between them is often cyclical. Alcohol, benzodiazepines, and other substances are commonly used to manage anxiety symptoms — social fear, persistent worry, panic — and can provide short-term relief while worsening anxiety.
People require increasing amounts of the substance as tolerance develops; withdrawal can trigger heightened anxiety, encouraging continued use.
This cycle is common and well-documented. Treating anxiety and substance use concurrently leads to better results than addressing them separately.
Kolmac’s integrated model uses precisely that approach. For individuals struggling with both, Kolmac’s dual diagnosis treatment organizes care for both conditions from the beginning.
How Kolmac treats anxiety
Our program combines therapy, medical support, and community to create a structured path toward progress. We individualize each treatment plan to your needs, goals, and progress.
Evidence-based therapies (CBT, DBT, ACT)
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness practices, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) help reduce symptoms and build coping skills.
Family education and optional family sessions help loved ones understand anxiety and learn how to provide support.
For individuals who need flexible, lower-barrier support outside of IOP, mental health counseling at Kolmac is also available.
Mental health IOP
Kolmac’s mental health IOP provides structured group and individual therapy several days per week, with flexible day, evening, and virtual scheduling options.
IOP is appropriate for individuals whose anxiety is moderate to severe, is significantly impairing daily functioning, or hasn’t responded to weekly outpatient therapy alone.
It’s structured enough to create clinical momentum while remaining flexible enough to fit around your life.
Psychiatric medication management
Psychiatric providers at Kolmac carefully assess each patient and, when appropriate, prescribe or adjust medication to support symptom relief.
Medication-assisted treatment is one component of a coordinated plan that includes therapy and skills development. It’s not a standalone solution.
Common medication options for anxiety include SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone, and sometimes propranolol for situational or performance anxiety.
Frequently asked questions
It works by blocking the physical stress response rather than the psychological experience of anxiety. It’s not typically used as a first-line treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, but it can be appropriate for specific presentations.
Kolmac’s psychiatric providers evaluate each patient individually and discuss medication options as part of a broader treatment plan.
A substance use diagnosis isn’t required to access Kolmac’s mental health programs.
The program organizes participants into groups focused on developing specific skills, including managing emotions, coping with distress, and altering thought patterns.
Many patients start treatment immediately after their first contact with Kolmac.
An anxiety disorder is different. According to the American Psychiatric Association, anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness and involve fear or worry that is persistent, excessive to the situation, and that significantly interferes with your daily functioning.
If anxiety is consistently disrupting your relationships, your work, or your daily life, a clinical evaluation is a reasonable next step.
