Anxiety therapy Copenhagen
Help to understand your anxiety and live less ruled by it
I help you find what your anxiety protects and loosen its grip
- Last updated October 17, 2026
What I want you to know about your anxiety
In this short video, I explain why fighting your anxiety rarely works, and what changes when you start to understand what it is protecting.
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At a glance
Anxiety therapy Copenhagen helps you understand why your mind and body keep sounding the alarm, and what you can do about it. We meet one to one, in 1-hour appointments with 50 minutes of therapy, in English or Danish, at my practice in central Copenhagen or online.
I help you see what your anxiety is trying to protect, where it began and what keeps it going today, so you can respond to it rather than obey it. This page is the hub for anxiety within my psychotherapy. If one form of it dominates, I have more specific help for overthinking, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks and social anxiety.
You can request a free discovery call, book a session, read my client policy or contact me directly.
Is this the right page for you?
This is for you if…
Anxiety therapy Copenhagen is for adults whose worry, tension or dread has started to shape how they live. You may function well on the outside while feeling on edge most of the time inside. You want to understand where it comes from and to stop organising your days around it.
- You wake up with a knot in your stomach before you have even remembered what there is to worry about.
- You feel tense in your shoulders, jaw or chest most days, and you have almost forgotten what relaxed feels like.
- You get everything done at work, yet nobody sees how much effort it costs you to look calm and capable.
- You plan for every possible problem, and a small change of plan can throw your whole day off balance.
- You find it hard to switch off in the evening, and your sleep is light, broken or far too short.
- You have started avoiding things you used to enjoy, such as travelling, driving or busy places, without quite knowing why.
- You have tried breathing apps, exercise and positive thinking, and they help for a while before the anxiety comes back.
- You wonder whether you have always been like this, and you want to understand it rather than simply manage it.
This is probably not for you if…
Anxiety comes in many shapes, and some of them need a more specific kind of help. If one of these describes you better, the page linked will suit you better.
- Sudden waves of panic, with a racing heart and a fear of losing control, are the main thing you want help with. → panic attack therapy
- Your mind loops on decisions and conversations, and you cannot stop thinking things through. → overthinking therapy
- Unwanted, disturbing thoughts keep arriving, and you are frightened by what they might mean about you. → intrusive thoughts therapy
- Your fear is mostly about being judged, watched or embarrassed by other people. → social anxiety therapy
- You are overloaded by work or family demands, and exhaustion matters more to you than worry. → stress therapy
- Anxiety is one theme among several, and you want to look at your life more broadly. → psychotherapy
- The anxiety lives mainly in your relationship, and your partner is willing to come with you. → couples therapy
- You are in immediate danger, or you are thinking about ending your life. Please call 112, or 1813 for urgent mental health help in the Capital Region.
You can also send me an email
Client reviews
The reviews shown here are shared by clients who have worked with me in therapy and chosen to reflect on their experience. They are collected via Google and displayed through an independent verification service, offering an open and transparent picture of how my work is experienced.
Mark’s view
“In my experience, most people with anxiety spend years trying to get rid of it, and that fight is exactly what keeps it alive. Anxiety is rarely the enemy. It is an old protector doing its job too loudly. Underneath it, I often hear questions like ‘What if they stop caring about me?’ and ‘What if I need someone and nobody comes?’. Beside them sits a quieter voice saying ‘I have to sort this out on my own, without bothering anyone.’ Some people carry both at once: ‘Please stay close to me, but do not look too closely.’ When you stop fighting your anxiety and start listening to what it is guarding, it usually has far less need to shout.”
Mark Colclough, MA, psychotherapist and EFT couples therapist
Meet Mark, psychotherapist and EFT couples therapist
I am Mark Colclough, MA, a psychotherapist and EFT couples therapist specialising in expats and international couples. I work in English and Danish, from my practice in central Copenhagen and online.
Practising since 2004, I bring a bicultural perspective to work with individuals and couples across languages and cultural contexts. My work integrates depth-oriented psychotherapy with approaches such as integral psychotherapy, Gestalt therapy, Jungian psychoanalysis, and object relations theory. I also have specialist training in attachment theory, narcissism, and borderline personality disorder.
For support with life between cultures, explore expat psychotherapy or expat couples therapy. My practice is supported by ongoing training and supervision. To read more about my background, training, and approach, visit About me.
The importance of supervision
Good therapy begins with good supervision
I regularly meet with experienced senior psychotherapists in Denmark and abroad to reflect on my work, challenge my thinking, and continue developing my skills. This ongoing process supports the quality of my individual and couples therapy, helping me offer thoughtful, ethical, and effective care.
My focus is simple: excellence, integrity, and impact.
Connect with me:
If you want me to call you ASAP, or if you want to book me, use the buttons below.
You are welcome to get in touch. We can clarify what’s the right therapy for you.
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A typical situation
Sofie is 34, works in finance and is known as the calm one in her team. At home it is different. She rehearses every meeting in her head on the cycle path to work, has a headache most afternoons and lies awake replaying a 2-word reply from her manager. Her GP found nothing physically wrong with the tightness in her chest. She cannot point to a reason for any of it, and that makes her feel she has no right to ask for help.
I would start not with the worry itself but with when it began and whose voice it sounds like. In our first session, Sofie would probably notice that the tension rises most when she fears she might disappoint someone, and that it has been with her in some form since she was a girl. That gives us a thread to follow, rather than a symptom to fight.
I have presented this clinical example as a compound of 22 years of clinical practice.
This is when you need anxiety therapy with me
You have tried hard to calm yourself down, and the anxiety keeps finding its way back.
There is no single right time or right reason to begin anxiety therapy. If you have a feeling that something is wrong, that worry is taking up more of your life than it should, or that your relationships are suffering under it, that is enough. You do not need a diagnosis, a neat explanation or a crisis before you come to see me. In more than 22 years of practice, I have sat with anxiety in almost every form, and I recognise when it has moved from passing pressure into a pattern that deserves proper attention.
In sessions, I usually begin by helping you identify what actually happens when the anxiety rises, what keeps it going and what needs to change. I will tell you clearly what I see. These 6 questions can help you decide whether it is time to book.
Is worry costing you more energy than your actual life?
If it is, take it seriously. Anxiety often shows itself less as fear and more as tiredness. You spend the day scanning for what might go wrong, preparing answers to questions nobody has asked and holding your body ready for impact. By evening you are drained, even on a day when nothing actually happened. Sleep does not fully restore you, small tasks feel heavy, and you start saying no to things simply to save energy.
I would look at when this started, what it is attached to and whether it rises and falls with particular situations or stays with you all the time. That tells us whether you are under temporary pressure or living inside a pattern that will not ease on its own. If you recognise yourself here, book a session with me and we can look at it together.
Does part of you want to stay safe while another part wants to live more fully?
Both parts can be true at once, because they serve different needs. One part of you keeps you away from risk: the trip you do not book, the job you do not apply for, the conversation you keep postponing. Another part is tired of a life that keeps getting smaller and wants to say yes. You may swing between them, make a brave decision and then spend days anxious about it, or stay safe and feel quietly disappointed in yourself.
I do not treat the anxious part as the problem and the brave part as the solution. In psychosynthesis we work with these inner figures as parts of you, each with something to say. I help you hear what each one is protecting, so you can make deliberate choices instead of being pulled back and forth. The goal is not to silence your caution, but to stop it from making every decision alone.
Do you need reassurance again and again before you can settle?
Many people with anxiety do. A delayed reply, a change in someone’s tone or an unanswered message can feel like a sign that something is wrong. You check, you ask, you look for clues, and the relief when someone reassures you lasts minutes rather than days. You may also search online for answers about your body, your health or your future, and come away more worried than before.
Your need for clarity and closeness is legitimate, and I will not shame it. What I help you change is the alarm that fires before you have any evidence. Together we notice what the reassurance is really trying to soothe, often an older fear of being left or of not mattering, and you practise saying what you need directly instead of checking. If the worry is mostly about your partner, my article on relationship anxiety may help too.
Do you want people close when you are anxious, and then need them gone?
Yes, that can happen, and it can confuse you as much as the people around you. When anxiety rises, you may reach for your partner or a friend, then feel crowded the moment they try to help. You ask for company and then snap. You make plans to see people and cancel at the last minute. Closeness feels necessary and too much at the same time, and afterwards you are left with guilt as well as worry.
I help you slow this cycle down in the room, so we can see the exact moment the wish for comfort turns into a wish to escape. Usually something specific sets off each shift, such as feeling watched, judged or responsible for someone else’s feelings. I have real compassion for these protective reactions. I will also ask you to take responsibility for the ones that hurt people you love, and help you find steadier ways to ask for support and to step back.
Do you go quiet and pull away when it all feels like too much?
Many anxious people look calm because they have learned to withdraw. When feelings or other people’s needs become intense, you go factual, play the problem down or disappear into work, your phone or your own head. It gives you a sense of control. The cost is that people stop knowing what is going on inside you, and the anxiety carries on out of sight.
My view is that distance is often doing an important job, and I will not shame you for needing it. I help you understand what it protects you from, so you can stay present a little longer without feeling swallowed up. You learn to say “I need some time on my own” before the withdrawal turns into a wall. Space is fine. A silence nobody understands usually is not.
Has anxiety started to feel like who you are?
After years of adapting to anxiety, it can be hard to tell where it ends and you begin. You may describe yourself as a worrier, a planner or someone who does not like surprises, when really these are ways you learned to cope. Perhaps you have shaped your life around other people’s expectations for so long that you no longer know what you want. That is not a sign that something in you is broken. It is a sign of how hard you have been working.
I help you look at which parts of you are anxiety’s habits and which are genuinely yours. Often this means looking at what you inherited, from your family, from the generations before them and from the culture you grew up in. I will offer you direction and challenge you when I see you shrinking, but I will not hand you a new identity. The aim is to know more clearly who you are, what matters to you and what kind of life fits you.
If you recognise yourself in these questions, request a free call to talk it through, or book a session if you already know you want to start.
You can also send me an email
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What anxiety therapy with me will help you do
Understanding your anxiety matters, but you also need the work to change how you live, sleep, speak and decide.
Anxiety therapy with me will help you understand what is happening when anxiety takes hold, see the patterns that keep it in place and make changes you can feel in your daily life. Insight is valuable, and many people arrive already knowing a great deal about anxiety. But knowing why you worry, without changing how you respond, rarely brings much relief.
In my more than 22 years of experience, the work moves when I take an active role. I will not simply listen and nod. I will guide you, tell you what I notice and challenge you when an explanation keeps you stuck. These 6 questions describe what we work towards.
For men: performance anxiety therapy.
How will I help you see what your anxiety is really about?
I help you separate the core of the problem from everything that has grown around it. The racing heart, the sleepless nights and the endless what-ifs are real, but they are often consequences rather than causes. Underneath them you will usually find specific emotions, beliefs and protective habits: a fear of failing, a sense that you must keep everyone happy, grief that was never felt, or loyalty to a family where nobody was allowed to relax.
I bring structure to this. I tell you what I think is going on, what deserves attention first and which explanations are keeping you stuck, such as “I am just an anxious person”. I work with conscious and unconscious patterns, and with the body as well as the mind, so we are not only talking about the worry. When you are ready, book a session with me and we will start mapping it.
How can you notice the anxiety before it takes over?
You can learn to notice the early signs, and that is often where change begins. Anxiety rarely arrives out of nowhere. There is usually a sequence: a tight throat, a particular thought, a shift in your breathing, an urge to check your phone or leave the room. Once you can recognise the first link in that chain, you have a moment in which you can choose something else.
In sessions, I help you slow the sequence down and look at it closely: what sets it off, what it is protecting you from and what it costs you. Recognition alone is not enough. Together we practise a different response, in the room and between sessions, until it becomes something you can actually use on an ordinary Tuesday morning at work.
How can you calm your body when the anxiety rises?
Calming down does not mean pushing the feeling away or pretending to be fine. It means staying present enough to understand what is happening and choose how to respond. Some anxiety deserves to be listened to. Some is an old alarm reacting to something that is no longer dangerous. Regulation is what lets you tell the difference. If your anxiety is at its worst in the evening, my article on why anxiety often gets worse at night may be useful.
I help you notice activation earlier and understand what your nervous system is reacting to, often something your body remembers more clearly than your mind does. We find specific ways of slowing the reaction that fit you. I will also be clear that this takes practice between sessions. A few minutes a day of what we agree on will do more than one good conversation a week.
How can you say what you need without apologising for it?
Clear communication starts with knowing what you feel, what you need and what is yours to carry. Anxiety blurs all three. You may stay quiet to avoid conflict, over-explain to avoid being misunderstood, or apologise before you have said anything at all. Over time, unspoken needs build into resentment, and the resentment feeds the anxiety.
I help you find words that are honest, specific and proportionate. I will challenge you when you silence yourself, and I will also challenge you when you hand other people the job of keeping your anxiety calm. We often rehearse real conversations, with your manager, your partner or your parents, until you can say what you mean without it costing you a sleepless night.
How can you make a decision without being frozen by what-ifs?
Decisions become clearer when you separate fear, obligation, habit and other people’s expectations from what you actually know and want. Anxiety tends to treat every choice as final and every risk as certain. So you research, ask for opinions and wait for a certainty that never arrives. Meanwhile, delay makes the decision for you.
I help you look honestly at your options, their likely consequences and what each one would ask of you. I will give you my professional view, and I will point it out when you are avoiding the decision. I will not make the choice for you. If your mind loops endlessly on decisions large and small, overthinking therapy goes deeper into that pattern.
What does a life with anxiety no longer in charge look like?
Lasting change has to reach beyond the therapy room. Feeling calmer in sessions is a start, but the real test is your Monday morning, your family visits and your thoughts in the middle of the night. You may need different boundaries at work, a different rhythm to your week, fewer obligations, more rest, or relationships in which you do not have to hold everything together.
I help you decide what needs to change and what does not. Some sensitivity, caution and care are part of who you are, and they are not the problem. The goal is not to remove an essential part of you. It is to help you live with more clarity and responsibility, so that your choices follow your needs and values rather than your fears.
You can also send me an email
What happens when you begin anxiety therapy with me
You do not need a diagnosis or the right words. I begin with what is happening now and what you want to be different.
When you begin, I listen carefully, help you name the central difficulty and give the work a clear direction from the start. I do not expect you to arrive with a diagnosis, a theory of your anxiety or your whole life story in order. We begin where you are.
Anxiety therapy is a focused form of psychotherapy, structured individual work in which we look at your inner life and your relationships together. If it turns out that your anxiety lives mostly in your relationship, and your partner is willing, couples therapy offers long-term relational development and healing. When you already know the work will take time, my therapy discounts and bundles give you real savings and the safety of a plan we agree on in advance.
What happens in our first anxiety session?
In our first session, I ask what brought you to therapy now, how your anxiety shows up, what you have already tried and what you want to be different. I listen for when it began, where it is strongest and what it seems to protect. You do not need to tell me your entire life story before useful work can begin.
By the end of the session, I give you my first understanding of what is going on and propose a direction for the work. You then decide whether my way of working feels useful to you. If you would rather talk before booking, request a free 30-minute discovery call.
When should you choose individual therapy for your anxiety?
Individual therapy is the right choice when the anxiety lives mainly in you: in your body, your thoughts, your history, your sense of yourself and the way you move through work and relationships. Most anxiety is like this, even when it shows up most strongly with other people. We can explore your relationships thoroughly without anyone else needing to attend.
In individual work, I give you direction, continuity and honest challenge from one session to the next. If you are unsure whether to focus on anxiety or on your life more broadly, Psychotherapy Copenhagen describes my structured individual work as a whole.
When is couples therapy a better choice than anxiety therapy?
Couples therapy is the better choice when the relationship itself needs sustained attention. If your anxiety rises mostly around your partner, if the same argument keeps returning, if trust has been damaged, or if the 2 of you are caught in a cycle where one reaches out and the other pulls away, working on it together often helps more than working on it alone.
In couples work, I help you both see the cycle between you, take responsibility for your own part in it and build more secure ways of being together. That is more than settling one disagreement. Couples therapy Copenhagen is long-term relational development and healing, and some people do individual work on their anxiety first and turn to couples work later.
How often should you come for anxiety therapy?
The right pace depends on how strong the anxiety is, how much room you have in your life right now and how much continuity the work needs. For most people, sessions close together at the start give the work enough momentum. Some prefer a focused, time-limited course on one theme, and some later come every few weeks to keep their footing.
My recommendation is to begin weekly or every second week. I will tell you honestly if sessions are too far apart for anything to build, if a period of closer sessions would help, or if the work is ready to become less frequent. Several sessions back-to-back over a few days are also possible when that suits your life.
When does a bundle make sense for anxiety therapy?
A bundle makes sense when you already know the work will take several sessions and you want continuity instead of deciding after every appointment whether to continue. Anxiety loves an exit. A planned course takes that question off the table, protects time in your calendar and lets you concentrate on the work itself.
Bundles give you significant savings and the safety of a structured plan. I will help you judge whether a bundle fits the likely scope of your work. You can see the options on therapy discounts and bundles and in the bundle cards below.
How will we know when anxiety therapy has done its job?
Therapy has done its job when you have more ownership, clarity and choice, and when the anxiety has changed enough that you can carry on without the same support. It may still visit, but it no longer decides where you go, who you see or how you sleep. You know what it is telling you and what to do with it.
I review progress with you openly, and I do not encourage dependency or therapy without end. Sessions can become less frequent, pause or stop when the work has done what it needed to. If you come back later with something new, that does not mean the earlier work failed. It means life moved on and asked something new of you.
How it works with me
- Start with a free 30-minute call, or book your first session directly. Tell me briefly how your anxiety shows up, so I can check that this is the right starting point for you.
- Your first session is a 1-hour appointment with 50 minutes of therapy, just you and me, at my practice at Møntergade 4 in central Copenhagen or online, in English or Danish. Appointments run from 08:00 to 21:00 Copenhagen time, 7 days a week, subject to availability.
- At first we usually meet weekly or every second week, so there is enough continuity for change to build. Between sessions, you practise what we have agreed on.
- Every few sessions, we look honestly at what has changed and what has not. Together we decide whether to keep the pace, space sessions out, focus on one specific form of anxiety or finish.
- If you expect several sessions, a therapy bundle saves you 10 per cent and gives you a clear plan from the start. You can see the bundles just below.
Save with a prepaid session bundle
How the bundle works
- Current bundle savings are shown on the Pricing page.
- Your bundle is valid for 180 days from the date of purchase.
- The bundle can only be used for the type of session stated on your invoice.
- If you request a refund, sessions already used are recalculated at the standard single-session price.
- The administration fee applied to a bundle refund is shown on the Pricing page.
- VAT follows the type of therapy included in the bundle: VAT-exempt sessions remain VAT exempt, while VAT-liable sessions include applicable VAT.
Compare with nearby options
Not sure anxiety therapy is the right starting point? Here is how it compares with the options people living with anxiety most often consider.
| Option | Choose it when | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety therapy (this page) | Worry, tension or dread has become a constant part of your days. | Weekly 1-hour sessions at first |
| Psychotherapy | You want to explore your life broadly, with anxiety as one theme among several. | 1-hour sessions at a pace you choose |
| Stress therapy | Pressure from work or life has outgrown your capacity and you feel overloaded. | A focused course of 1-hour sessions |
| Panic attack therapy | Sudden waves of panic are the main thing you want help with. | Sessions close together at first |
Frequently asked questions
What is anxiety therapy with you?
Anxiety therapy with me is individual psychotherapy for adults whose worry, tension or fear has started to shape their lives. Rather than only teaching you to manage the symptoms, it helps you understand what your anxiety is protecting, where it comes from and what keeps it going. I offer it in English or Danish, in person in central Copenhagen or online.
I work integratively and in depth, with the whole person rather than the symptom: your emotions, your body, your relationships and what you inherited from your family. Anxiety therapy is a main branch of my psychotherapy, and the place to start when anxiety is the main thing you want help with.
When should I come to you about my anxiety?
Come when anxiety is costing you sleep, energy, relationships or choices, or when you notice your life getting smaller to avoid it. You do not need to wait until it is unbearable. Your own sense that something is not right is reason enough.
In more than 22 years of practice, I have learned to look at how long the anxiety has been there, whether it is spreading into new areas and what you have stopped doing because of it. If it has been with you for months and keeps returning however hard you try, it deserves proper attention. Many people who look very capable from the outside live with this quietly, and my article on high-functioning anxiety describes that experience.
Can therapy really help with anxiety I have had all my life?
Yes, often it can. Long-standing anxiety is usually woven into how you learned to cope as a child, which means it can also be understood and loosened as an adult. I cannot promise how much it will change or how quickly, and I do not offer quick fixes. What I offer is steady, serious work on the roots rather than only the surface.
In my clinical experience, people who have been anxious for as long as they can remember often discover that the anxiety once made perfect sense. It may have kept them alert in an unpredictable home, or kept them good in a demanding one. I would focus with you on what it was protecting then, and what it no longer needs to protect now.
Is my anxiety bad enough to need therapy?
If you are asking, it is worth taking seriously. There is no threshold you need to reach first. Many people wait for years because they are still functioning, still working and still showing up for everyone else.
I do not measure whether you are anxious enough. I look at what the anxiety is doing to your life and what you want to be different. Sometimes a handful of sessions is enough to understand a pattern and change your relationship to it. Sometimes the work goes deeper. Either way, after the first session you will know what I see and what I would recommend.
Why do I keep asking for reassurance, or pulling away, when I am anxious?
Both are ways of trying to feel safe. Some people reach out, ask again and need to hear that everything is fine. Others go quiet, keep busy and handle it alone. Many people do both, depending on the day and on who is nearby. None of this is a flaw in your character. It is how you learned to manage fear, often a long time ago.
I help you recognise which way you tend to move under pressure, what each move is trying to achieve and what it costs you and the people close to you. Then we work on steadier options: asking for support clearly, taking space without disappearing and settling yourself without waiting for someone else to do it for you.
What will we actually do in the first anxiety session?
We start with what is happening now. I ask how your anxiety shows up in your body, your thoughts and your behaviour, when it is worst, what you have tried and what you hope will change. I also ask a little about your history and your family, because anxiety often has a past. By the end, you will have my first understanding and a proposed direction.
You do not need to prepare or find the right words. Many people arrive anxious about the session itself, and that is fine. We can start there. When you are ready, book your first session or begin with a free discovery call.
How many sessions of anxiety therapy will I need?
My recommendation is to plan for a course of sessions over a few months, usually weekly or every second week, rather than a single conversation. That is often enough to understand your pattern and begin to change it. Anxiety that has been with you for many years, or that is tangled up with older experiences, usually needs longer.
Based on more than 22 years of practice, I would rather you commit to a clear first stretch and review it honestly than drift without direction. We look together at what has changed, and you decide with me whether to continue, space the sessions out or stop.
Should I come in person or have anxiety therapy online?
Come in person if you can. Many people with anxiety find that the journey to my practice and sitting in the same room become part of the work. Online sessions work well too, especially if you live outside Copenhagen, travel a lot or find it very hard to leave home at the moment, and they last just as long.
Both formats are part of my psychotherapy practice, in English or Danish. If you are unsure which suits you, we can decide together on a free call before you book.
What does anxiety therapy with you cost?
Individual psychotherapy is booked in 1-hour appointments with 50 minutes of therapy. You can see the current price on my prices page. Payment is by invoice and bank transfer.
If you expect to come for several sessions, a bundle saves you 10 per cent and gives you the safety of a structured plan. You can see the options on therapy discounts and bundles. A same-day transfer from a Danish bank account saves you a further 3 per cent.
How do I book anxiety therapy with you?
Book your first session directly, or request a free 30-minute discovery call if you would like to talk first. Either way, you can tell me briefly what your anxiety is like.
If you cannot find a time that suits you, or your situation feels acute, contact me directly. I hold some room for acute cases, usually a time within days. Book the session, and we will start from where you are.
You can also send me an email
My approach and values
My mission
My mission is to help individuals, couples and families rediscover connection, communicate with understanding, and build a stronger, more loving relationship that can thrive through any challenge.
My vision
My vision is to create a world where every person in my therapy room feels supported, connected, and empowered to grow, and to step one step closer to your Self.
Explore other services I offer
Individual psychotherapy
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