About Me
About Eliana Bonaguro, LMHC
Understanding Anxiety, OCD, And Panic From The Inside Out
If you’re here, you may be looking for an OCD therapist NYC or searching for answers about anxiety or panic that haven’t quite made sense yet.
Many of the people I work with are thoughtful, analytical, and highly aware.
They’ve spent time trying to understand what they’re experiencing—reading, reflecting, questioning.
And yet, the same patterns continue.
You might find yourself:
- overthinking your feelings or decisions
- caught in loops of doubt or “what if” thinking
- experiencing sudden waves of panic that feel hard to control
This is often where people begin when they reach out for help for anxiety or support for anxiety and OCD, whether in New York or Florida.
Why I Specialize In Anxiety, OCD, And Panic
I was drawn to understanding how the mind works—especially when it becomes stuck in cycles that don’t respond to logic.
Over time, my work naturally focused on anxiety, OCD, panic, and intrusive thoughts—areas where people are often misunderstood, even by themselves.
These experiences can feel very real, very convincing, and very urgent.
As an OCD and anxiety specialist, I help clients make sense of these patterns so they feel less confusing and overwhelming.
Rather than focusing only on symptom relief, my work centers on helping you understand:
- how anxiety and OCD operate in the mind and nervous system
- why certain coping strategies unintentionally keep anxiety going
- how to respond differently to fear, uncertainty, and discomfort
Clarity is a core part of my approach.
When you understand what’s happening internally, anxiety often feels less mysterious—and less powerful.
My work is grounded in advanced training in anxiety and OCD treatment through the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, with a focus on Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and I am a member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
My Approach To Therapy
My approach is grounded in evidence-based treatment, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and mindfulness-based strategies.
In therapy, we focus on something different than what most people expect.
We don’t try to eliminate thoughts.
We don’t try to force certainty.
Instead, we look at how these patterns actually work:
- how anxiety creates a sense of urgency
- how OCD turns thoughts into problems that feel like they need to be solved
- how patterns like analyzing, checking, or seeking reassurance keep the cycle going
Many people begin therapy believing they need to “figure things out.”
Over time, something shifts.
Instead of getting pulled deeper into the loop, they begin to step out of it.
What Makes My Work Different
As an anxiety therapist I focus on forms of anxiety that are often missed.
This includes:
- intrusive thoughts
- relationship OCD (ROCD)
- panic attacks
- chronic overthinking
- mental compulsions
When treating an anxiety condition, the goal is not to control every thought or feeling.
It’s to change how you relate to them.
That shift is often what brings relief.
Author, Artist, And Therapist
In addition to my clinical work, I am also an author and artist.
I’ve written and illustrated mental health guides designed to make anxiety and OCD easier to understand in a clear, visual, and relatable way.
This part of my work reflects how I think about therapy:
Not abstract.
Not overly clinical.
But something you can actually understand and apply.
As an OCD specialist and a Relationship OCD speacialist (ROCD) in NYC and Florida and provider of anxiety therapy , I bring that same clarity into sessions—helping you see what’s happening in your mind in a way that finally makes sense.
Eliana Bonaguro LMHC is the author of Yesterday It Rained: An Illustrated Guide To Living with Anxiety. You can find it on Amazon.
A More Human Approach To Therapy
I believe therapy should feel:
- clear, not confusing
- structured, but not rigid
- grounded in real-life application
Whether you’re coming in for therapy for anxiety NYC, OCD therapy NYC, or panic-related concerns, the goal is the same:
To help you step out of the patterns that are keeping you stuck.
You Don’t Have To Keep Doing This Alone
If you’re struggling with OCD, anxiety, or panic, the patterns may look different, but they often share one thing in common: the mind starts treating internal experiences like problems that need to be solved.
OCD may involve intrusive thoughts and rituals.
Anxiety often shows up as persistent worry or overthinking.
Panic tends to be more physical and sudden, with intense surges of fear.
In therapy, I use evidence-based approaches such as CBT, adapted to each of these patterns.
The focus is not on eliminating thoughts or controlling feelings, but on understanding what maintains the cycle and learning how to respond in a way that no longer reinforces it
Therapy in New York & Florida
I provide secure online therapy for adults across New York state and Florida, allowing you to access specialized anxiety and OCD treatment from the comfort of your home. Wherever you are in are in NYC or in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Scarsdale, Queens, Florida, Miami, Orlando, Naples, Ft Myers, you can access therapy from the comfort of your living room.
If You’d Like To Connect
If you’ve been trying to make sense of things on your own, you don’t have to keep doing it alone.
You’re welcome to reach out for a free, no-obligation consultation and see if this feels like the right fit.
Eliana Bonaguro is the author of the book: Quieting the Noise: An Illustrated Guide to Living with Anxiety. Find it on Amazon.
Eliana Bonaguro, LMHC, is an OCD and anxiety therapist, licensed in New York and Florida, who helps individuals navigate intrusive thoughts, panic, and uncertainty with practical, evidence-based tools.
Author of the book: Quieting the Noise: An Illustrated Guide to Living with Anxiety. Find it on Amazon.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Social Anxiety
Panic Disorder and Health Anxiety
Depression and mood regulation issues
Relationship anxiety and communication challenges
Perfectionism, high-functioning anxiety, and burnout
Emotional dysregulation and chronic overwhelm
Low self-esteem and negative self-talk
Fear of failure or “not being enough”
New York City (including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and surrounding boroughs )
Florida, including Naples
Education
Hunter College
THE BECK INSTITUTE OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
THE BECK INSTITUTE OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Mood Disorders
Other Certifications
