Licensed to practice in Maryland and accepts 35 insurances. Specializes in Anger Management, Anxiety, Grief and 3 more.
(she/her)
I help anxious clients discover a sense of control, serenity, and relief from what they perceive as chaos. Anxiety has been my "friend" (in some ways) throughout my life. It helped me reach my goals because I learned to notice its presence, how it teams with other emotions, how to speak to it, and how to tell it to lower its voice when it is not needed. Aside from my lived experience, I have been a therapist for the past, 6 years with adults of all ages and know that you can control it with tailored strategies I can provide.
In our first session, you can expect me to spend time building a connection with you. My main priority is to help you feel at ease. I recognize everyone is different in how they want to connect. Whether it is your first time or you have had experience in therapy, you can ask me questions. I will ask you questions about your life and what is bringing you to therapy. I tell all my clients that if you are uncomfortable answering a question, you can let me know and I will not push. Towards the end of our session, I will give you an exercise to try before the following appointment.
No matter how many times a client has told me reaching a goal has been “impossible”, I have believed in their potential and capabilities to improve their quality of life. For the past 6 years, I have had the honor of guiding clients through their experiences with relationship issues, anger-related anxiety, relational anxiety depression, and low self-worth. Witnessing and reflecting on their transformations has been the most rewarding experience.
If you start a sentence with "What if?", punish yourself for past mistakes, overthink what you said or did, shrink to the world, or wake up irritable for no reason, you are in the right place. I know there are more days than not when you feel exhausted from feeling this way. Living this way is wrought full of angst and stress which can get in the way of your daily life. Changing how we respond can lead to independence from these feelings and new perspectives which is how we can work together to find a sense of control and calm, progress in relationship building, and achieve our personal goals.
Cash - $130 per session
Aetna
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
Anthem
Arlo
AvMed
Blue Cross Blue Shield
CareFirst
Centivo
Cigna
Cigna - HealthEZ
EAP:Cigna
EAP:Evernorth
EAP:UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Evernorth
Golden Rule
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
Independence Administrators
Independence Blue Cross
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Surest (formerly Bind)
Tufts Health/Cigna
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy through a lens of working with the client as a team to address negative thinking patterns that impact emotions and behaviors. By addressing such patterns, clients can resolve challenges that serve as barriers in their daily and future lives. Most of my experience has been in working with clients who experience anxiety due to low self-esteem, a challenging break-up, social anxiety, and difficulty asserting oneself.
I use tools from this approach to help me measure progress and also identify goals. The questions I use will be more related to how to guide you to a solution that you find meaningful. This includes asking how you have coped in the past and recognizing the strengths you possess that could be instrumental in guiding you to finding relief from your concerns.
Person-centered is exactly how it sounds in the way I approach my role in therapy. I consider my clients the driver and myself the "guide". It celebrates a collaborative approach rather than a hierarchical approach to therapy so you can feel "at home" in our sessions as a pathway to building a trusted therapeutic relationship. This also means I will guide you to an alternate perspective to build insight into the concern you are experiencing.
4 ratings with written reviews
October 2, 2025
I really do think that I'm going to accomplish great things with my mental health with Dr. Shanbhag. It was a really good consultation and it. I felt really comfortable diving in.
October 1, 2025
My first meeting with Kavlta was great. She was warm and really listened to me. She was able to understand where I was in my life journey and is open to recommending some solution based opportunities.
August 7, 2025
Kavita has been a steady source of support through life’s toughest moments. She listens without judgment, never makes me feel small, and always meets me with warmth and open-mindedness. Each session leaves me feeling lighter, more understood, and more capable of taking steps toward my mental health growth. I’m truly grateful for the safe space she creates and the progress I’ve made with her guidance.