Anxiety therapy for adults in California

What this may look like

Anxiety isn't always dramatic. It can look like staying busy to avoid sitting still, scanning for what might go wrong, or checking one more time before you can trust that things are okay. Rumination often feels like problem-solving: you replay, analyze, and prepare, hoping the next pass will finally bring relief. Hours later, you may be no more settled than when you started.

In daily life, that can sound or feel like:

• Replaying conversations long after they ended
• Running “what if” scenarios before anything has happened
• Trouble relaxing even when the day went fine
• Feeling responsible for everyone else’s moods
• Avoiding situations that might feel overwhelming
• Tension, stomach issues, racing heart, or sleep that will not settle
• Second-guessing decisions after you already made them
• Staying busy so you don't have to sit with quiet

Sometimes the loop is about a person: what a short reply meant, whether you should have said something differently, or how to stop checking for proof that you're still okay together. When that's the loudest part, relationship anxiety therapy may fit better than broader anxiety work alone. For a closer look at conversational replay, see why conversations keep replaying .

What may keep the pattern going

Worry often persists because it once worked as a form of preparedness. If staying ahead of problems reduced surprises, your mind may treat rest as risky. If reading other people carefully kept conflict smaller, scanning for tone and mood can become automatic. If a mistake once had real consequences, your nervous system may keep treating small errors as evidence you need to stay on alert.

The body gets involved too. Tight shoulders, a jumpy stomach, shallow breathing, or light sleep can keep the mind convinced that something still needs solving — even when the original trigger has passed. Avoidance then offers short relief and longer costs: fewer chances to learn that uncertainty can be survived, and more evidence that the feared situation must be dangerous. High-functioning anxiety adds another layer: you meet deadlines and look composed while privately running a second job of monitoring, rehearsing, and recovering — until exhaustion or irritability finally breaks through.

How therapy may help

In anxiety therapy, we look at what your reactions are responding to and practice meeting worry without handing it the whole day. Progress doesn't always look dramatic. It might show up as setting a boundary sooner, recovering from conflict faster, or noticing the spiral earlier — before it has pulled you through every possible outcome.

The orientation here is relational and integrative: person-centered and psychodynamic listening, with mindfulness-informed pacing, somatic awareness of how anxiety lands in the body, CBT-informed attention to thought and behavior loops, and parts-informed language when one part of you wants certainty while another part wants rest. The mix depends on what actually helps you, not on forcing one method onto every session.

When anxiety overlaps with trouble starting tasks, losing track of time, or feeling overwhelmed by ordinary responsibilities, it can be worth looking at attention and executive functioning too. Adult ADHD therapy is one place to explore that combination.

What sessions may include

We usually start with what's happening now — a recent spiral, a decision that won't settle, a physical symptom that keeps returning — and work outward from there. Sessions may include:

• Noticing when rumination starts and what it is responding to
• Separating present information from older fears
• Building tolerance for uncertainty without constant checking
• Practicing boundaries when worry pulls you toward over-explaining
• Recovering faster after conflict or awkward moments
• Making decisions with more trust in your own judgment
• Tracking how anxiety shows up in the body, not only in thoughts

For broader reading on overthinking and high-functioning anxiety, see anxiety therapy topics or the therapy hub.

Who this may be a good fit for

I work primarily with adults. An anxiety label isn't required. What shows up more often is overthinking, difficulty relaxing, emotional overwhelm, and trouble trusting your own judgment — sometimes at work, sometimes in relationships, sometimes with no clear trigger at all.

You might function well on the outside and still feel a level of tension no one else can see. You might be the person others come to for steadiness while privately wondering how long you can keep holding everything together. If that describes you, outpatient online therapy may be a workable fit.

Scope of this work

I provide online therapy for adults throughout California. You need to be located in California at the time of each appointment. This outpatient telehealth practice does not provide crisis or emergency care, medication management, court-ordered evaluations, intensive outpatient treatment, or therapy for young children.

Frequently asked questions

A few practical questions that come up often when someone is considering anxiety therapy in California.