Anxiety
Evidence-based therapy for adults struggling with anxiety
Anxiety has a way of narrowing your life: the avoided situations, the over-preparation, the constant scanning for what might go wrong. Anxiety shows up differently for different people:
Generalized anxiety: Persistent worry about a variety of topics that feels hard to turn off, often with restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension, or trouble sleeping.
Social anxiety: Fear of being judged or scrutinized in social or performance situations, leading to avoidance of parties, meetings, or public speaking.
Health anxiety: Worry about a serious illness, showing up as frequent body-checking and symptom-Googling, or avoiding medical care altogether.
Panic attacks: Sudden, intense fear with physical symptoms like a racing heart, chest tightness, or dizziness, often followed by fear of another attack.
Phobias: A fear of a specific object or situation, like flying or heights, leading to significant avoidance and interference with your life.
Perfectionism: Excessively high personal standards, all-or-nothing thinking, and harsh self-criticism when things fall short.
If any of that sounds familiar, you're far from alone, and it doesn't have to stay this way.
My background and training with anxiety
I've focused my training on the evidence-based treatment of anxiety throughout my career. In graduate school at the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium, I received training in CBT for anxiety disorders within settings like the VA, academic medical centers, and college counseling centers. As a postdoctoral fellow, I specialized in the evidence-based treatment of mood and anxiety disorders within the Psychosocial Treatment Clinic at Stanford Psychiatry. As clinical faculty within that same clinic, I provided individual treatment, led Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy groups, and supervised fellows in the treatment of anxiety disorders using CBT and ACT. I also provide treatment and supervise fellows at Pacific Anxiety Group, a practice focused specifically on the evidence-based treatment of anxiety disorders. I'm board certified in Clinical Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology, a credential requiring peer review beyond standard licensure, and I serve as a Board Examiner for the American Board of Clinical Psychology.
I meet weekly with a peer consultation group and pursue ongoing continuing education.
I've spent my career in the Bay Area, a culture that moves fast and rewards constant striving. This has provided significant experience working with high achievers and a nuanced understanding of how anxiety operates in high-standard environments: the same drive that fuels a breakthrough can just as easily tip into burnout, rumination, and self-doubt. This can take a serious toll on quality of life, even when everything looks fine from the outside. I care a lot about helping people hold onto their drive without losing themselves in it.
My approach
I help those struggling with anxiety using CBT, ACT, exposure therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches. Treatment is tailored to you, not a fixed protocol. I practice measurement-based care, using validated symptom measures at regular intervals throughout treatment, so we have an objective way to track your progress alongside what you're noticing day to day.
Therapy with me is an active process. Beyond our sessions, you can expect homework: practicing new skills, noticing patterns, or gradually facing avoided situations between appointments, because that's often where the real change happens. Working on your anxiety can be very hard work, so I am always looking for opportunities to add levity and fun to the challenge.