How CBT Helps Reduce Anxiety
Anxiety can make everyday life feel exhausting, but effective treatment is available. Our therapists use evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other proven treatments to help children, teens, adults, couples, and families regain confidence and reduce anxiety.
How Anxiety Therapy Can Help
Anxiety therapy helps you understand the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that keep anxiety going. Rather than simply managing symptoms, therapy helps you develop practical skills to reduce worry, face fears with greater confidence, and regain control over your daily life.
At Palo Alto Therapy, we use evidence-based approaches tailored to your needs, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the gold-standard treatment for anxiety disorders. Depending on your goals, treatment may also incorporate mindfulness strategies, SPACE for anxious children and their parents, parent coaching, play therapy, or other proven approaches that support lasting change.
Book a free 15-minute call with an Intake Specialist. No pressure, no commitment, just a conversation to help you find the right fit.
Anxiety Therapy for Children
Some anxiety is a normal part of growing up, but when worry begins to interfere with school, friendships, sleep, or family life, additional support may be helpful. Children often struggle to explain what they’re feeling, so anxiety may show up as irritability, frequent stomachaches, difficulty separating from parents, avoiding activities they once enjoyed, perfectionism, or frequent reassurance seeking.
Our therapists work closely with children and parents to understand the factors contributing to anxiety and develop practical strategies that build confidence over time. Treatment is tailored to each child’s developmental stage and may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), play-based interventions, parent coaching, and other evidence-based approaches.
Our goal is to help children feel more confident, more resilient, and better able to face life’s challenges while giving parents the tools to support progress at home.
Anxiety Therapy for Teens & Young Adults
The teenage and young adult years bring unique pressures. Academic expectations, college admissions, friendships, social media, identity development, athletics, and increasing independence can all contribute to overwhelming anxiety. Many teens describe feeling constantly “on edge,” overthinking conversations, fearing failure, or struggling with perfectionism.
Our therapists help teens and young adults better understand their anxiety while developing practical skills to manage difficult emotions, challenge anxious thinking, and gradually face situations they have been avoiding. Treatment is individualized and may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based strategies, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) when appropriate, executive functioning support, and parent collaboration when helpful.
Our goal is not only to reduce anxiety symptoms but to help young people build confidence, resilience, and healthy coping skills they can carry into adulthood.
Anxiety Therapy for Adults
For adults, anxiety can quietly become part of everyday life. It may affect work performance, relationships, parenting, decision-making, sleep, or physical health. Many people find themselves constantly worrying, expecting the worst, avoiding situations that feel uncomfortable, or feeling mentally exhausted from trying to manage racing thoughts.
Our therapists help adults understand the patterns that keep anxiety going while teaching practical, evidence-based strategies for lasting change. Depending on your needs, treatment may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based techniques, exposure-based interventions, and other proven approaches.
Whether you’re experiencing generalized anxiety, panic attacks, health anxiety, work-related stress, or life transitions, therapy can help you regain a sense of calm, confidence, and control so you can focus on the parts of life that matter most.
Anxiety Support for Parents
When a child is struggling with anxiety, parents often feel overwhelmed, exhausted, or unsure how to help. Well-intentioned attempts to reassure or protect a child can sometimes unintentionally strengthen anxiety over time.
Our therapists work collaboratively with parents to better understand anxiety and learn practical strategies that support long-term resilience. Depending on your family’s needs, treatment may include parent coaching, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), family sessions, or individual therapy for parents.
Our goal is to help parents feel more confident while creating an environment that encourages children to gradually face fears, develop independence, and build lasting confidence.
Our Approach to Anxiety Therapy
We combine evidence-based techniques with a compassionate and collaborative style. While Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) provides a strong foundation, we tailor treatment to each client’s unique needs and experiences. Together we work to better understand patterns that contribute to anxiety and develop practical tools that promote confidence, resilience, and lasting change.
You don’t have to manage anxiety alone. Support is available to help you feel calmer, more confident, and back in control. Contact us today to book an in-person or telehealth appointment.
Call (650) 461-9026
Text (650) 461-9026
Other therapeutic approaches may be incorporated based on your needs, including:
Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness practices are ways of gently bringing your attention back to the present moment, rather than getting pulled into cycles of worry about what might happen next. Over time, this awareness can soften the intensity of anxiety, helping you feel more grounded, steady, and able to respond instead of react.
Play Therapy for Children
Play therapy provides a safe and developmentally appropriate way for children to explore their worries and learn how to manage anxious feelings. Through guided play, children develop coping skills, build confidence, and practice new ways of responding to stress in a supportive environment.
Family Therapy
Anxiety within a family can ripple through daily interactions, creating tension, miscommunication, and a sense that everyone is carrying more than they can hold. Family therapy creates a space to slow things down together, strengthen understanding, and rebuild connection so each person feels supported rather than alone.
With convenient office locations in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and San Jose, we proudly serve the entire Silicon Valley community – from Stanford University and the Peninsula to the South Bay, offering easy access for tech professionals, students, and families.
Recognizing Good Therapy
Evidence-Based
We specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you understand and manage anxiety with practical, proven tools. Our therapists offer thoughtful, compassionate care and stay current with the latest training so you receive support that is both effective and attuned to your experience.
Strong Relationships
Your experience matters deeply to us, and we approach anxiety with compassion, respect, and honesty at every step. In therapy, we work alongside you to understand what you are facing and move toward your goals in a way that feels steady, supportive, and truly your own.
Short-Term & Focused
Our therapists use personalized exercises between sessions to help you begin easing anxiety in your day to day life, not just in the room. By staying focused on what is most important to you, we work toward meaningful relief so you can start feeling more like yourself again, often in months not years.
Client Convenience
We offer evening and Saturday appointments, a responsive and supportive administrative team, and care in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and San Jose. We work with children, teens, adults, couples, and families, with secure video therapy available so you can access support for anxiety in the way that fits your life.
Frequently Asked Questions About Anxiety Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), including exposure exercises, is considered the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders.
Many clients see noticeable improvement within 8–12 sessions. Duration varies based on severity and goals.
Yes. We use CBT and exposure techniques specifically designed to reduce panic attacks.
SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is a research-based treatment that helps parents support children struggling with anxiety.
Rather than focusing on changing the child directly, SPACE works with parents to reduce accommodations that may unintentionally reinforce anxiety while increasing supportive responses that help children build confidence and independence.
We are an out of network provider however we submit claims on your behalf.
- Over 20 years experience providing therapy in the Bay Area
- Highly trained therapists
- Results focused & specialized approach to treating anxiety
- Flexible scheduling including Saturdays and evenings
It is common for children, teens, and even adults to feel unsure or distracted at the beginning of therapy.
Our therapists use developmentally appropriate and engaging approaches to help clients feel comfortable and involved in the process.
For children, this may include play-based techniques, while teens and adults benefit from collaborative and practical strategies.
Therapy moves at a pace that feels supportive so clients can gradually build comfort and engagement.
Anxiety can have a significant impact on relationships with partners, family members, and friends. When someone is struggling with constant worry, overthinking, or feeling overwhelmed, it can affect communication, create misunderstandings, and make it harder to feel connected to others.
Over time, anxiety may lead to reassurance-seeking, avoidance, irritability, or difficulty expressing emotions.
Therapy helps individuals and families better understand how anxiety shows up in relationships and develop healthier communication and coping strategies that strengthen connection and support.
Yes! Many people with anxiety also seek treatment for depression. Therapy provides tools to manage both, helping you feel more in control and resilient.
ADHD and anxiety can sometimes look similar, especially when it comes to restlessness, trouble focusing, and feeling overwhelmed. However, they stem from different causes:
- ADHD is primarily about attention regulation, impulsivity, and executive function challenges. People with ADHD may have difficulty starting or finishing tasks, staying organized, or managing time effectively.
- Anxiety is rooted in excessive worry or fear that often leads to avoidance behaviors. Someone with anxiety might have difficulty focusing because they are preoccupied with anxious thoughts, whereas someone with ADHD may not be able to focus because their attention naturally shifts frequently.
Both conditions can occur together, and therapy can help differentiate between the two while providing strategies to manage each.
Yes! We offer in-person and video therapy sessions to make support accessible and convenient.
What Our Clients Are Saying…
Palo Alto Therapy does not just provide talk therapy, but focuses on teaching skills to maintain therapy. You have a genuine interest in the client’s well-being and you offered a new way of thinking about or means of addressing my issues.
What Our Clients Are Saying…
I liked the emphasis on doing concrete things to get results-writing down negative thoughts, trying to say things to counter those thoughts…Thank you for helping me make my life better.
What Our Clients Are Saying…
I found the homework exercises to be very helpful to me. I’ve been able to use techniques I have learned from those exercises to slow down my thoughts when problems arise and work through whatever the issue may be, OCD or otherwise.
Meet Our Anxiety Therapists
Kelli Morton, LMFT
Lani Gingras, AMFT | Anxiety & OCD Therapist
Hope Son, AMFT | Couples & Individual Therapist
Hong-Ha Vuong, AMFT, APCC
Hannah Bodin, AMFT
Sarah Chelew, AMFT
Jacquelyn “Jacqui” Lewis, LMFT, ATR-BC, CCTP, ACCTS
Michael Tran, LMFT
Sarah Covert, AMFT
Amanda Stewart, LMFT
Laura Tolle, LMFT
Bella Stitt, LMFT
Every person experiences anxiety differently. We’ll match you with a therapist whose experience, treatment approach, and personality are the best fit for your needs and goals.