Anxiety Therapist in Los Angeles
Personalized Anxiety Treatment in Los Angeles
I absolutely love helping clients learn to manage their anxiety. Feel free to reach out, and let’s see if I can help.
Hi! I'm Toby
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW #89672) based in my own private practice in Los Angeles, California. I’ve worked in mental health and sex and gender since 2013, and I absolutely love it. Working with queer and trans communities, treating trauma, and helping clients improve their quality of life are some of my greatest passions.
I Offer Both Online and In-Person Anxiety Counseling in Los Angeles and Burbank.
Los Angeles
1910 Hillhurst Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(424) 835-0516
Click for Directions
Burbank
1201 S Victory Blvd #206 Burbank, CA 91502 (213) 616-7366 Click for Directions
What Is an Anxiety Disorder?
About 19% of U.S. adults and 31% of adolescents have to battle anxiety each year. Unfortunately, no miracle medicine can heal people who show signs of anxiety. Especially since there is more than one type of anxiety disorder. The main types of anxiety disorders are:
- Panic disorder (Panic Attacks)
- Phobias
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
- Separation anxiety disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
What Is Anxiety Therapy?
Anxiety is a feeling that usually appears when you have to deal with situations that may inspire fear or nervousness. It’s only natural to feel a bit anxious and restless when your brain has to adapt to situations that force you to step out of your comfort zone.
However, when the feelings of worry and fear are extreme or excessive, impact your daily life, and last longer than six months, we may be talking about anxiety disorders. People with an anxiety disorder can experience multiple symptoms:
- Constant worry or racing thoughts
- Feeling on edge or restless
- Difficulty concentrating
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Muscle tension or aches
- Rapid heartbeat or chest tightness
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea or stomach discomfort
- Feeling overwhelmed easily
- Avoiding certain situations or activities
Self-treatment vs. Therapy for Anxiety
Mild forms of anxiety can be managed through self-treatment, such as stress management, relaxation techniques, and exercise. However, even in these cases, I would recommend talking to a therapist first to identify the type of anxiety disorder you’re dealing with and the best course of treatment.
Most anxiety cases benefit greatly from therapy, and the therapist can help the client find their way back to their regular life, often without the use of medication. Therapy has the great advantage of providing clients with the necessary tools to manage anxiety on their own in the long term.
What Are the Main Forms of Anxiety Counseling?
Depending on the type of anxiety you are struggling with, the therapist can recommend different therapy approaches. Anxiety therapy has evolved from psychoanalytic methods to the newest cognitive-behavioral therapies.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is a very effective treatment for anxiety-related panic disorders, SAD, GAD, and phobias. Cognitive therapy is based on the idea that the thoughts you have about your real-life challenges are often the triggers behind anxiety.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): DBT is a series of direct behavioral tools proven to regulate mood in the moment. It bypasses emotional processing and diving into history, in favor of strengthening mood regulation skills right when the anxiety shows up.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR): EMDR uses bilateral stimulation and guided visual prompts to desensitize and reprocess memories that are causing you issues and anxiety in your current life.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT helps the client understand and process their thoughts, emotions, and memories as they are. It’s a technique that focuses on identifying a person’s core values.
Psychodynamic Therapy: This form of therapy gravitates around self-reflection and self-examination and helps the client get to the root of their emotional suffering, identify traumatic events, and find their way back to a healthy life.
Schedule Your Free Consultation with an Anxiety Specialist in Los Angeles
Remember that you’re not broken. Everyone finds themselves derailed sometimes, and we all need a little help. It can absolutely be difficult or scary to admit, but getting help is typically the fastest path to feeling better. Don’t hesitate to reach out today.
01.
Initial Consultation
We’ll have a brief call to get to know each other. We’ll discuss your needs and how I can help.
02.
In-Person or Telehealth
Our sessions will be held virtually for your convenience. No long commutes to come see me.
03.
Time to Do the Work
Recovery can be a long and difficult road, but it’s worth it. We’ll work through it together
Frequently Asked Questions
Anxiety therapy gives you real strategies to understand your anxiety symptoms and how to shift those thought patterns. I offer personalized anxiety treatment plans for everything from health anxiety and OCD to chronic stress and insomnia.
Most of my career has been focused on helping people in the LGBTQIA+ community. I’ve also done a lot of work supporting HIV-positive and trans clients. I am trained and certified in a variety of modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Action and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and more. See my about page for a full list.
For over a decade, I have been working with the LGBTQIA+ community. Much of my work has been focused on supporting HIV-positive and trans or gender nonconforming clients. For almost 10 years, I worked with the Los Angeles LGBT Center doing long-term individual therapy, trans therapy groups, crisis counseling, case management, and therapy to support positive medical outcomes for clients living with HIV/AIDS.
If anxiety is making it hard to sleep, focus, function, or enjoy life, it’s a good time to talk to someone. My anxiety therapy services are designed to meet you where you are in your process. I treat anxiety and related disorders with a compassionate, evidence-based approach that feels accessible.
A therapist helps with anxiety by creating a safe, supportive space to understand what’s driving it and how it shows up in your daily life. They use proven approaches to help you calm your nervous system, challenge anxious thought patterns, and build coping tools that actually work.
The best anxiety therapist is someone who specializes in anxiety and uses effective treatments like CBT, behavior therapy, mindfulness, and certain types of exposure therapy. Effective anxiety treatment combines proven treatment modalities, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and a personalized treatment approach to help reduce anxiety and support mood disorders.
It depends. Because everyone’s experience with anxiety is unique, anxiety treatment often takes a few weeks to start noticing anxiety relief, with continued progress over time.