Petaluma, California | Anywhere Virtually in CA
Support for adults and young adults who appear to be holding it together, while feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted underneath.
Individual therapy for anxiety,
panic, intrusive thoughts and OCD
Many people reach out for therapy feeling stretched thin.
On the outside, life may look functional—work gets done, responsibilities are handled, things keep moving. Internally, there’s often constant mental noise, physical tension, spiraling thoughts, or a sense of always being on edge.
Finding a therapist can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re already struggling. It’s hard enough to admit you might need support, then navigate fit, cost, and whether someone will actually respond. I reach out quickly to people who inquire because I assume the person on the other end is dealing with something real and deserves to be met with care.
Individual therapy creates space to slow things down. We focus on understanding patterns, building tools that translate into daily life, and helping you feel more grounded and capable as you face anxiety, intrusive thoughts, sadness, anger, or fear. Many of the people I work with look “fine” to others. —Therapy becomes a place where you don’t have to hold it together, and where what you’re experiencing is treated as both real and workable.
This work commonly supports people navigating:
✧ Anxiety that shows up as racing thoughts, overthinking, rumination, physical tension, nausea, feeling faint, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, or constant “what ifs”
✧ Panic attacks or fear of having another panic attack. Maybe you were unsure what was happening in your body, sought treatment at the hospital, only to learn you were having a panic attack.
✧ Intrusive or unwanted thoughts that feel disturbing or confusing. Further anxiety questioning what having these thought might mean about you. Fear to even say them out loud or share with another person.
✧ Chronic stress, burnout, or emotional overload
✧ Difficulty trusting decisions or internal cues
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health concern in the United States, affecting over 40 million adults each year. Intrusive thoughts are also far more common than most people realize with research suggesting that nearly 94% of people experience them at some point.
Feelings I offer support for include…
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Anxiety often shows up in subtle, persistent ways - tight shoulders, nausea, poor sleep, loss of appetite, irritability, feeling hot or like your heart is racing, overanalyzing conversations, or feeling like your mind never shuts off, etc. In therapy, we explore what your anxiety is signaling, identify patterns that keep it cycling, and practice strategies that support more flexibility and calm.
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Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts that do not reflect your values, intentions, or character. The problem isn’t having the thought—it’s the meaning we assign to it and the urgency to make it stop. Therapy focuses on changing your relationship to thoughts rather than trying to control or eliminate them, which reduces fear and restores confidence.
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Panic attacks can feel terrifying, overwhelming, and unpredictable. Therapy focuses on understanding what’s happening in the brain and body during panic, reducing fear of the sensations themselves, and building confidence in your ability to move through them.
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is not about being “particular” or liking things a certain way. It’s driven by intrusive thoughts, doubt, and a powerful urge to reduce distress through mental or physical compulsions. The World Health Organization has identified OCD as one of the top ten most disabling illnesses worldwide. Therapy focuses on understanding the OCD cycle and responding differently so uncertainty and anxiety take up less space in your life.
Managing anxiety on your own
Managing anxiety independently often includes:
✧ Carrying the mental load alone
✧ Monitoring thoughts and physical sensations constantly
✧ Searching for reassurance or certainty
✧ Trying to suppress or control thoughts
✧ Gaining insight without lasting relief
✧ Wondering whether this is anxiety, OCD or something else
Managing anxiety with therapy
Individual therapy provides:
✧ Clearer understanding of what’s actually happening in the brain and body
✧ Help separating anxiety, intrusive thoughts from identity or meaning
✧ Guidance in responding differently to thoughts and sensations
✧ Real-time practice of tools - not just talking about them
✧ Support that adapts as life circumstances shift
✧ Space to be honest without minimizing or explaining
FAQs
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If anxiety or intrusive thoughts are taking up mental space, interfering with your sleep, concentration, decision-making, or ability to feel present, even when things look “fine” externally, therapy can help. Many people wait because they think they should be able to manage it on their won. Therapy helps clarify what’s happening and reduce distress, not because you’re failing, but because support changes how these patterns operate.
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Some people manage anxiety independently. Many others find that insight alone doesn’t bring relief. Therapy provides structure, perspective, and evidence based strategies that help translate understanding into real change, especially when anxiety, intrusive thoughts or panic keep cycling despite your best efforts.
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Stress is typically tied to specific situations and eases when those situations resolve. Anxiety often persists across contexts, and shows up in the mind and body, even when there’s no immediate stressor. Therapy helps clarify what’s happening and identify patterns than keep anxiety going.
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Panic attacks occur when the body’s threat response activates without actual danger. They can feel terrifying and unpredictable, which often leads to fear of having another one. Therapy focuses on understanding what’s happening in the brain and body, reducing fear of the sensations themselves and building confidence in your ability to move through panic without it taking over.
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Many people experience significant improvement through therapy alone. Treatment focuses on changing how the brain and body respond to panic, rather than trying to control or avoid sensations. This often reduces both frequency and intensity of panic attacks over time.
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Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, often distressing thoughts that nearly everyone experiences at some point. They do not reflect your values, intentions or character. If intrusive thoughts are so common, the question becomes, why aren’t more people talking about them? Often because people fear what the thoughts might mean. Therapy helps separate thoughts from identity and reduce the fear attached to them.
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Not necessarily. Intrusive thoughts occur across anxiety, stress and life transitions. Therapy helps whether they’re part of an anxiety pattern or OCD-process by looking at how thoughts are interpreted and responded to, not just the content of the thought itself.
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We start with the basics: what brought you to therapy, any past experiences with therapy, and what life has looked like leading up to this point. From there, we work together to create goals and a plan. You’re always welcome to bring your own topics into session, and I’ll help guide the work while keeping us oriented toward those goals.
Therapy is collaborative. I offer alternative perspectives, sometimes challenge beliefs, and we work together toward shared goals. Sessions include talking and listening, and often practicing tools in real time—such as breathing, grounding, or physical movement—depending on what’s most helpful.
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There’s no fixed timeline. Some people work with me consistently for a period of time, while others come and go as life shifts—during maternity or paternity leave, after returning to work, or during particularly demanding seasons. Therapy adjusts as your needs change.
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Therapy includes both reflection and practical tools. For someone who’s sleep-deprived or in an intense season, therapy may be gentler and less structured. For others who want more between-session work, I can offer practices or challenges. We also practice tools in session so they feel usable in real life.
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Research has shown that telehealth can be highly effective for anxiety, panic, and intrusive thoughts when delivered consistently and thoughtfully. Evidence based strategies are used both in-person and in online sessions for treatment.
How to Get Started
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Reach Out
Start by filling out the contact form. We’ll schedule a free 15-minute consultation call to talk briefly about what’s bringing you here and see if working together feels like a good fit.
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Get Set Up
If we decide to move forward, we’ll schedule your first session. I’ll send you a few simple forms to complete online through my secure client portal so everything feels settled before we begin.
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Begin Therapy
Our first 50-minute session is a chance to slow things down. We’ll get to know each other, talk through what you’re navigating right now, and begin shaping goals that feel realistic and supportive for you.