Therapy for Anxiety, Depression, and Life’s Challenges
In-Person in Palo Alto | Virtual Care Across California
Rediscover clarity, emotional strength, and connection through a deeper approach to healing. I'm a licensed therapist specializing in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and integrative psychotherapy for individuals ready to work through anxiety disorders, depression, trauma, and relationship difficulties.
If you’re seeking effective anxiety treatment or therapy for other complex mental health conditions, schedule a free consultation today.
You Don’t Have to Stay Stuck. Therapy Can Help.
Whether you’re struggling with anxiety symptoms, depression, chronic pain, or emotional patterns that interfere with your daily life, therapy offers a path forward. Together, we’ll develop a personalized treatment plan to uncover the roots of your distress and move toward lasting emotional freedom and improved quality of life.
Symptoms & Challenges I Work With:
Anxiety & Panic Disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobias, separation anxiety disorder, and severe anxiety
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Depression, including treatment-resistant depression
Relationship Conflicts & Attachment Struggles
Personality Disorders & Identity Issues
Medically Unexplained Symptoms (e.g., IBS, fatigue, chronic headaches)
Chronic Pain and Physical Health Concerns
Addiction & Self-Defeating Behaviors
Trauma & Emotional Blocks from Traumatic Experiences
High Stress, Burnout & Major Life Transitions
These struggles often stem from unconscious emotional processes that psychodynamic therapy, specifically ISTDP, is uniquely effective at addressing. These issues may also co-occur with related disorders or broader mental health problems, all of which we can explore in a compassionate, tailored way.
Going Beneath the Surface with ISTDP
Some types of therapy focus on managing symptoms or teaching coping skills. ISTDP goes deeper by helping you experience and process previously avoided feelings linked to traumatic events, negative thoughts, and anxious feelings. This process targets the emotional root causes, not just the long-term symptoms.
ISTDP is especially helpful for those who:
Haven’t improved with traditional talk therapy or cognitive therapy
Experience physical symptoms without clear medical conditions
Feel emotionally blocked or "shut down" in stressful situations
Struggle with overwhelming severe anxiety or complex trauma from a traumatic experience
This type of anxiety treatment and emotional healing leads to real, lasting change, improving your ability to stay connected to the present moment and engage fully in social situations, real life, and relationships with family membersand others. It also promotes social support and helps reduce muscle tension, elevated heart rate, and other physical symptoms of anxiety.
Unlike standard therapy for anxiety or therapy for depression, ISTDP targets the emotional root causes, not just the symptoms. You don’t have to manage the pain forever – you can work through it.
Therapy for Anxiety
Anxiety disorders can be a crippling force, manifesting as physical tension in smooth muscles (like those in the digestive tract), striated muscles (like clenching fists), and impacting breathing and clear thinking. These anxiety symptoms may disrupt your daily life, relationships, and mental health.
Many people who experience anxiety report a combination of emotional overwhelm and physical symptoms of anxietylike rapid heart rate, insomnia, muscle aches, and fatigue. These often occur alongside negative thought patterns or unprocessed emotions linked to past experiences.
As a therapist specializing in therapy for anxiety, I will help you understand how anxiety functions in your body and mind, and teach you relaxation techniques, lifestyle changes, and other healthy ways to regulate anxious feelings. Together, we’ll explore the emotional roots of your anxiety so it no longer controls you.
Exposure therapy and other targeted strategies can also be part of your personalized treatment plan, especially for specific phobias or separation anxiety disorder.
Therapy for Depression
Depression can feel like a heavy fog, dimming your experience of life and leading to low self-esteem, lack of motivation, and isolation. Many who struggle with depression have negative thoughts rooted in unresolved emotional pain or related disorders.
Together, we will explore how your depression may connect to past traumatic experiences or ongoing stressful situations. Through psychodynamic therapy and other approaches, you’ll learn to reconnect with your emotions, express them in healthy ways, and gradually lift the weight of depression, improving your quality of life.
Therapy for Relationships
Relationships are central to our well-being but can also be sources of pain and confusion. Whether you face challenges with family members, partners, or coworkers, therapy can help you understand recurring patterns and the emotional roots behind them.
By exploring these dynamics in therapy and how they show up in social situations and real life, you’ll build more open, secure, and fulfilling connections — with yourself and others. We’ll explore different ways to improve communication and emotional expression that support better mental health and more satisfying relationships.
Integrative Therapy Approaches Tailored to You
While ISTDP remains my primary approach, I also incorporate other types of therapy when they support your healing journey:
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy): Builds skills for managing emotions, improving distress tolerance, and enhancing interpersonal effectiveness.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): A structured, practical approach focused on changing negative thoughtsand behaviors contributing to anxiety and depression.
Trauma-Focused DBT: Tailored for those coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex trauma from traumatic events.
Brainspotting: A body-based therapy that accesses trauma and emotional memory through eye positioning and somatic awareness.
Each person’s mental health condition and recovery path are unique. As a trained mental health professional, I’ll tailor our work to your specific goals, preferences, and treatment plan, using the type of therapy that best suits your needs.
When You’re Ready, Therapy Can Help You Move Forward
If anxiety disorders, depression, or the aftereffects of a traumatic event have been affecting your physical health, relationships, or daily life, you don’t have to face it alone.
Whether you’re beginning therapy for the first time or seeking a new approach to address long-term symptoms, I offer compassionate, expert support both in-person in Palo Alto and through online therapy across California.
Taking the first step toward therapy is a powerful move toward healing and reclaiming your life with healthy ways to manage anxious feelings, reduce muscle tension, challenge negative thought patterns, and stay grounded in the present moment.