Anxiety Therapist Los Angeles – Anxiety Counseling LA

Has Anxiety Been Interfering With Your Career Or Personal Life? What is the best Anxiety Treatment for you?

by Mihaela Ivan Holtz, Psy.D. LMFT

When you suffer from anxiety, it can feel impossible to show up fully in your own life.  If you want to live a life of authentic expression of who you are, have true connections, and be in touch with your creativity and sense of agency, you may find that anxiety gets in the way. If you’re looking into anxiety therapy in the Los Angeles area, we can help!

Your relationships, career, mental health, and creativity are all affected.

Is anxiety keeping you from leading a rich, fulfilling life?

Maybe you realize that persistent feelings of anxiety are interfering with who you really are or what you could be. Anxiety doesn’t allow you to connect, show up, work, or create with authenticity and presence.

Perhaps anxiety doesn’t allow you to access your gifts and skills. Anxiety disorders can keep you “playing small,” unable to share your voice and talents with the world. It holds you back and makes it impossible to fully invest yourself in your goals and dreams.

You might not even know what you could accomplish, create, or achieve if you’ve been trapped in cycles of anxiety for a long time. What kind of connections or life experiences could you have if anxiety wasn’t holding you back?

What Causes Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety disorders don’t have a single cause. They often stem from a combination of factors that interact in complex ways. 

Let’s break it down into four main categories:

• Genetics. If anxiety runs in your family, you might have inherited traits that affect how your brain processes stress and emotions. Neurochemical imbalances — like irregular levels of serotonin, dopamine, or GABA — can disrupt the brain’s ability to regulate mood and fear. This loss of regulation makes you more prone to anxiety.
• Environmental factors. Trauma, prolonged stress, or major life changes (like the loss of a loved one or financial difficulties) can act as triggers. Childhood experiences, such as neglect or abuse, also increase vulnerability by altering how you cope with challenges later in life.
• Psychological factors. Your personality traits can also contribute to anxiety. Being a perfectionist, highly self-critical, or overly sensitive to stress may heighten your risk of developing anxiety disorders.
• Health issues. Your physical health and lifestyle matter too. Conditions like heart disease, thyroid problems, and substance misuse can lead to or worsen anxiety symptoms.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

There are several types of anxiety disorders — each with its own unique characteristics and triggers. Here are the most common ones: 

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)  

GAD involves excessive, uncontrollable worry about everyday things (such as work, health, or relationships) often without a clear reason. People with GAD may feel restless, tense, and mentally exhausted.  

Note that GAD is not the same as everyday anxiety. 

Healthy everyday anxiety is in response to a specific situation like an exam or a big presentation. This type of anxiety subsides after the situation has resolved.

However, GAD lasts throughout the day, weeks, and even months. It could lead to physical fatigue, tension, or focus issues.

2. Panic Disorder

Panic disorder comprises panic attacks. These are episodes of sudden, intense fear with physical symptoms like:

• Sweating
• Chest pain
• Racing heartbeat
• Feelings of choking

You might feel like you’re about to have a heart attack. These attacks often happen without warning and aren’t caused by another medical or mental health condition. Over time, you might start fearing future attacks and avoid certain situations. In some cases, this may lead to agoraphobia.

3. Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) 

This is an intense fear of social situations, driven by a worry of being judged, humiliated, or rejected. It can make everyday activities like speaking in public or attending gatherings extremely stressful.  

Nearly 7.1% of the US population experiences social anxiety disorder. It usually begins at the age of 13 — and most people report experiencing it for up to 10 years before they seek medical help.

4. Specific Phobias

A phobia is a strong, irrational fear of specific objects or situations — like heights, spiders, or flying. These fears often lead to avoidance behaviors that interfere with daily life.  

It is the most common type of anxiety disorder, affecting 9.1% of the US population. Women are twice as likely to be affected than men. Phobias typically begin to develop around the age of 7.

5. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD involves recurring, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) performed to reduce anxiety, like excessive handwashing or checking. 

This type of disorder can escalate to severity in about seven years, and when it’s severe, it can seriously disrupt an individual’s relationships, work, and daily life. 

6. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD develops after a traumatic event. It causes flashbacks, nightmares, and heightened emotional responses, often disrupting daily life.  

Early Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety

The early signs and symptoms of anxiety are:

• Persistent worry — constantly feeling anxious or fearful about everyday situations, even without a clear reason.
• Physical symptoms — restlessness, rapid heartbeat, sweating, muscle tension, or sleep issues.
• Racing thoughts — difficulty concentrating or having a constant stream of worries.
• Feeling overwhelmed — struggling to manage tasks or feeling out of control.
• Avoidance — steering clear of situations or places that make you feel uneasy.
• Digestive problems — experiencing nausea, upset stomach, or other digestive issues.
• Fatigue — feeling mentally and physically drained, even after getting enough rest.
• Irritability — becoming easily agitated or frustrated over small things.

If these signs are frequent or disrupt daily life, it’s important to seek anxiety counseling, therapy, or anxiety treatment from a qualified anxiety specialist.

The Reality of Living With an Anxiety Disorder

Yes, anxiety can leave you feeling unconnected and inauthentic. You’re only partly present in your relationships and your work when you’re anxious. You avoid activities that could make your life more beautiful or meaningful. Due to anxiety issues – maybe social anxiety or some other anxieties – you tend to hide (with or without awareness) and keep yourself in an emotional prison, unable to live a full life.

Taking a healthy risk is out of the question. Or, when you do dare to get out of your comfort zone and take a chance, the social anxiety kicks in suddenly. You feel out of control, with racing, anxious thoughts, full of confusion as your heart pounds so hard you’re afraid it will burst out of your chest. All these physical responses leave you feeling even more afraid to try again.

Perhaps you are easily agitated and prone to feeling anxious or having panic attacks—particularly before a special event or moments when you want the most to be yourself. Maybe you’ve experienced this at an important meeting or social gathering, a performance, an audition, or a show. Perhaps you find yourself too anxious when you attempt to meet new people, or you feel the anxiety disorder kick in when you sit down to create something new.

Your Mental Health Isn’t All in Your Head

The kind of anxiety you’re experiencing is more than just the ordinary jitters or butterflies. You may feel so nervous that you’re unable to function. In addition to the bodily responses like shaky hands, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, dry mouth, and trembling voice (all of which can make you even more worked up ), anxiety or panic disorder can trigger feelings of shame and inadequacy. All of this pushes you further into fears and self-doubts. Instead of feeling excitement and happiness in the face of something new, you feel overwhelmed. Your mental health is important! That’s why it’s so important to treat panic disorder, anxiety disorder, stress, and worry.

Anxiety disorders can make you obsess over upcoming social events, creative opportunities, performances, or auditions. You end up second-guessing yourself and overthinking how you did long after it’s over. This overthinking is making you dread upcoming events even more. You lose out on opportunities to build your life and career.

Are you tired of avoiding opportunities that could bring you joy or advance your career as a result of your social anxiety disorder? Whatever form of anxiety you’re experiencing – whether it is caused by moving out of your comfort zone, or you tend to be anxious in general, or you have social anxiety or performance anxiety – there is help here in Los Angeles, including options like anxiety treatment without medication.

Anxiety Therapy Los Angeles Can Help You Find Emotional Freedom

When you find emotional freedom and step away from anxiety, you can show up in life with all that you are. You can connect, work, create, or perform with authenticity and presence.

Psychotherapy is highly effective in helping people heal, work through, and shift from being trapped in anxiety to living with emotional freedom. With the help of a licensed clinical psychologist or a generalized anxiety therapist – who is particularly skilled at working with anxiety symptoms -you can transform your life both personally and professionally.

Therapy for anxiety is the beginning of a journey of self-discovery. You’ll learn more about who you are, undo unhealthy or destructive coping mechanisms, and start to function in a more authentic way.

To get to the origins of anxiety, including the trauma that may be at the root of the problem, I use a variety of anxiety and mental therapy techniques:

• relational psychoanalytic approaches combined with the neuroscience of psychotherapy and relationships
• EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
• Solution Focused Therapy

In every case, psychotherapy is a unique journey that is attuned to you – your own needs, hopes, and dreams.

Using this diverse set of approaches and anxiety therapy techniques, I will help you work through painful memories and unhealthy patterns that fuel anxiety and keep you stuck. By bringing unhealthy or painful memories into awareness, you can face them head-on, overcome them, and heal. These memories don’t have to control you. Mood disorders don’t need to define you. You can move forward.

As a result of your inner growth, you can start channeling your strengths, gifts, skills, and talent into developing healthier relationships and becoming more effective when it comes to your work, your art, and your performance.

How to Find the Best Anxiety Therapist Los Angeles?

L.A. is home to a vast range of mental health professionals. This is why narrowing down your options and selecting the best psychologist for yourself can feel a bit overwhelming. 

However, by taking the right steps and understanding what to look for, you can find a therapist who provides just the support and care you need.

Here’s how you can find the right fit:

1. Consider Your Specific Needs

First, identify what type of therapy you need. Different therapists specialize in various approaches. 

For example,  psychoanalytic/psychodynamic  therapy treats anxiety in-depth, inside-out healing. It addresses the root of anxiety. With this anxiety therapy you can experience long term and stable healing. It’s a longer form of therapy, but it treats the cause not the symptoms.

Other forms of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), can be an a shoter form of anxiety therapy, but tends to address the symptoms rather than the root of the anxiety. Many times people may relaps and need to go back in treatment. It is also preferred treatment for insurance. 

EMDR therapy, has emerged as a powerful therapeutic approach for anxiety, in particular when is weaved into a psychodynamic approach and the neuroscience of relationships and psychotherapy.

So look for therapists who offer services that are more in line with your needs and resources.

If you’re also dealing with depression, ensure that the therapist you choose is experienced in managing both conditions. Anxiety depression counselors often have expertise in dealing with overlapping mental health issues.

2. Look for Licensed & Experienced Therapists

When searching for the best fit for your needs, it’s important to filter licensed and experienced professionals only.

Look to see if they have their credentials – typically the higher schooling they have and years of experience the better able they will be able to treat you.

For example, a P.H.D. is heavily involved in research while a PsyD has similar levels of schooling but is more focused on clinical work and treating mental health issues. Finally, M.A. holders are qualified therapists but have less clinical and research experience and thus may not be aware of the current scientific literature and the complexity of what anxiety treatment entails. Also, not all certifications are equal. Some have certification of completing a few month of education online. While others, have certifications that requires years of training and supervised clinical work.

3. Look for Compatibility and Comfort

Anxiety therapy requires vulnerability. For that reason, it’s essential that you feel comfortable with your therapist. 

Take time to speak with a few therapists, either through an initial consultation or by scheduling a few sessions to get a feel for their approach.

A good counselor or therapist should make you feel safe and supported, and their therapeutic style should align with your preferences.

4. Check Availability and Location

Scheduling flexibility is an important factor to consider. Make sure the therapist’s schedule aligns with yours, and consider the location.

Ideally, you want a therapist who is accessible but also understands the challenges of LA traffic. 

Many therapists offer telehealth services, allowing you to access therapy from the comfort of your own home (i.e., online therapy). This may be a good option if you’re dealing with anxiety-related avoidance issues or cannot keep up with therapy sessions due to heavy LA traffic.

5. Review Their Blog

If you’re seeking help to solve a specific problem, then you should review the therapist’s blog to see if they have expertise in the problem you’re seeking to solve. Reading through topics they’ve personally addressed on their blog is a good indication that they will be a good fit for you and will give you the confidence to reach out. 

Self Help Strategies for Managing Anxiety

Helping Creatives and Artists with Psychotherapy in Los Angeles

I have helped many creatives and performers work through the underlying causes of anxiety disorders. I can help you work through emotional issues, creative blocks, or performance anxiety that may be stunting your personal and creative growth.

As an artist, you work hard to hone your craft and touch your audience with your talent. Psychotherapy for anxiety can help you hone your emotional skills so anxious thoughts don’t stand in the way of your artistic career. I have worked with many creatives and performers who have found great professional and personal success after confronting their anxieties.

You May Have Some Questions About Getting Anxiety Disorders Treatment…

Isn’t anxiety therapy expensive in Los Angeles, CA?

Anxiety therapy can be an investment, an investment in both your personal and professional future. With help from a licensed clinical psychologist or therapist for anxiety, you can stop repeating self-defeating cycles and heal emotional pain. Reducing your anxiety and learning better coping mechanisms will lead to a happier, healthier inner life and professional life.

I’m so busy. How can I make time to see an anxiety therapist in Los Angeles?

Your mental health is too important to your personal and professional success to put on hold. Once you target the anxiety that holds you back, you can invest yourself more fully in your relationships, your career, goals, or dreams.

Can I do my anxiety disorder therapy online?

Online therapy can be an effective way to get the anxiety counseling you need. I have been working with clients online or via phone therapy for years, and, of course, this has increased dramatically over the last year of the COVID-19 crisis. My approach to online therapy sessions here in Los Angeles follows a similar outline as they would in the office, and I draw from the same set of evidence-based treatments (including EMDR).

I’m an artist. What if I stifle my creativity or performance? What if my anxiety has actually helped me move forward?

Therapy targets suppressed memories that are at the root of your anxiety symptoms. Doing so can unleash even more creative potential and greater ability to be in touch with your talents, abilities, and your performance. Therapy for anxiety disorders can also help you access different parts of your mind from which to draw creativity. You will end up feeling happier and more at ease with yourself, your creativity, and performances. You can become a better performer, remove creative blocks, and achieve new career opportunities. Consider making time for therapy the same way you make time for developing your talents.

Heal anxiety disorders so you can show up fully in life.
Connect, work, create, and perform with authenticity and presence.

Schedule Your Appointment For Anxiety Therapy In The Los Angeles Area

If you are ready to begin psychotherapy to treat your anxiety or explore anxiety treatment without medication in the Los Angeles area, I offer a free 15-minute consultation by phone. You can reach me at 310-424-0292, or through the contact page.

Learn more about me and my approach.