Anxiety Therapy in Los Angeles

Much of the anxiety that brings people in is high-functioning. It looks like overpreparing, overthinking, the sense that whatever gets produced falls short. As an anxiety therapist in Los Angeles, I work with the mechanism underneath. I see clients in person in Northeast Los Angeles, serving Altadena, Pasadena, Highland Park, and Downtown LA, and online across California.

High-functioning anxiety and imposter syndrome

Anxiety keeps close company with achievement. In high-achievers, in first-generation professionals, in people of color carrying a burden of proof, it often takes the shape of imposter syndrome and perfectionism: a standing expectation of being found out. Management strategies hold it for a while; the engine underneath keeps running.

Approach

The orientation is psychodynamic. Our work asks what the anxiety is doing, what it guards against, and the early conditions that taught it to work this hard. Tie present anxiety back to its origins and it can loosen its grip more durably. It's somatic as well, because anxiety holds a physical state: the braced jaw, the shallow breath, a nervous system on permanent duty.

Common focus areas

• Imposter syndrome and chronic self-doubt
• Perfectionism and the fear of exposure
• Rumination, overpreparation, trouble switching off
• Social anxiety and people-pleasing
• The performance load first-generation clients and people of color often carry

What to expect

We start with a brief phone consultation. Intake gets specific about how the anxiety shows up: the somatic symptoms, the triggers, the settings where it sharpens, and where it sits in your history. Skills come in early to manage the acute symptoms; the longer arc goes after the drivers. Sessions are usually weekly.

Frequently asked questions

Will I learn coping skills, or just talk? Both. Skills manage acute anxiety in the near term; the depth work addresses why the anxiety formed, which is what brings it down over time.

How is this different from CBT for anxiety? CBT restructures present thoughts and behaviors. This work looks as well at where the anxiety came from and what it's for; it suits people who have practiced the skills and want to reach the source.

Is online anxiety therapy effective? Yes; telehealth outcomes match in-person for anxiety. Sessions are run on a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform.

Fees and insurance? I charge $200 per 50-minute session for individuals. A limited number of sliding scale spots are available.

I do not take insurance but I can provide superbills for you to submit for reimbursement.

Free 15-minute consultation: 818-925-8623 or yasmin@yasminsauditherapy.com.

Yasmin Saudi, MSW, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker #141050