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Anxiety

Anxiety doesn't have to run the show. Care tailored to you, focused on calming and befriending your nervous system.

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Whether it is social phobia, post traumatic stress disorder, general anxiety disorder, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, or similar, they all fall under the category of an anxiety disorder. Therapy can be helpful especially when the anxiety is so severe that it’s impacting a person’s functioning in the important areas of their lives, such as relationships, work, school, or home.

I use a wide range of interventions that focus on educating clients with anxiety about their symptoms, fear responses and ways in which the body tries to protect itself from real, perceived or imagined threat. Cognitive Behavior Therapy Exposure and Response Prevention (CBT ERP) has been shown to be extremely effective in treating each of these anxiety disorders by confronting fears and discussing fear based thoughts. Additionally, we will talk about different ways to incorporate relaxation, grounding and other ways of coping into your life.

Sofia Mendoza works with adults experiencing generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, OCD, and PTSD virtually throughout California and in-person in Long Beach and Los Angeles. Many of my clients are BIPOC individuals, bilingual, first-generation professionals, Latina and Latino adults, and people navigating the specific stress of living between cultures. You don’t need to be in crisis to start therapy. If anxiety is making your world smaller — if you’re avoiding things, overthinking everything, or just white-knuckling your way through each day — that’s enough of a reason to reach out.

How we'll work

  1. Education about anxiety and fear responses

    We'll talk about your symptoms, fear responses, and how your body tries to protect itself from real, perceived or imagined threat.

  2. Confront fears and fear-based thoughts

    Using Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention (CBT/ERP), we'll work through fears and discuss the thoughts behind them.

  3. Build coping skills

    We'll explore relaxation, grounding, and other ways of coping you can use in your life.