Anxiety Therapy · Walnut Creek
Anxiety therapy
for Walnut Creek.
From the outside, you look composed. People tell you you have it together. Inside, you haven't had an unbroken night of sleep in months, your jaw has been tight since you can't remember when, and you keep replaying conversations to find the mistake you must have made. The anxiety has been there a long time, and it has started doing more driving than you realized.
CBT, ACT, ERP, and mindfulness for high-functioning anxiety, OCD, and perfectionism. Telehealth across California, plus in-person with Tina Masoudi, AMFT #155851 (supervised by Christina Mathieson, LMFT #115093), at our Walnut Creek office.
Who we see in Walnut Creek
The shape of high-functioning anxiety.
The Walnut Creek clients who come to us for anxiety therapy usually aren't in crisis. They're in high-functioning overdrive: a professional who takes their work laptop with them on vacation, a parent whose worry about the kids has quietly turned into its own full-time job, a lawyer whose perfectionism is now driving the Saturday email, a person whose body has started sending signals (stomach, sleep, jaw, heart rate) that something is asking for attention.
The frustrating part: the anxiety often looks like what the Bay Area rewards. Detail-oriented. Prepared. Running the scenarios. It works, until it stops working. Most clients come in when the cost has started outpacing the benefit, when the anxiety has moved from useful to exhausting.
We work with generalized anxiety, panic, high-functioning anxiety, OCD, phobias, health anxiety, performance anxiety, and the quiet grind of perfectionism that looks like success from the outside.
How the work goes
Evidence-based tools.
We start with a full intake: the story of the anxiety, what's driving it, what's keeping it going. From there, we pull from CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) for the thought patterns, ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) for getting back to what actually matters to you, ERP (exposure and response prevention) for OCD and intrusive thoughts, and mindfulness practices for the nervous-system piece.
Michelle Cortez, AMFT #146795 (supervised by Christina Mathieson, LMFT #115093), particularly specializes in ERP for OCD and anxiety. The team also draws from trauma-informed approaches when anxiety is tied to earlier trauma your body is still holding.
Most clients see shifts within 8 to 12 sessions for specific concerns. Longer-standing patterns take longer. We'll check in about progress regularly and adjust the approach if something isn't moving.
Who you'd work with
The team for Walnut Creek anxiety work.
Christina Mathieson
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) #115093
Founder and lead clinician. Works with anxiety through an integrative lens, drawing on CBT, mindfulness, and neurodiversity-affirming practice.
Full bio
Michelle Cortez
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) #146795
Supervised by Christina Mathieson, LMFT #115093
ERP specialist for OCD and anxiety. Also works with attachment-based couples work and cultural identity.
Full bio
Tina Masoudi
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) #155851
Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC) #19568
Supervised by Christina Mathieson, LMFT #115093
Integrative, trauma-informed anxiety work. In-person at our Walnut Creek office, by client request or clinical recommendation.
Full bioFAQ
Common questions about anxiety therapy.
What's the difference between high-functioning anxiety and regular anxiety?
+
High-functioning anxiety is anxiety that shows up alongside (and often fuels) achievement, preparation, and perfectionism. From the outside, you look capable and composed. From the inside, the mind is running constant scenarios, replaying conversations, and bracing for what could go wrong. It usually works, until the cost starts outpacing the benefit. Most clients come in when sleep, jaw tension, stomach issues, or reactivity in relationships signal that the nervous system is asking for attention.
Is ERP effective for OCD?
+
Yes. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold standard evidence-based treatment for OCD. Michelle Cortez, AMFT #146795 (supervised by Christina Mathieson, LMFT #115093), particularly specializes in ERP for anxiety and OCD presentations. The work is structured, collaborative, and paced to what you can tolerate. We don't push you past your window.
Can anxiety therapy work over telehealth?
+
Yes. Most evidence-based anxiety treatments (CBT, ACT, ERP, mindfulness) work just as well over secure video as in person. For most Walnut Creek and East Bay clients, telehealth also removes the commute friction that can make weekly therapy hard to sustain.
Do I need to take medication for anxiety?
+
Not required. Many clients do great with therapy alone. Others find that medication paired with therapy gets them further, faster. We don't prescribe (that's a psychiatrist's job), and we don't take a position on whether you should take it. We work with whatever you and your prescriber decide, and we can refer to trusted psychiatrists in the area if you want that conversation.
Is in-person anxiety therapy available in Walnut Creek?
+
Yes. In-person anxiety sessions are available with Tina Masoudi, AMFT #155851 (supervised by Christina Mathieson, LMFT #115093), at 1460 Maria Ln, Suite 300, Walnut Creek, by client request or clinical recommendation. Tina works with anxiety using integrative and trauma-informed approaches. Telehealth is the default across the rest of our team.
If I've managed this with high-functioning patterns for years, can therapy actually change that?
+
Yes. High-functioning anxiety is one of the most treatable presentations we work with, precisely because the patterns that keep it running (over-preparation, scenario-running, perfectionism) are specific and identifiable. The work isn't about removing your capability. It's about separating the capability from the compulsive version of itself, so you can be effective without your nervous system running hot all day. Most clients see sleep and body-level shifts within 6 to 8 weeks, with broader changes over 3 to 4 months.
References & further reading
- NIMH — Anxiety Disorders — National Institute of Mental Health
- The Happiness Trap — Russ Harris, MD (ACT-based) — Russ Harris, MD
- The Gifts of Imperfection — Brené Brown — Brené Brown
- Your body language may shape who you are — Amy Cuddy (TED) — TED
Ready to quiet it down?
Free 15-minute call. We'll talk about what's driving the anxiety, whether our approach is the right fit, and where to start.
Book a Free Consult