Anxiety Therapy in San Francisco: Finding Calm, Confidence, and Connection

Schedule your free consult

When Anxiety Feels Like It’s Running the Show

Outwardly, you seem confident and easy-going. Inside, you’re exhausted. The self-doubt feels relentless - you catch yourself replaying conversations in your head, wondering if you came across the wrong way. 

My Picture-Whitney Richards, Therapist in San Francisco and Bay Area Providing Psychotherapy and Counseling

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many people wrestle with constant self-questioning, worry, and the fear that they’ll never truly feel at ease in themselves.

Anxiety has a way of creating two versions of you: the one the world sees, and the one who feels stuck, insecure, and always on edge. It can leave you second-guessing relationships, holding back at work, or carrying past hurts that feel unfinished. Lately, you’ve found yourself at a turning point — something needs to change.

I’m Whitney, a San Francisco therapist who helps self-aware adults who look put-together on the outside but struggle with self-doubt and worry on the inside.

Life Beyond Constant Worry

Here’s the part anxiety often hides from you: change is possible. You don’t have to keep “just getting by.”

Therapy for anxiety can help you:

  • Feel calmer and confident in daily life

  • Spend less energy stuck in worry and more on relationships, creativity, and joy

  • Understand your emotions instead of fearing or judging them

  • Communicate with clarity so your relationships feel easier and more connected

  • Let go of old patterns that keep you stuck in self-doubt

How Anxiety Therapy Works Here in San Francisco

Instead of teaching you to fight against anxiety, I use Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS) to help you build a new relationship with it, and the Flash Technique to calm your nervous system and ease distressing memories that can fuel anxiety.

  • Understand the different “parts” of you, so the anxious part isn’t running the show

  • Respond to anxiety with compassion instead of criticism, so it can soften over time

  • Recognize when your nervous system is becoming overwhelmed and take steps to regain emotional balance

  • Normalize anxiety as a human response to living in a society that often neglects well-being, while finding ways to feel more grounded and supported

This isn’t about quick fixes or ignoring what hurts. It’s about building a deeper sense of safety and self-trust so you can thrive, not just cope.

What Clients Say About Anxiety Therapy

Clients often share that this work feels different from other types of therapy they’ve tried:

  • “I have a healthy relationship with my emotions now. I’m calmer and more confident at work.”

  • “I feel lighter, like I can finally put words to my experience.”

  • “I’ve always felt safe in our work — never judged. We did good work together.”

These client experiences give a sense of how therapy can help.

Why Work With Me for Anxiety Therapy in San Francisco

Using approaches like IFS, mindfulness, and nervous system education, we’ll work to shift old patterns and build a calmer, more confident way of being.

If you’d like to work together, schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation.

  • No. Many people come to therapy because they feel stuck in worry, stress, or self-doubt, whether or not they’ve been formally diagnosed with anxiety. If anxiety is getting in the way of your peace of mind or relationships, therapy can help.

  • We’ll focus on both insight and practical strategies. IFS helps you separate from the anxious part of yourself, Flash lowers the intensity of distressing memories that fuel worry, and mindfulness and nervous system education help you stay steady in the moment. Together, we’ll build a new relationship with anxiety - one that’s based on curiosity and compassion instead of fear.

  • Absolutely. Anxiety doesn’t just show up inside - it often affects relationships, communication, and confidence at work. Therapy can help you feel steadier within yourself and more connected with the people around you.

  • That’s a common concern. Many clients come to me after previous therapy experiences and share that IFS, Flash, and nervous system education feel different because we get to the source of what’s fueling anxiety. You don’t just learn coping skills - you learn how to relate differently to yourself.

Get started with a phone consultation with Whitney

Schedule your free consult