Anxiety Therapy in Laguna Beach

Anxiety therapy at Third Street Counseling begins with a free consult to understand what the worry looks like in your life and which clinician fits. Michele Hall-Preston, LMFT, Tallie Gigi, AMFT, and Elaine Pike, AMFT, each bring a different lens, but all work with the thinking patterns and the physical experience together.

In children, anxiety can look like stomachaches, school refusal, or trouble sleeping. In teens and adults it often arrives as racing thoughts, restlessness, irritability, and a body that will not settle. Sessions are collaborative and paced to you, offering a steady place to notice the patterns, practice new responses, and build confidence in your own capacity to cope.

Anxiety is not a single thing. Generalized anxiety is the constant hum of worry about everything and nothing in particular. Social anxiety is the fear of being watched or judged, which can make ordinary interactions feel like performances. Panic attacks come suddenly, with a body that reacts as if there is danger even when the mind knows there is not. Each of these shows up differently, and the therapy adapts accordingly.

For children, the work often happens through play and conversation, with parents included so the strategies extend beyond the session. For teens, therapy balances building trust with gathering context, and parent involvement is calibrated to the teen's age and needs. For adults, sessions are a place to understand the roots of the worry, identify the patterns that keep it going, and develop practical ways to respond differently.

Many people with anxiety also experience depression. The two often travel together, with worry draining energy and low mood making everything feel harder. If that sounds familiar, you can read more on our depression therapy page. The clinicians here are comfortable working with both.