ADOLESCENT PSYCHOTHERAPY | ANXIETY
Holding it together on the outside, anxious underneath.
Therapy for teens with anxiety in Newport Beach & Irvine
Psychotherapy for teenagers with anxiety in Newport Beach.
Many of the anxious teens we see look fine from the outside: capable, well-liked, often high-achieving. The anxiety shows up elsewhere.
They can’t fall asleep, feel sick before school, freeze before a test, cancel plans at the last minute, or come home and come apart. Parents usually sense the strain well before their teen is ready to talk about it.
Anxiety is one of the most common reasons families bring a teenager to therapy, and one of the most closely studied. What we’ve found most helpful is a steady, private place where a teen can be heard and begin to understand what the worry is really about, alongside practical tools for the moments it takes over. Over time, many teens find that anxiety no longer makes their decisions for them. We provide therapy for teens with anxiety in our private Newport Beach office, conveniently located for Irvine and Costa Mesa families. Parents come to us from Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa and across Orange County.
What does anxiety look like in teenagers?
Teen anxiety rarely announces itself. These are the kinds of anxiety we most often help teens with, and what parents tend to notice at home.
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Your teen works hard but can’t seem to start the assignment that matters most. Tests bring sleepless nights, a B feels like failure, and the pressure around grades, college admissions, sports or performances never quite lets up.
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Plans get canceled at the last minute. Your teen avoids speaking in class, skips the party, or comes home drained from worrying about what others think.
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Out of nowhere, your teen is overwhelmed: heart pounding, short of breath, convinced something is terribly wrong. Afterward, they may start avoiding the place where it happened.
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Stomachaches and headaches on school mornings that ease by afternoon. Missed days add up, and getting out the door becomes a daily struggle. We work with teens and parents, and with the school when appropriate, toward a gradual return.
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Your teen can’t switch off at night. They ask the same worried questions again and again, need repeated reassurance, or keep checking grades and messages.
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Your teen seems fine at school, then snaps at the smallest thing once they walk in the door. In teens, anxiety often looks less like fear and more like a short fuse. They’ve spent the day holding it together, and home is where it gives way.
Help for your teen begins with one conversation.
During a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation, we’ll talk through what you’re seeing, how we can help, and how to get started.
Does my teen have anxiety, or is this normal stress?
Some stress is part of adolescence. Academic demands rise, friendships shift, and teens begin working out who they are. Ordinary stress tends to come and go with its causes. Anxiety is worth a closer look when it:
Lasts for weeks rather than days
Keeps your teen from school, friends or activities they used to enjoy
Disrupts sleep, eating or concentration
Seems out of proportion to what is actually happening
If you’re unsure, that uncertainty is reason enough to ask. A short consultation can help you think it through.
Why does anxiety keep growing?
We understand anxiety as a cycle of worry, avoidance and relief. A teen feels afraid of something, such as a presentation, a crowded hallway or a test. Avoiding it brings immediate relief. That relief teaches the mind that avoidance is what kept them safe, so the fear returns stronger the next time. Over months, the circle of what feels manageable gets smaller. First it’s one class, then school mornings, then plans with friends.
Loving parents are often drawn into the cycle without realizing it: excusing an absence, answering the same worried question again, stepping in to smooth the way. These are natural instincts. Part of our work is helping families respond in ways that ease distress without reinforcing it.
Is it anxiety, or something else?
Anxiety rarely travels alone. It often overlaps with depression, and it can be mistaken for, or can mask, ADHD or a learning difference. A teen who can’t start homework may be anxious, inattentive, or both. A teen who avoids school may be anxious, depressed, or quietly struggling with something no one has named yet.
When the picture is unclear, a thorough psychological evaluation gives you a clear understanding of what’s going on, a diagnosis where appropriate, and specific recommendations for home, school and treatment. When the findings support it, an evaluation can also document the need for accommodations on the SAT, ACT and other exams.
What does therapy for teen anxiety look like?
Our work with anxious teens is integrative and depth-oriented. It unfolds over time in a steady relationship with one therapist.
Understanding what the anxiety is about
Anxiety is often a signal of something harder to feel or say: the pressure to be perfect, the fear of disappointing the people who matter most, uncertainty about who they’re becoming. Drawing on psychodynamic therapy, sessions give your teen room to talk through what’s difficult and to make sense of what the worry is responding to. As that understanding grows, the anxiety often has less work to do.
Practical tools for the hard moments
Alongside that work, we integrate cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the most extensively studied treatment for adolescent anxiety. Teens learn to notice anxiety early in their body and thoughts, to question what it tells them, and to approach what they’ve been avoiding in steps that feel manageable. The tools can bring relief in the moment. Understanding is what helps the change hold.
Privacy, and how parents stay involved
Teens need a space of their own to speak openly. At the start, we agree as a family on what stays between teen and therapist and what is shared with parents, and you are always informed of anything that affects safety. Parents meet with us regularly to understand what their teen is going through and how to support them without feeding the worry. If medication may help, we coordinate with your teen’s physician or psychiatrist.
Over time, many teens find they:
Understand what their anxiety is responding to
Recognize anxiety early and steady themselves
Return to school, friends and activities they had pulled away from
Approach tests and performances with less dread
Talk more openly at home
Learn more about how we work with teenagers in therapy
Who will my teen work with?
Teens with anxiety are seen by one of our psychologists or therapists who specialize in adolescent mental health. Our practice is led by Dr. Aaron Montgomery, Psy.D., a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 15 years of experience with children, adolescents and their parents.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Two principles tend to help. Listen before you reassure: repeated reassurance calms the moment but can keep the worry going, and acknowledging the feeling often helps more. And encourage small steps toward what frightens your teen, rather than clearing every obstacle from their path. For more ideas, see our at-home tips for calming teen anxiety.
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That’s common. It often helps to present therapy as a space that belongs entirely to them, not as a consequence. Many reluctant teens engage once they find the room is truly private.
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Yes. School avoidance is one of the most common reasons families contact us. We work with your teen and with you, and, with your permission, coordinate with the school on a gradual return.
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Our work is long-term and open-ended. Many teens feel some relief early on. Deeper change, in how a teen relates to pressure, to others and to themselves, unfolds over a longer period. We review progress with you regularly.
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Yes. Cognitive behavioral techniques are part of our work with most anxious teens. We use them within a longer-term relationship that also looks at what is driving the anxiety, which helps the gains hold.
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Yes. See our page on therapy for children with anxiety.
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No. We are a private-pay practice, so care is guided by your teen’s needs rather than an insurer’s requirements, and your family’s information stays more private. On request, we provide a superbill you may submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement. See Fees & Insurance
CONTACT US
Request a Child Therapy Consultation
Choose a time on our calendar for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. We’ll listen to what’s going on and talk through how we can help.
Prefer to leave a voicemail or text?
OUR OFFICE
In Newport Beach, close to home.
We provide counseling and psychological assessment in Newport Beach from our private office in Koll Center Newport, where Newport Beach meets Irvine and Costa Mesa. Many of the families we work with come from Irvine and nearby communities, and online sessions are available throughout California.
We’re five minutes from UCI & John Wayne Airport, with easy access from the 405, 73 and 55, and free visitor parking.
OC Psychology Center
4000 MacArthur Blvd - East Tower, Suite 600
Newport Beach, CA 92660