Some anxiety is normal, especially during adolescence. But if your teen’s fears are starting to affect their sleep, appetite, academic performance, or ability to enjoy life, it’s worth getting help. Anxiety doesn’t always look like panic—some teens just seem avoidant, irritable, or exhausted. If you’re unsure, our team can help assess what’s going on and recommend the best path forward.

Yes. Many teens in our programs struggle with performance-related pressure, test anxiety, public speaking fears, and social avoidance. We offer targeted therapy for academic stress and perfectionism as well as social anxiety, often using CBT, exposure therapy, and mindfulness strategies.

Yes. If your teen is experiencing physical symptoms like racing heart, nausea, shortness of breath, or sudden waves of fear, we can help. Panic attacks can be scary, but they’re treatable. Our therapists use evidence-based methods like CBT and mindfulness to teach teens how to manage panic symptoms and prevent escalation.

Medication can be helpful for some teens, especially when anxiety is interfering significantly with daily life. That said, many teens improve with therapy alone. We work closely with families to determine what’s appropriate and only recommend medication when it’s likely to enhance the therapeutic process. You can learn more about our full approach on the CBT and therapy methods page.

Absolutely. That’s the idea behind our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). Teens attend structured therapy 3–4 days a week after school, so they can stay on top of academics while still receiving meaningful mental health support. For teens who need more intensive care, our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is also available during the day.

That’s common—and completely okay. We meet teens where they are. Many of our clients start out nervous or skeptical and go on to form strong connections with their therapist and peer group. Our team knows how to build trust, and we offer mindfulness-based therapy and other gentle entry points to help ease them into care.

We’re located in Menlo Park and serve families from Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Mateo County, Mountain View, and surrounding areas. Teens can stay at home and in school while attending our outpatient programs. Visit our Menlo Park location page to learn more about where we’re located and how to get started.