Matthew RojoWalnut Creek Therapist

Anxiety & Trauma

Therapy for anxiety, panic, and trauma in Walnut Creek

When your mind won't slow down, you're exhausted but can't sleep, and panic can hit out of nowhere, it's hard to believe it will ever feel different. It can. I help people quiet the racing thoughts and constant worry, recover from trauma, and get their life back — with approaches that are proven to work, in person in Walnut Creek.

Book a free consultation Call (925) 315-8205

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When worry won't switch off

Maybe your mind races and won't slow down. Maybe you lie awake exhausted, or a low hum of worry follows you through the day and you can't quite name it. Maybe panic arrives out of nowhere — heart pounding, the sense that something is badly wrong — and you've started avoiding the places it's happened. This is common, it's treatable, and you don't have to white-knuckle your way through it.

When there's something underneath

Sometimes anxiety and panic have a root. Earlier experiences your nervous system is still braced against can keep the alarm running long after the danger has passed — and it doesn't have to be one big, obvious trauma to leave a mark. When that's part of the picture, we treat it directly with EMDR and Cognitive Processing Therapy, so the old experiences stop driving today's anxiety instead of something you manage forever.

Phobias and specific fears

Fear of flying, driving, heights, needles, dogs — specific phobias respond well to gradual, paced exposure: facing the fear in small, manageable steps, with support, until it loosens its hold. We go at your pace, never by force, and most people are surprised how far that steady approach takes them.

Measurement-based care

You'll know whether it's working

We set clear, observable goals at the start, then check in every so often with short, standard questionnaires to track anxiety, depression, trauma, or whatever's bringing you in. They take a couple of minutes, and they let us see how you're actually doing, in plain numbers instead of guessing.

Two reasons it matters. First, it keeps us both honest — rather than going on a vague sense of how things are going, we can see whether the approach is actually helping. And on the weeks you walk in sure that nothing is working, the numbers give you an honest read on where you actually are — which on a hard day is often exactly what you need to see.

Common questions

Frequently asked

Why do I get panic attacks that seem to come out of nowhere?
Panic can feel completely random, but it usually has triggers and a logic we can map — and it's one of the most treatable things there is. You learn what's actually happening in your body, why it isn't dangerous even though it feels that way, and concrete skills to bring it down. Most people see real change.
I can't stop worrying about everything. Is that treatable?
Yes. That constant, exhausting hum — running worst-case scenarios, never quite switching off — is classic anxiety, and it responds well to treatment. We work on the patterns that keep it spinning and the skills to step out of them, so your mind gets some quiet back.
I keep having intrusive thoughts I can't shake. What is that?
Intrusive thoughts — disturbing, unwanted, often the opposite of who you are — are far more common than people realize, and having them doesn't mean something is wrong with you. They get their grip from how hard you fight them. There are specific, effective ways to loosen that grip, and you don't have to white-knuckle it alone.
Something from years ago still affects me — and I'm not even sure it 'counts.' Can therapy help?
Yes on both. Time passing doesn't always settle these things, and trauma isn't only war and disasters — ongoing stress, a hard childhood, or things that 'shouldn't' have affected you this much can leave the same mark. If it's still affecting you, it's worth working on, and approaches like EMDR are built exactly for this. It's never too late.
Do you work with sexual trauma?
Yes. It can sit underneath anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles for years, and it responds well to careful, well-paced trauma work like EMDR. I work with both women and men.
Do you offer EMDR, and what is it?
Yes — EMDR is one of the main approaches I use. It's a well-researched therapy that helps your brain reprocess distressing or traumatic memories so they lose their emotional charge and stop intruding on the present. I use it in person in Walnut Creek and by secure video across California, often alongside other methods.
What other approaches do you use?
Several, matched to what you're dealing with. Alongside EMDR, I use cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for the stuck beliefs trauma can leave behind, exposure for anxiety, panic, and phobias, and the Flash technique — a gentler, EMDR-based way to take the edge off a painful memory before processing it. The mix depends on you.
What does therapy cost, and is it available online?
Individual sessions are $275 per 50-minute hour — private-pay and out-of-network, with a superbill available for reimbursement and HSA/FSA cards accepted. Sessions are in person in downtown Walnut Creek, or by secure video anywhere in California.
How do I know I can trust you?
You don't have to force it. If part of you doesn't trust me, that's worth paying attention to rather than pushing past — closing the gap between us is my job, not yours, and it's genuinely okay if we turn out not to be the right fit. There's more on my About page, including why some wariness toward a therapist can be perfectly reasonable.

Explore

Couples therapy

Structured, skills-based work with a clear finish line.

Adult ADHD

Help with the anxiety, overwhelm, and relationship strain that come with ADHD.

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Start with a free 30-minute consultation

Office
1535 North Main Street, Suite 250
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Sessions
Couples therapy is only in person. Individual therapy is in person or by video.
Book a free consultation