Anxiety, OCD, Depression & Trauma Therapy | Cassandra Monfared LMFT
What I help with

Support for what feels heavy, anxious, or unresolved.

I work with people facing a variety of issues — from social anxiety, generalized anxiety, OCD, and depression to relationship challenges, people pleasing, perfectionism, grief, trauma, and difficult adjustments. If what you're carrying isn't named here, reach out anyway — we can talk it through.

Anxiety & OCD

When worry runs on a loop, the "what-ifs" crowd your mind, and your body stays braced for something to go wrong, daily life can feel exhausting. I work with social anxiety, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and the quieter forms anxiety often takes: perfectionism, people pleasing, and the constant pressure to hold it all together. Together we'll quiet the racing thoughts, ease the physical tension, and help you feel steady and present again.

What anxiety can look like

·Racing thoughts and constant "what-ifs"
·A body that stays tense, restless, or on alert
·Trouble sleeping or quieting your mind at night
·Avoiding situations that feel overwhelming
·Perfectionism and the pressure to hold it together
·People-pleasing and difficulty saying no

How I help

We'll work on two levels at once. First, practical tools to quiet the racing thoughts and calm an activated nervous system, so daily life feels more manageable right away. Then, the deeper work: understanding where the anxiety comes from and gently loosening the patterns that keep it going.

For anxiety rooted in past experiences, I draw on EMDR and Brainspotting. For obsessive-compulsive patterns, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard approach. We'll find the combination that fits you. see how I work →

Depression

When everything feels heavy, flat, or far away, even small things can take enormous effort. Depression can settle in on its own or arrive alongside grief, a painful loss, or a difficult life adjustment that's left you unmoored. We'll work gently to lift that weight, reconnect you with what matters to you, and help you find your footing — and a sense of hope — again.

What depression can look like

Depression isn't always sadness. Often it's a quiet flatness, a heaviness, or a sense of distance from your own life.

·Low energy and everything feeling like effort
·Losing interest in things you used to enjoy
·Feeling numb, flat, or disconnected
·Harsh self-criticism or feeling like a burden
·Changes in sleep, appetite, or focus
·Grief, loss, or a hard life adjustment

How I help

We'll go gently. Depression often whispers that nothing will help and nothing will change, so early on, the work is about small, sustainable steps and a relationship where you feel genuinely understood, not rushed.

From there we explore what's underneath: old beliefs, unprocessed grief, or experiences still weighing on you. When depression is tied to past pain, approaches like EMDR and Brainspotting can help your system release what talk alone can't always reach.

Trauma & PTSD

Painful or frightening experiences can keep living in the body long after they're over, shaping how you feel, relate to others, and react today, showing up in relationship challenges, a sense of disconnection, or patterns that no longer serve you. Together we'll process them at a pace that always feels safe, so the past loosens its grip and stops running the present.

How trauma can show up

Trauma isn't only about what happened. It's about how your nervous system learned to protect you, and how those patterns live on today.

·Feeling on guard, jumpy, or unsafe
·Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares
·Feeling numb, shut down, or disconnected
·Difficulty trusting or feeling close to others
·Patterns in relationships that keep repeating
·A sense that something's wrong you can't name

How I help

Safety comes first. We move at your pace, building a foundation of trust and grounding before we ever approach the harder material, and you stay in control the whole way.

I specialize in body-based, evidence-supported approaches for trauma: EMDR for reprocessing distressing memories, and Brainspotting for releasing what's held deep in the body and brain. These can reach what words alone often can't, helping your system finally let the past be the past.

Curious how I work with these?

I draw on several evidence-based approaches beyond talk therapy.

See How I Work →