Our therapists at Palo Alto Therapy have created these short videos to help you understand anxiety, OCD, depression, and evidence-based treatments like CBT and ERP. Whether you’re exploring therapy for yourself or your child, these videos will give you a clear picture of how we work and what to expect.
About Palo Alto Therapy — Meet Our Founder
In this short introduction, Ernie Schmidt, founder of Palo Alto Therapy, walks you through what makes the practice unique. He shares the wide range of ages and concerns the team supports, including anxiety, OCD, depression, and panic attacks.
You will also learn about the practice’s commitment to evidence based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focus on strategies that are proven to be effective. Ernie explains how the care coordination team thoughtfully matches each client with the right therapist, and how out of network insurance claims are handled on your behalf.
If you are exploring therapy for yourself, your child, or your family and want a clear sense of what to expect, this video is a helpful place to begin.
Depression — Evidence-Based Treatment
Depression can feel heavy in a way that is hard to put into words, often draining your energy, motivation, and sense of connection to the things you once cared about. This video offers a compassionate look at what depression can feel like and why it can be so difficult to move through on your own.
As you begin to make sense of what is happening beneath the surface, it becomes easier to take small, meaningful steps that support change. Even gentle shifts in how you respond to low mood can begin to create moments of relief, helping you reconnect with yourself and move forward in a way that feels more possible.
CBT for Social Anxiety
Learn how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help with social anxiety by targeting the thoughts that keep anxiety stuck. You will see how identifying and gently challenging anxious thinking patterns can create meaningful shifts in how you feel and respond in social situations.
These skills are designed to be used in everyday moments, helping you build confidence and feel more at ease over time. With consistent practice, even small changes can lead to noticeable progress, making social situations feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
Emotional Relief without Medication
When you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck, it can start to feel like relief is out of reach or dependent on medication or factors beyond your control. This video offers a different perspective by showing how real, lasting relief can come from learning practical skills that help you understand and work with your thoughts and emotions.
At Palo Alto Therapy, we focus on evidence based approaches that empower you with tools you can use in everyday life. With the right support and strategies, meaningful change is possible, and it often starts with small, manageable shifts that build over time.
Anxiety Relief
When anxiety shows up, it can feel immediate and all consuming, like your body is reacting before you even have a chance to think. This video walks you through what is happening in those moments and how to begin responding in a way that helps your system settle rather than escalate.
Gaining a clearer understanding of these reactions can make it easier to respond with intention instead of feeling carried by the intensity of the moment. Over time, practicing these skills can create more space, more calm, and a greater sense of steadiness in situations that once felt overwhelming.
What Sets Us Apart
Stress Relief
When stress becomes part of your daily experience, it can start to feel like something you just have to live with. This video helps you understand that stress is not something you are stuck with, and that there are clear, effective ways to begin changing how it shows up in your life.
Through simple, practical examples, you will see how small shifts in how you relate to anxious thoughts and sensations can lead to meaningful change over time. With the right approach, it is possible to feel more grounded, more in control, and more like yourself again.
What is ERP?
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers a clear and practical way to understand how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. This video provides an approachable introduction, helping make sense of reactions that can otherwise feel confusing or hard to control.
Moments that once felt automatic can begin to open up, creating space for different choices and responses. Over time, this shift can help you feel more grounded, more intentional, and more aligned with the life you want to live.
Anxiety and Hopelessness
When anxiety lingers for a long time, it can start to feel heavy and defeating, like no matter what you try, nothing really changes. This video speaks to that experience and helps you understand why anxiety can sometimes lead to a sense of hopelessness, even when change is still possible.
Even when it feels constant, anxiety is not as fixed as it may seem. With the right perspective and approach, subtle shifts can begin to open up new possibilities. Over time, these changes can help rebuild a sense of hope, making it easier to move forward with greater clarity and direction.
What is a Panic Attack?
A panic attack is when your body suddenly goes into high alert, even if there is no real danger around you. Physical symptoms of anxiety can be some of the most unsettling aspects of anxiety, especially when your body reacts in ways that feel sudden or out of proportion. This video helps break down what those sensations mean and why they happen, so they feel less alarming and more understandable.
When you begin to make sense of these physical responses, you may notice they start to feel less threatening and easier to move through. With the right awareness, even strong sensations can become something you can navigate with more steadiness and confidence.
Feedback Informed Treatment
Feedback Informed Treatment puts your experience at the center of the process, creating space for your voice to shape what is actually helping and what is not. This video highlights how that kind of ongoing feedback can make therapy more responsive, effective, and aligned with your needs.
It also explores how avoidance can feel like relief in the moment, while quietly reinforcing the cycle that keeps anxiety in place. By combining real time feedback with practical strategies, it becomes easier to take small steps forward, build confidence, and move toward the life you want with greater clarity and support.
Basics of a CBT Meeting
Starting therapy can come with a lot of unknowns, especially if you are not sure what a session will actually look like. This video offers a clear and reassuring glimpse into what you can expect during a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy session, helping make the process feel more familiar and approachable.
Seeing how a session is structured can make it easier to imagine yourself in that space, actively working through challenges with guidance and support. Over time, this kind of structured, collaborative approach can help you build skills, gain insight, and feel more confident navigating what you are facing.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Flexible Thinking!
The way you interpret a situation can have a powerful impact on how you feel and respond, often more than the situation itself. This video explores how your perspective shapes your experience, and how small shifts in how you view things can begin to ease anxiety and create a sense of relief.
As you start to notice these patterns, you may find that you have more influence than it once seemed. With greater awareness, it becomes possible to approach situations with more flexibility, helping you feel more grounded, more balanced, and more in control of how you move through your day.
Recognizing Good Therapy
Evidence-Based
Specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, we provide effective & caring counseling. Our therapists are passionate in delivering high-quality therapy & enhance their skills through the latest trainings.
Strong Relationships
Our relationship with you is valued & of highest importance. We are compassionate, respectful, & honest. Our professional counseling includes working side by side with you towards YOUR goals.
Short-Term & Focused
Our active therapists use tailored homework exercises to help you find relief in a timely manner. By keeping our meetings on track & targeting specific concerns we help you enjoy life again, usually in a matter of months not years.
Client Convenience
Appointments after 5pm & Saturdays, friendly administrative staff, & three locations: Palo Alto, Menlo Park, & San Jose. We help children, teens & adults, couples, & families. Video therapy available!
