Child and Teen Anxiety Therapy in Pasadena
with Erin Gauvin, LCSW
When worry starts getting in the way
Your child may be bright, capable, and doing well on paper and still spend a surprising amount of their day worrying.
Anxiety in children and teens can show up as obvious fear, but it can also look like perfectionism, irritability, reassurance seeking, stomachaches, trouble sleeping, avoiding new things, or becoming completely overwhelmed by the possibility of making a mistake.
Some kids worry about school. Others worry about friendships, their health, their family, getting in trouble, natural disasters, or things that haven't even happened yet. Sometimes parents find themselves wondering: How much worry is normal, and when should we get some help?
I help children and teens understand what anxiety is doing, build confidence in their ability to handle uncomfortable feelings, and gradually spend less of their lives organized around fear.
Physical symptoms like stomachaches, nausea, headaches, or a racing heart
Difficulty tolerating uncertainty
Avoiding activities, places, or situations that make them nervous
Perfectionism or fear of failure
Rumination and overthinking
Trouble falling asleep because their brain won't turn off
Big emotional reactions when overwhelmed
Excessive worry or frequent “what if?” questions
Reassurance seeking
Fear of making mistakes or getting in trouble
School or test anxiety
Social anxiety and friendship worries
Separation anxiety
Performance anxiety in academics, sports, music, or the arts
Your Child Might Be Struggling With
Anxiety treatment isn't about convincing a child that nothing bad will ever happen. It's about helping them learn that they can handle uncertainty, discomfort, mistakes, and difficult feelings when they do.
I use evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), exposure-based strategies, and parent-focused interventions such as SPACE. For children and teens experiencing OCD symptoms, intrusive thoughts, or compulsive behaviors, I can also incorporate Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a specialized form of cognitive behavioral therapy for OCD.
With younger children, therapy may include art, games, metaphors, creative activities, and developmentally appropriate challenges that help make abstract concepts like anxiety much easier to understand.
With teens, we can work more directly on patterns like overthinking, avoidance, perfectionism, self-criticism, social pressure, and fear of failure.
Caregivers are an important part of the process. I help parents understand the anxiety cycle and learn practical ways to support their child without unintentionally helping anxiety stay in charge.
How I Help
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Think We’d Be a Good Fit?
About Me
My name is Erin. I’m a child and family therapist based in South Pasadena helping families across the country feel supported and strong.
Many of the families I work with have children who are bright, creative, highly sensitive, or high-achieving. These are often the kids who look like they are doing well from the outside while quietly struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, or pressure to succeed. I enjoy helping these kids build confidence and resilience while also supporting caregivers in understanding the challenges that may not always be visible.
I also know this kind of child as an insider. I was a high-performing, highly sensitive kid myself: academically driven, deeply involved, hard on myself, and drawn to both achievement and creativity. I understand the strengths that can come with being a driven, capable child, and I also understand how easily pressure, sensitivity, and self-expectation can become heavy.
Professionally, I’ve spent more than a decade in mental health and seven years working explicitly as a clinician with children and families. Before opening my private practice, my work took place across many settings: schools, hospitals, prisons, shelters, encampments, family homes, and intensive medical environments. Those experiences taught me that children and families are never just one thing: a child can be successful and anxious, gifted and overwhelmed, sensitive and strong, capable and still in need of care. I bring the full range of my clinical background into my work, but I also bring a deep belief that most serious dilemmas can be navigated with clarity, creativity, and companionship.
Outside of therapy, I’m an amateur cook with an inexplicable affinity for home repairs, reading, and wandering through used bookstores. My wife and I live in South Pasadena and enjoy exploring LA, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends and family.
Availability
I worth with children from the ages of 7 through 18 and their families. I meet with people via telehealth who live in the state of California. Please inquire about in-person therapy opportunities for families living in Northeast LA area.
I’m additionally licensed in the states of Arizona, Washington, and Tennessee, and I’m able to work with families in these states.
Master of Science in Social Work, University of Tennessee- Knoxville, Certificate in Trauma Treatment
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, Arizona State University
Practicum at Vanderbilt University Psychiatric Hospital
Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California #115370, Arizona # 21304, Washington #61589071, and Tennessee #8781
Certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Certification in Perinatal Mental Health, Postpartum Support International
Bringing Home Baby Educator Training, Gottman Institute
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) Training, by Dr. Eli Lebowitz of the Yale Child Study Center
Member of WPATH
Education, Certifications, and Trainings
