5 Trusted Psychiatrist Services in Los Angeles for Social Anxiety Support

Every year, around 7 to 8% of people aged 15 to 54 experience social anxiety disorder. That makes it one of the most common anxiety conditions in the United States. Yet many people live with it for years without proper treatment because they believe extreme shyness or fear of being judged is just part of who they are, not something a clinician can treat. Here is what often happens: It takes an average of 15 years before someone receives an accurate diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, often because doctors who lack specialised anxiety training miss the signs of social anxiety or treat it like general stress. If you are in a mental health crisis right now, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or head to your nearest emergency room.

The five providers below span the full range of social anxiety support in Los Angeles in 2026. You will find a UCLA-trained telehealth psychiatrist who schedules new patients within three days, a doctoral-level CBT psychotherapy group staffed by UCLA faculty, a Beverly Hills-area concierge practice with more than 35 years focused solely on anxiety disorders, a physician-led West LA office that accepts Medicare and Aetna, and a multi-clinician CBT group with three LA locations and IOCDF BTTI Faculty credentials. Each one offers a different approach, so you can match your needs to the right fit.

How to Select a Trusted LA Provider for Social Anxiety Support

Choosing effective care starts with knowing what to ask before you book.

Documented specialisation in social anxiety disorder and CBT: Confirm the provider has specific training and documented experience treating social anxiety using CBT, exposure-based methods, and social skills training, not just general mental health counselling.
Whether the provider offers therapy, medication management, or both: Confirm whether the clinic provides CBT therapy, psychiatric medication (SSRIs are often used alongside CBT for social anxiety), or a combination so you can access a complete treatment plan within one practice.
Insurance acceptance and out-of-pocket cost clarity: Confirm which insurance plans the provider accepts or whether they issue out-of-network superbills before you schedule, so you understand the real per-session cost for the multi-week CBT course you will likely need.
Speed of access to a first appointment: Confirm how quickly you can be seen (same-week or months out), because delayed treatment allows avoidance patterns to become more deeply entrenched and harder to change.
Telehealth availability for patients who find in-person attendance difficult: Confirm whether the provider offers HIPAA-compliant telehealth, particularly if attending an unfamiliar in-person office creates a barrier that would keep you from starting care.

Trusted Los Angeles Providers for Social Anxiety Support

Below are five practices that specialise in social anxiety treatment and medication management across Los Angeles.

Best Los Angeles Services for Social Anxiety Support

1. Reimagine Psychiatry

Founded and lead clinician: Launched in 2024 and led by Dr. Sham Singh, MD, a UCLA-trained board-certified psychiatrist; the team includes psychiatric nurse practitioners and physician associates; bilingual English/Spanish providers are on staff.
Format and access: Telehealth-only via HIPAA-compliant Zoom across California; same-week appointments get new patients evaluated within three days.
Conditions treated: Social anxiety, anxiety, ADHD, depression, PTSD, panic attacks, OCD, agoraphobia, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, PMDD, insomnia, and long COVID.
Treatment approach: Medication management combined with lifestyle changes, supplement recommendations, and care that looks at the whole picture; genetic testing is available to match the right medication faster; coordinates with CBT therapists when a combined plan makes sense.
Insurance: Accepts most major commercial plans including Aetna, Meritain Health, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, and ComPsych.

Founded in 2024 and led by UCLA-trained board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Sham Singh, Reimagine Psychiatry delivers California-wide telehealth psychiatric care for social anxiety and related conditions. You can get a same-week evaluation within three days, medication management, genetic testing to fine-tune medication selection, and coordination with CBT therapists when a combined treatment plan is the right clinical move.

Best For: Los Angeles and California patients who need fast, insurance-covered telehealth psychiatric support for social anxiety, especially those whose avoidance of unfamiliar settings makes starting in-person appointments a barrier, or who need medication management alongside a separate CBT therapist.

Standout Feature: New patients are evaluated within three days via HIPAA-compliant Zoom, which is a particularly accessible starting point for social anxiety patients for whom walking into an unfamiliar in-person clinic may itself feel like a significant hurdle to beginning care.

2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles

Practice structure and locations: Doctoral-level clinical psychologist group practice specialising only in CBT; offices at 11645 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1030, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (Westwood/Brentwood) and 444 S Marengo Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101; telehealth across California.
Clinician credentials: All therapists are licensed clinical psychologists; many teach at top graduate psychology programmes including UCLA; advanced training in ERP for OCD, CBT-I for insomnia, PE/CPT for PTSD, adult ADHD assessment, and IBCT for couples.
Social anxiety services: CBT for social anxiety, GAD, phobias, panic disorder, OCD, health anxiety, PTSD, depression, and insomnia; individual and group therapy; psychiatry referrals available for medication management when needed.
Access: New clients can usually begin treatment within the week; no months-long waitlist; outcomes tracked from session one.
Pricing: Private-pay practice; out-of-network (OON) superbills provided so patients can seek reimbursement directly from their insurer.

A doctoral-level CBT psychotherapy group with offices in Westwood/Brentwood and Pasadena, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles treats social anxiety using CBT with licensed clinical psychologists, many of whom teach at top programmes including UCLA. New clients typically begin within the week and outcomes are tracked from the first session.

Best For: Los Angeles adults seeking doctoral-level CBT psychotherapy for social anxiety from faculty-affiliated clinical psychologists, who can use out-of-network insurance benefits and prefer a structured, evidence-based, outcomes-tracked approach without medication management.

Standout Feature: All therapists hold doctoral-level credentials and many teach at leading graduate programmes including UCLA, delivering CBT for social anxiety at the same qualification level as those who train and certify other psychotherapists across California.

3. Anxiety Specialists of Los Angeles

Founded and lead clinician: Concierge practice founded in 1989 (as Open Doors Institute) by Dr. Lynne Freeman, PhD, LMFT (LMFT Licence No. LMFT20042); certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist; member of ADAA, International OCD Foundation, and CAMFT.
Specialisation: Focused exclusively on assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders; serves adults and adolescents; concierge intake matches each patient to the therapist most appropriate for their symptoms and history.
Social anxiety treatment: Treats social anxiety (including extreme shyness, fear of embarrassment, avoidance of social situations, and dating anxiety), alongside GAD, OCD, panic disorder, phobias, PTSD, and related conditions.
Publication: Dr. Freeman authored “Panic Free: Eliminate Anxiety/Panic Attacks Without Drugs and Take Control of Your Life” (1995), endorsed by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Treatment approaches: Mindfulness-based Cognitive Psychotherapy (MBCT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Imaginal Exposure, In Vivo Exposure, CBT; medication referrals available through a collaborative process.

Founded in 1989 by Dr. Lynne Freeman, PhD, LMFT, this concierge practice has specialised exclusively in anxiety disorder assessment and treatment for more than 35 years, using a patient-therapist matching intake process, ADAA-endorsed clinical expertise, and approaches including MBCT, ERP, and CBT for social anxiety in adults and adolescents.

Best For: Adults and adolescents in Los Angeles who want a concierge anxiety-only practice with more than 35 years of exclusive specialisation, a careful intake process to match them with the most appropriate therapist for their specific symptoms, and published clinical leadership in anxiety treatment.

Standout Feature: A concierge intake process in which new patients are assessed for which therapist within the practice is the best clinical fit for their specific symptoms and history, rather than being assigned to whoever has the next available slot.

4. Century City Psychiatry

Founder and lead clinician: Founded and directed by Dr. Mike Mah, board-certified psychiatrist; MD from UC Irvine; residency at UCLA and the West Los Angeles VA; member of the American Psychiatric Association; host of the “Real Mental Health with Dr. Mike Mah” podcast.
Location and format: Office at 10323 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 108A, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (West Los Angeles); in-person and telepsychiatry available statewide across California.
Practice model: Physician-owned and physician-led; all clinical decisions overseen by a board-certified psychiatrist; team of psychiatric nurse practitioners supervised by Dr. Mah.
Services: Psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and ongoing care; treats social anxiety, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, OCD, bipolar disorder, and women’s mental health; interventional psychiatry programme including ketamine therapy in development as of March 2026.
Insurance and accreditation: Accepts Aetna and Medicare; BBB A+ accredited.

Founded and directed by Dr. Mike Mah (MD, UC Irvine; residency at UCLA and West LA VA), Century City Psychiatry is a physician-owned West Los Angeles practice at 10323 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 108A, providing insurance-based psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and ongoing care for social anxiety and related conditions in person and via statewide telehealth.

Best For: West Los Angeles patients who want insurance-based psychiatric care (including Aetna and Medicare) from a physician-owned and physician-directed practice where all social anxiety treatment decisions are supervised by a board-certified psychiatrist.

Standout Feature: Fully physician-owned and physician-led structure, meaning all treatment plans, medication management decisions, and care standards for social anxiety are guided by a board-certified psychiatrist rather than a corporate or non-physician-owned organisation.

5. Anxiety Therapy LA

Founded and director: Founded by director Michelle Massi, LMFT; IOCDF BTTI Faculty Member; former Associate Director, UCLA OCD Adult Intensive Treatment Programme; previously worked at UCLA Childhood OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Programme; IOCDF Conference presenter 2009 to 2025; member of IOCDF, ABCT, and ADAA.
Practice structure and locations: Multi-clinician CBT group practice; three offices across Los Angeles; telehealth across California; team includes Michelle Massi LMFT, Marni Baim LCSW, Alexandra Block LMFT, Stephanie Harad LCSW, Nicholas Jewell PsyD, and Nadine Shoukry LMFT.
Clients served: Children, adolescents, and adults; individual, couple, and family therapy; home visits available when clinically appropriate; LGBTQ+ and neurodivergence affirming clinicians on team.
Conditions treated: Social anxiety, all anxiety disorders, OCD, depression, selective mutism, life stressors, and mood disorders.
Treatment approaches: CBT; Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP); Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); Habit Reversal Training (HRT); all clinicians California-licensed.

Founded by IOCDF BTTI Faculty Member and former UCLA OCD programme Associate Director Michelle Massi, LMFT, Anxiety Therapy LA is a multi-clinician CBT group practice with three Los Angeles offices, treating social anxiety, OCD, and all anxiety disorders in children, adolescents, and adults using CBT, ERP, and ACT, with home visits available and telehealth across California.

Best For: Children, adolescents, and adults in Los Angeles who want a multi-clinician CBT group practice with IOCDF BTTI Faculty-level expertise, LGBTQ+ and neurodivergence affirming clinicians, and the option of home visits for those who find clinic attendance challenging.

Standout Feature: Director Michelle Massi is an IOCDF BTTI Faculty Member and former Associate Director of UCLA’s OCD Adult Intensive Treatment Programme, bringing UCLA-level clinical expertise to a multi-clinician group practice treating social anxiety and all related conditions across three Los Angeles offices.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Los Angeles Social Anxiety Provider

Confirm the Provider Has Specific Experience Treating Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder is a distinct condition that responds best to structured CBT with graduated exposure to feared social situations. Confirming the provider has documented experience treating social anxiety directly, rather than general stress or mood difficulties, increases the chance you will receive the most effective evidence-based approach for your presentation.

Confirm Whether Therapy, Medication, or a Combined Approach Is Recommended

Both CBT and medication (usually SSRIs) are supported by research as effective for social anxiety. Confirming whether the provider offers both services within the same practice, or can coordinate directly with a prescribing psychiatrist, avoids unnecessary delays in accessing a combined treatment approach if that is clinically recommended for your situation.

Check Whether Telehealth Is Available as a Starting Option

Social anxiety can make attending an unfamiliar in-person clinic feel overwhelming. Confirming that the provider offers HIPAA-compliant telehealth as an alternative starting point reduces a practical barrier to beginning treatment, and many clinicians recommend a remote first session for social anxiety patients who would otherwise delay care to avoid the in-person setting.

Clarify the Full Session Cost and Insurance Coverage Before Your First Appointment

Providers in Los Angeles vary widely in their billing models, from insurance-accepting psychiatric practices to private-pay psychotherapy groups that issue out-of-network superbills. Confirming the per-session cost and whether your insurance covers in-network or out-of-network services before you book prevents financial surprises during a structured CBT course that typically runs across multiple weeks.

Ask Whether the Practice Can Serve Your Age Group and Co-Occurring Conditions

Some LA providers treat only adults, while others serve children, adolescents, and adults. Social anxiety often co-occurs with depression, OCD, or PTSD. Confirming the practice serves your age group and has experience with any co-occurring conditions means you will not need a mid-treatment referral if a more complex clinical picture shows up during care.

Final Thoughts

Social anxiety disorder responds well to evidence-based CBT, but the effectiveness of your care depends on choosing a provider with specific expertise in social anxiety treatment rather than general anxiety or counselling experience. Before you book, confirm whether the provider offers therapy, medication management, or both; whether telehealth is available to reduce the barrier of in-person attendance; and the full per-session cost under your insurance or out-of-network benefits. Making these checks before your first appointment saves time, money, and frustration later.

Did you like this? Share it: