Saara Muscat, PsyD

Licensed Psychologist, PSY 29659

I am committed to helping young adults, and specifically young professionals, navigate challenges impacting their personal and professional lives. I work with individuals around issues related to stress and anxiety, ADD/ADHD, dating/relationship concerns, and questions related to life purpose. I also specialize in the treatment of anxiety and related disorders using CBT/Exposure Therapy, including panic disorder, social anxiety, phobias, and OCD.

Schedule an Appointment
Services

Evidence-Based Treatments
Individual Psychotherapy
Corporate Stress Management

Specialties
  • ADD
  • ADHD
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Career Development
  • Dating/Relationship Issues
  • Depression
  • Life Transitions
  • Sleep Issues
  • Work Stress/Burnout
Education

BA in Sociology, McGill University
BA in Psychology, York University
PsyD Clinical Psychology, PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium

Appointments

50-minute in-person sessions are available in the San Francisco-FiDi location.

Accepts Lyra and Modern Health benefits.

All appointments must be scheduled in advance.

Location

San Francisco-FiDi Office

Teletherapy

My approach

My approach tends to be action-oriented and solution-focused, while also empathic, genuine, and warm. I often encourage clients to get curious about themselves and their experiences. I have been told that I “ask the tough questions,” but that this ultimately helps foster insight, understanding, and the development of new perspectives. I utilize evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in order to help build coping skills and target unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors occurring in the present. When the goal is to uncover and change firmly ingrained patterns in relationships or behaviors, I find that using psychodynamic and relational approaches can help us perform this type of depth work and facilitate our understanding of how past experiences can influence current behaviors.

Why I love this work

Throughout my previous years working on various university campuses, I developed a passion for counseling and supporting students while they explored their developing identities, values, career goals, and interpersonal lives. I have enjoyed being able to continue this work with young professionals, and have developed a particular strength in helping individuals navigate career goals and decisions, and manage workplace stress and burnout.

What I want for you

Together, we can work collaboratively toward meeting your goals and helping you identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns that may be causing you to feel stuck.

My specialties, background, and personal interests

My clinical training includes working with underprivileged populations in community mental health, veterans at the VA, and performing clinical research and neuropsychological assessments at Stanford University. I completed my predoctoral internship at UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services and postdoctoral work at Notre Dame de Namur University Counseling Center.

Prior to entering the field of Psychology, I obtained a BA in Sociology from McGill University in Montreal. It was in my final year there that I discovered my interest in human behavior and desire to help individuals make sense of the ways in which their personalities, life experiences, and relationships with others influence their behaviors and understanding of themselves. This motivated me to pursue another undergraduate degree in Psychology from York University in Toronto, and then fulfill my dream of moving out to California for graduate school, where I attended the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium and received my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

When I have spare time, I love traveling, spending time outdoors, and indulging my sweet tooth.

Affiliations

American Psychological Association
California Psychological Association
Northern California Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Network
San Francisco Psychological Association
Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy

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