External success. Internal chaos. Let's change that.
You built the career. The reputation. The life. But something underneath isn't keeping pace. You don't have to keep holding it together. And you don't have to spend years figuring out why.
Anxiety and trauma therapy in Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside, Palo Alto, and throughout California.
My insights on mental health and high performance have been featured in:
Limited Availability: I maintain a deliberately small caseload, so when we work together, you have my complete attention.
You've Built Success. But Something's Breaking.
You don't talk about it, but you feel it.
The panic when you wake up.
The anger when things slip.
The shame after snapping at someone you care about.
The fear you'll mess everything up despite doing everything right.
You hide it well. You lead the room, hit impossible goals, and people rely on you.
Meanwhile, your inner world is held together with tension and willpower.
And lately, it's catching up to you.
My clients are accomplished by every external measure.
What brings them here is usually one of these:
The pressure hasn't let up in years and you can't remember the last time you felt okay
You've optimized everything in your life except the part that's actually suffering
You're performing fine but something underneath feels like it's fracturing
You're tired of being the one who holds everything together and never falling apart
Therapy doesn't promise to eliminate these experiences, but it can help you understand them, relate to them differently, and make choices that feel more aligned with who you actually are.
This is where that gets examined.
Hi, I’m Vin
My full name is Vineel Maharaj. I’m a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #123091 with over a decade of clinical experience but before that, I was a Chief Marketing Officer and startup founder in Silicon Valley.
I built and sold a mental health company.
Today I see high-achieving professionals in person in Menlo Park and virtually throughout California.
That dual background shapes everything about how I work:
I work with people who've optimized everything except the part of themselves that's struggling.
Most of my clients have never had someone understand both sides: the relentless drive AND the cost of carrying it. They don't need to convince me their stress is real. They don't need to downplay their ambition.
My job isn't to teach you to relax. It's to help you understand why you can't.
You're not here because you lack information. You're here because something deeper needs attention and you want to work with someone who gets the full picture.
This might be a fit if:
You're tired of the gap between how things look and how they feel. You want to stop performing confidence you don't have.
You want to understand why success hasn't quieted the noise inside. And you're ready to finally have a space where you don't have to hold it all together.
This probably isn't the right fit if:
You want quick fixes, productivity hacks, or someone to just agree with you. You're not ready to look at the harder stuff underneath.
You are looking for couples therapy or family therapy. My practice is focused exclusively on individual adults.
If you're in acute crisis, I can help connect you with appropriate support.
What the Work Actually Looks Like
Frequently Asked Questions
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$400 per 50-minute session.
For clients who want sustained momentum and direct access, I offer monthly retainers:
$1,600/month — 4 sessions + priority scheduling + between-session text support
$3,200/month — 8 sessions + priority scheduling + between-session text support
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I do not bill insurance directly and am considered an out-of-network provider.
That said, many clients are able to get 40-80% of session costs reimbursed through their plan.
At the end of each month I will email you a superbill, an itemized receipt documenting the previous month's sessions. You submit that directly to your insurer and they send reimbursement to you.
Before you call your insurance company, ask the following:
Does my plan include out-of-network mental health benefits?
What is my co-insurance rate and what percentage of services is covered?
Do I have an out-of-network deductible? If so, how much has been met and when does the deductible period reset?
Are there any requirements to access out-of-network benefits such as prior authorization or a referral from my primary care physician?
Is there a session limit per year and if so how many sessions do I have remaining?
For the full reimbursement guide including what information to have ready before your call, CPT codes to reference, and what your monthly superbill will include, view the complete out-of-network guide here.
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We start with a free 15-minute call to make sure this is a good fit before anything is scheduled.
From there, the first full session is an intake. We look at what is actually driving things beneath the surface and start mapping where you want to land.
Sessions are 50 minutes and build on each other. I get to know how you think and how you move through the world. Over time you develop a clearer picture of what is running your patterns and what real change actually looks like for you.
Sessions are available online throughout California or in person at my Menlo Park office.
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Most clients start weekly. Some shift to biweekly or 1x a month once they gain stability.
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That depends entirely on what you're bringing in and what you want from the work.
Some people come in with one specific thing to work through. Others find that once they start, they want to go deeper. There's no standard timeline here, just what's actually useful for you.
The 15 minute consult is a good place to talk through what that might look like.
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My practice is focused exclusively on individual adults.
Your Next Step: Book Your Free Consultation
If something in here landed, then that's worth a conversation.
A 20-minute call. No pitch, no pressure. You'll know quickly whether this is the right fit.
Most people leave that call feeling clearer than they have in months.