Annia Raja is a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with physicians like you who carry the immense weight of medical life. The unrelenting pace, the constant pressure to perform, and the emotional toll of caring for patients can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself and wondering who you are beyond the white coat. As the spouse of a physician, Annia has seen firsthand how medicine can affect not only your energy but also your identity, your relationships, and your ability to find meaning in life. She understands the isolation of holding it all in and the importance of having a safe space where you can let your guard down.
Through her practice, Annia Raja PhD Therapy, Annia and her team provide in-depth, thoughtful therapy for physicians that is tailored to the unique realities of your medical work. Their approach goes beyond symptom relief, helping you untangle burnout, process unique struggles, reconnect with what matters most, and rediscover parts of yourself that may have been lost along the way.
Outside of therapy, Annia finds joy in exploration, whether it is a multi-day trek with a hiking pack, a scuba dive beneath the ocean, or a day hike in the mountains. She enjoys birdwatching, savoring coffee while planning her next read, and hiking trails both around Los Angeles and across the globe. She practices what she encourages you to do: make intentional space for what restores you. If you meet her virtually, her orange tabby cat might just make an appearance.
If you are ready to take the next step, visit the Therapy for Physicians page or book a free 15-minute consultation.
Annia Raja is a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with physicians like you who carry the immense weight of medical life. The unrelenting pace, the constant pressure to perform, and the emotional toll of caring for patients can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself and wondering who you are beyond the white coat. As the spouse of a physician, Annia has seen firsthand how medicine can affect not only your energy but also your identity, your relationships, and your ability to find meaning in life. She understands the isolation of holding it all in and the importance of having a safe space where you can let your guard down.
Through her practice, Annia Raja PhD Therapy, Annia and her team provide in-depth, thoughtful therapy for physicians that is tailored to the unique realities of your medical work. Their approach goes beyond symptom relief, helping you untangle burnout, process unique struggles, reconnect with what matters most, and rediscover parts of yourself that may have been lost along the way.
Outside of therapy, Annia finds joy in exploration, whether it is a multi-day trek with a hiking pack, a scuba dive beneath the ocean, or a day hike in the mountains. She enjoys birdwatching, savoring coffee while planning her next read, and hiking trails both around Los Angeles and across the globe. She practices what she encourages you to do: make intentional space for what restores you. If you meet her virtually, her orange tabby cat might just make an appearance.
If you are ready to take the next step, visit the Therapy for Physicians page or book a free 15-minute consultation.
Grief is not a word most physicians would use to describe their day-to-day work. Stress? Absolutely. Burnout? Sadly too common. Exhaustion? Without question. But grief? That feels too tender, too vulnerable, too personal, too scary.
And yet, grief quietly saturates the practice of medicine and the existence of being a doctor.
Grief shows up most obviously in the loss of patients. Death coming sometimes suddenly, and sometimes after a long, protracted …
It is a question that has stopped more than a few of my physician clients in their tracks: Who are you outside of the white coat?
I do not mean your hobbies, though yes, of course those matter. I mean your identity. Your core sense of self when you strip away the pager, the patient lists, the provider ID, and even the deeply ingrained instincts to care, to fix, to achieve. …
Physicians are masters at holding it together.
You walk into a patient’s room, and no matter how little sleep you have gotten, how chaotic the last shift was, or how much is weighing on you personally, you put on the calm, capable, competent face that patients and colleagues expect. That ability to compartmentalize (to suppress your own emotions so you can stay functional) is often what gets you through residency, twenty-four-hour …
It is happening more often than most people realize. The same physicians who seem unshakable in the OR or clinic, the ones who handle chaos without blinking, are quietly scheduling therapy appointments. Not because they have “hit rock bottom” or cannot do their jobs anymore, but because they are realizing they do not have to slowly carry it all alone. Nor can they sustain this level of burnout anymore.
As a …
Doctors are often praised for their resilience. It’s become a buzzword in medicine, touted as some catch-all antidote to physician burnout. It’s used in keynotes, wellness programs, recruitment ads, hospital HR emails—everywhere really. “Feeling burned out? Improve your resilience.” But I believe that this emphasis on resilience often misses the mark. Worse, it can subtly reinforce the idea that if you’re suffering, you’re not resilient enough.
But what if the problem …
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