CBT for anxious 12 year old boy

My 8 yo has anxiety (diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist). We have Kaiser and have done some of their offerings, which tend to funnel children/teens into groups, as well as paid out of pocket for a traditional therapist, which at the time (he was 6.5/7) was not super helpful. The Kaiser group we attended for about a semester was surprisingly useful for my son (the whole time I was really disliking the leader, but guess what, the therapy wasn't for me); and a year later, we have pulled out some of the tools they discussed to try to head off a flareup of anxiety before it becomes all-consuming again. So my rec is to look for a group - especially for a 12 year old, who is a little more savvy and less prone to "adopting" other anxieties aired in the session. That was a big concern of mine because all the kids in the group had different foci, but in fact my son seemed to grasp that he didn't have to worry about X just because another kid did. Kaiser Richmond & Oakland have totally different groups, so feel free to get recs for multiple facilities if you have Kaiser. Your son should have a case manager (MSW or psychologist) at the facility you'll be doing group at. And if you're out of pocket/not in Kaiser, this should all be easier to survey and pick one to try. Good luck, anxiety is no joke but a 12 yo can definitely be part of the solution.

We also have Kaiser. My now 14 yo did not like the groups there and wasn't progressing with the therapist there either. Now she is seeing Heidi Ronfeldt a CBT practitioner in Oakland. She really likes her and I think she would be good with boys as well. She's very down to earth, good sense of humor, and has gotten my daughter to try things outside her comfort zone. She's expensive and it's too soon to tell if it will make enough of a difference that my daughter won't have to go on medication but I do think she is excellent and would be worth calling. Good luck I know how tough parenting an anxious child can be.