Anxiety
Anxiety counseling in Arkansas.
For the worry that keeps working after you stop. Sessions by secure video with Kristen I. Speer, LPC.
or call 479.777.2776
- Telehealth across Arkansas
- Adults 18 and over
- Free 15-minute video consultation
What anxiety can look like
Anxiety often looks like having it all together.
It isn't always panic. Often it's the most organized person in the room.
It's reading a text three times before you send it. It's a backup plan for the backup plan, and arriving early because on time felt risky. It's lying awake running tomorrow's meeting from every angle, then replaying last week's conversation to find the part that went wrong. From the outside, it looks conscientious. From the inside, you never get to stop.
Because it looks like competence, it gets rewarded. People rely on you, praise you for being prepared, and hand you more. The thing wearing you down is the thing everyone thanks you for, which is part of why it can go unnamed for years.
The planning isn't the problem. Not being able to stop is.
Anxiety is one of Kristen's three main focus areas. Stress and work stress are on her list too, as separate items. So you don't need to be sure it's "real" anxiety before you reach out. Pressure that has settled in and won't leave is reason enough to talk to someone, whatever it's called.
Where it shows up
Five ways anxiety can show up.
It usually gets called something else first: being tired, a busy season, just how you are.
-
Worry that works the night shift
The day is over and your mind clocks in. It replays what you said, rehearses what you have to say tomorrow, and rechecks a list you already checked, all at an hour when the only thing you can do about it is lose sleep.
-
Work that comes home with you
The laptop is closed and the job is still running. Email checked before you're out of bed, Sunday evening spent on Monday, a short temper at home that belongs to the office.
-
Putting things off and calling it managing
Anxiety is good at convincing you things can wait: the appointment, the hard email, the talk with your boss or partner. Putting it off buys a calm afternoon, then charges interest. The pile of things not done becomes one more thing to worry about.
-
A body that won't stand down
A chest that stays tight, a stomach that turns before every call, shoulders up by your ears before lunch, sleep that comes late and leaves early. The body is often where people notice anxiety first. Anything new or worrying there is worth raising with your doctor, too.
-
It started with a big change
A move, a new job, a divorce, a parent getting older, the house going quiet. Life transitions are on Kristen's list, and so is perimenopause, which can bring anxiety with no clear reason behind it. See the perimenopause and menopause page.
Seeing yourself in more than one of these is common. You don't have to figure out which is the "main" one before you reach out. That's part of what the conversation is for.
What therapy looks like
Seeing the pattern, and having tools to use.
This is a rough outline, not a program. Everyone needs something different, and you can ask how she works during your consultation.
Seeing the pattern
Anxiety sounds reasonable, especially late at night. Therapy can be a place to look at it in daylight: what sets it off, what it tells you is about to happen, and what you do to make the feeling go away. It's easier to question a pattern once you can see it.
"Together, we'll uncover patterns, strengthen your sense of self, and develop tools to help you feel more grounded and connected."
Kristen I. Speer, on Psychology Today
Having tools to use
The other half is practical. Coping skills are on Kristen's published list in their own right. They're the part you take with you: something to do the minute your chest tightens, before the email you've been dodging, or when the loop starts again at bedtime.
"You will leave therapy with a toolbox of coping skills."
Kristen I. Speer, on Psychology Today
She doesn't follow a single script. In her words, "I do not believe in a one size fits all treatment." The approaches she draws on include CBT, DBT, solution-focused therapy and somatic techniques, among others. What fits gets worked out with you.
There's no set number of sessions. The free consultation is the quickest way to find out whether talking with Kristen feels like a fit.
Before you decide
You don't need a crisis to reach out.
There's no line you have to cross before you're allowed to ask for help.
A lot of people wait: until it's bad enough, until they can describe it properly, until they've tried everything else on their own, or until someone notices. Meanwhile it keeps quietly rearranging their days, one skipped plan and one sleepless night at a time.
You don't need a diagnosis to book a consultation. You don't need to be sure it's anxiety rather than stress, or nerves, or "just how I am." Saying "I worry more than I think I should, and I am tired of it" is reason enough to reach out.
"Life is really hard, especially these days. I provide a safe, non-judgmental atmosphere for you to openly talk about your concerns without fear of stigma or shame."
Kristen I. Speer, on Psychology Today
If cost is holding you back, the insurance and rates page lists the plans Kristen works with and other ways to pay. Anxiety is one of five areas with its own page: see all of Kristen's specialties.
From a room that feels safe
No drive, no waiting room, no small talk.
With anxiety, the hard part of therapy can start before the session: finding an address you've never been to, parking, a waiting room, wondering whether to knock. For some people, that alone is enough to cancel.
By video, you start in a room you know, with the door shut, a drink within reach and nobody to make small talk with on the way in. When the hour is over, you're already where you want to be, with no drive spent replaying it.
All of Kristen's sessions are by secure video, for clients anywhere in Arkansas.
Questions
Questions about anxiety counseling.
Is it anxiety, or just stress?
You don't have to know before you reach out. The line is often blurry. Stress is usually tied to something in front of you and eases once it passes. Anxiety tends to stay after the reason is gone, or show up without one. Either way, stress and work stress are on Kristen's list in their own right.
Can I take medication and do therapy too?
Medication is a conversation for your doctor, and therapy can sit alongside it. Kristen is a Licensed Professional Counselor, not a physician. She doesn't diagnose medical conditions or prescribe, and nothing here is medical advice. Questions about medication or physical symptoms belong with your doctor, and plenty of people see a counselor while they have that conversation.
What if depression is part of it too?
That's common, and you can bring both. Anxiety and depression often show up together, and depression is right next to anxiety on Kristen's list. Read more on the depression page.
Can the consultation be by phone?
Yes. The free 15-minute consultation is by video, or by phone if you would rather. Sessions themselves are by secure video, for clients in Arkansas.
Free consultation
Talk with Kristen about the worry.
Your first step is a free 15-minute consultation by video, or by phone if you would rather. It's a conversation, not a commitment.
or call 479.777.2776
Pick a day and time from Kristen's calendar. The form runs on SimplePractice, the secure system she uses for sessions. She confirms every request.