Depression
Depression counseling in Arkansas.
For the flat, heavy days, when ordinary things take everything you have. 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 depression can feel like
Depression doesn't always look like sadness.
More often it feels flat and heavy, and it's easy to talk yourself out of.
The things you enjoy stop meaning much. Sleep goes wrong, too much or too little. A shower, a phone call, the grocery list: each one takes a decision, and you run out of decisions early in the day.
You may hide it well. You keep appointments, answer emails and laugh in the right places. Because you're coping, nobody asks how you are, and you stop asking yourself. From the inside, it can feel less like something happening to you and more like a judgment on who you are.
Depression is one of Kristen's three main focus areas.
"I specialize in working with adults and couples experiencing depression, anxiety, and trauma, offering a supportive and collaborative space to explore your feelings, heal past wounds, and build healthier patterns."
How it shows up
Five ways depression can show up.
Most people don't start with the word depression. They start with one of these.
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You still get everything done
Meetings attended, lunches packed, deadlines met. Then you get home with nothing left, and the evening on the couch never turns into rest. Getting through the day isn't the same as being fine, even when it looks that way from across the room.
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It looks like a short fuse
Little patience for noise, questions or small requests, often aimed at the people you love most. It gets called moodiness, by them and by you. Underneath, you have nothing left in reserve.
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There's a clear reason for it
A death, a divorce, a job that ended, a move that took more than it gave. Grief deserves room of its own. But if the heaviness settles in and stays, having a good reason for it doesn't mean you have to carry it alone.
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A voice says you're the problem
A running commentary that you're lazy, behind, too much or not enough. It sounds true because it speaks in your own voice. How you see yourself is often tangled up with everything else, and it's worth talking about on its own.
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It comes with anxiety
Wired and worn out at the same time: worry keeps you up at night, and heaviness keeps you down the next morning. You don't need to know which came first before you ask for help. See the anxiety page.
Depression, mood disorders, grief, self-esteem and anxiety are all on the published list of areas Kristen works with. See the full list on the Specialties page.
Reaching out
You don't have to be at the end of your rope.
There's no bar to clear first: no diagnosis, no breaking point, no proof it's bad enough.
"Feel like a burden? Not sure if what you're feeling makes sense or is valid? Tired of pretending like everything is okay when it's not? These are all good reasons to seek some support."
The reasons to wait can sound sensible. Other people have it worse. It's probably a rough patch. You should be able to handle it. All of that can be true, and you can still want a place to set it down.
The first step is small: a free 15-minute consultation by video, or by phone if you would rather. Ask your questions and see whether Kristen feels like the right fit. If calling feels like too much, you can pick a time online instead.
How therapy works
You and Kristen work it out together.
Everyone's therapy looks different, so take this as a rough outline. You can ask how she works during your consultation.
Kristen describes her practice as a supportive, collaborative space. You bring what's going on, even on days you don't have much to say, and the two of you decide what to do with it. Nobody hands you a program and grades you on it.
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On fitting the work to you
"I do not believe in a one size fits all treatment."
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On what you take with you
"You will leave therapy with a toolbox of coping skills."
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On the goal
"My goal for all my clients is to leave therapy feeling empowered and with coping skills to be more effective navigating your life."
The approaches she draws on include CBT, psychodynamic, attachment based, solution-focused, trauma-informed, DBT and somatic techniques. You don't need to pick one before you meet. What fits gets worked out with you, in your sessions.
Kristen is a licensed professional counselor, not a physician. She doesn't diagnose medical conditions or prescribe medication. Questions about medication belong with your doctor, and therapy can run alongside that conversation.
No one can honestly tell you ahead of time how long this takes or where it leads. What you can decide is whether to start.
Depression and relationships
It affects the people closest to you, too.
It often shows up in a relationship long before anyone calls it depression.
One of you pulls back, goes quiet, or stops wanting to do the things you used to do together. The other notices, guesses at why, and often guesses wrong: that it's about them, or that something has already been decided. Two people can end up lonely in the same house without either one doing anything wrong.
Kristen works with couples as well as individual adults. Some people come on their own. Some come together, because the distance has become its own problem and neither of you can see how it started. And if you're the one watching someone you love go quiet, what you're carrying counts too.
On the hard days
You don't have to leave the house.
Depression can make the logistics feel bigger than the problem: getting dressed for strangers, the drive, the parking, a waiting room with a clock on the wall. On a heavy day, any one of those can be why an appointment quietly doesn't happen.
By video, you start where you already are: your own room, your own chair, a blanket if you want one, and nobody to walk past on the way out. You still show up. You just don't have to go anywhere.
All of Kristen's sessions are by secure video, for adults anywhere in Arkansas.
Questions
Questions about depression counseling.
Do I need a diagnosis first?
No. You don't need a diagnosis, or even a name for what's going on. Plenty of people start with "something is off and I cannot shake it," and that's a fine place to begin. The consultation lets you talk it through before you decide anything.
Does Kristen prescribe medication?
No. Kristen is a Licensed Professional Counselor, not a physician. She doesn't prescribe medication or advise on it, and nothing on this page is medical advice. If you have questions about medication, ask your doctor. Therapy can sit alongside that, and many people do both.
What if it's anxiety too?
Bring both. Anxiety is right next to depression on Kristen's list, so you don't have to decide which one is the "real" problem before you reach out. To read about the anxiety side first, see the anxiety page.
Is it all by video?
Yes. All of Kristen's sessions are by secure video, for adults anywhere in Arkansas, so there's no office to travel to. The free consultation is by video too, or by phone if you would rather.
Does insurance cover it?
It depends on your plan. The insurance and rates page lists the plans Kristen works with and other ways to pay, so you can check before you call. If anything there is unclear, ask about it in your consultation.
Free consultation
Talk with Kristen about how you're doing.
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.