QUIET THE NOISE YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM CANNOT TURN OFF
Therapy for Anxiety & Depression in California & Colorado
There is a person who has learned to function on empty, who gets through the day, answers the messages, and shows up for everyone who needs something, and then lies awake at 2am with a mind that will not stop. On the outside, everything looks fine. On the inside, the constant hum of dread never quite goes quiet. If that sounds familiar, this page is for the person behind the performance. Therapy for anxiety and depression is a space where the exhaustion gets named, the nervous system gets room to settle, and the version of life where rest actually feels possible starts to come into view.
THE WEIGHT BEING CARRIED
Anxiety and depression are not character flaws, and they are not a lack of gratitude
They are what happens when a nervous system has been braced for too long, scanning for danger that never fully arrives but never fully leaves either. They are what happens when the body has been running in survival mode for so long that rest starts to feel unsafe.
ARE ANY OF THESE SPOT ON?
You may have found me if any of these sound familiar
You cannot turn your brain off. The worry loops, the what ifs, the endless rehearsing of conversations that have not even happened yet.
You are anxious all the time and do not know why. Nothing is technically wrong, and yet something always feels wrong.
Deep breathing and journaling helped a bit, and being told to just relax makes it worse.
You are exhausted but cannot rest. Sleep does not fix it, and neither does a day off.
You feel numb and disconnected, like you are watching your own life from behind frosted glass.
High functioning on the outside, falling apart on the inside, and not sure how much longer this can keep up.
You have tried talk therapy before, and it helped a little, but something still feels stuck.
The anxiety and depression showed up alongside other things like trauma, burnout, or years of masking.
Your sadness or anxiety has been dismissed as "just" about your weight, and you are done being told the body is the problem.
That is not the story told here.
WHAT CHANGES HERE
A new chapter starts with small shifts
Racing thoughts that will not turn off
→ To a nervous system that knows how to settle
The constant hum of dread underneath everything
→ To moments of genuine calm that get longer over time
Exhaustion that sleep does not fix
→ Rest that actually restores
Feeling numb and disconnected
→ To feeling present in your own life again
MEET YOUR ANXIETY & DEPRESSION THERAPIST
Stephanie Hardison, LCSW
Hi, I am Stephanie, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and I specialize in therapy for anxiety and depression in adults who are tired of just getting through the day and ready to actually live in it.
The patterns are usually understood before the work even starts, because the worry, the exhaustion, the numbness, and the overthinking have all been named before. And still, something stays stuck. That is not a failure of insight. It is a sign that the nervous system is holding onto something that words alone cannot reach, and that is exactly where this work lives.
My approach blends talk therapy with somatic work and Brainspotting, because anxiety and depression do not live only in the mind. They live in the body, in the tight chest, the shallow breath, the tension that never quite releases. We will work with both.
I know what it is like to be the high-functioning one on the outside while falling apart on the inside. I also know that relief is possible, and that it does not have to come from trying harder or thinking differently. It comes from helping the nervous system finally feel safe enough to put some of it down.
If that kind of relief sounds like the missing piece, this is the place for it, and I would be honored to walk through that chapter with you.
FIND ANSWERS TO FAQ HERE
What is the difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder?
Anxiety itself is a normal and useful emotion. It shows up when there is a real threat, a deadline, or something uncertain ahead, and it helps the body prepare. An anxiety disorder is different. It is when the worry becomes constant, disproportionate, and starts to interfere with daily life. It might show up as generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, or a specific phobia. The line between the two is not about how strong the feeling is. It is about how much room it takes up and how much it costs to keep functioning around it. In therapy, we do not just look at the symptoms. We look at what the anxiety is trying to protect you from and why the nervous system learned to stay on alert in the first place.
Can therapy help with both anxiety and depression at the same time?
Yes, and they often show up together. Anxiety and depression are not opposites. They are two sides of the same nervous system that has been running in survival mode for too long. Anxiety is the body bracing. Depression is the body shutting down when bracing stops working. When we work with one, we usually end up working with the other, because they share the same roots. That might look like trauma, burnout, chronic stress, masking, or years of carrying more than the body was meant to hold. The goal is not to treat them as separate problems. The goal is to help the nervous system come out of survival mode so both can start to ease.
How does somatic therapy or Brainspotting help with anxiety?
Talk therapy can help you understand the anxiety. Somatic therapy and Brainspotting help the body actually let it go. Anxiety lives in the nervous system, not just in the mind. It shows up as a tight chest, shallow breath, clenched jaw, racing heart, and a body that cannot fully relax. Somatic therapy works with those body based signals to help the nervous system shift out of alert mode. Brainspotting takes it a step further by using eye positioning to access and process material stored below the level of conscious thought. It does not require you to relive the worst moments or find the right words. It trusts the brain's natural ability to heal, given the right conditions. Many clients find that this work reaches places talk therapy alone could not.
How long does it take to feel better?
There is no single timeline, and anyone who promises one is not being honest. Some people feel meaningful relief in a few sessions. Others need more time, especially when the anxiety or depression has been there for years or is tied to trauma. What I can say is that the work is not about waiting months to feel something. It is about noticing small shifts early on, like sleeping a little better, catching a thought before it spirals, or feeling a moment of calm that used to feel impossible. We will check in regularly about what is working, what is not, and whether the pace feels right for you.
What are the fees, and do you accept insurance?
Individual therapy session (50 min) — $200
Extended therapy session (120 min) — $400
Therapy intensive (4+ hours) — starting at $1,200 (ages 18+ only)
Payment is due at the time of service.
I accept self-pay, out-of-network (OON). If you have an insurance plan, you may still be able to get partial reimbursement through your out-of-network benefits.
I can provide you with a superbill (an itemized receipt) to submit to your insurance for reimbursement. I also work with Thrizer to help make this process easier for clients. You’re welcome to ask about this during our consultation.
Priority for the reduced fee tiers goes to those who are financially struggling and identify as BIPOC or LGBTQIA+. These slots are limited, and there is no guarantee that any will be available at the time you call. Please let me know if you need a reduced fee during our call. If I cannot accommodate, I am happy to point you in a direction to meet your financial needs.
READY TO START THERAPY FOR ANXIETY & DEPRESSION
Let's do it!
You have spent a long time getting through the day, holding it together, and waiting for the moment when the noise finally quiets down. There is another version of this story, one where calm is not something you have to earn. Reach out to schedule a free consultation, and let's talk about whether this is the right fit for where you are right now.
