MEET JOY · ONLINE THERAPY FOR ADULTS IN MISSOURI & ARKANSAS
Hi, I’m Joy.
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and EMDRIA Certified Therapist™.
For over 15 years, I’ve helped anxious, high-achieving adults, the ones everyone else counts on, stop white-knuckling their way through life. If you look fine on the outside but feel stuck, exhausted, overwhelmed, or never quite good enough on the inside, you are exactly who I do this work for.
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
Named Joy, I’ve spent my career helping people find theirs again.
For a long time, I thought of my name as just a name. Then I started noticing who sat across from me, week after week: capable, thoughtful, hardworking people who do everything right, who meet every expectation, hold everything together for everyone, and still don’t feel happy, confident, or at peace with themselves.
It’s not that they aren’t trying hard enough. It’s that they’re trying so hard it’s costing them themselves. Somewhere along the way, they learned to doubt themselves. To tie their worth to what they accomplish. To believe rest has to be earned, help has to be deserved, and mistakes aren’t allowed. And no matter how much they do, it never quite feels like enough.
Helping people break free from those patterns means helping them learn to trust themselves again and feel at ease in their own skin. In a very real sense, it is helping them find their joy again. It’s why I do this work. And honestly, it’s what my name has come to mean to me.
Outside of work, I’ve been married to my husband for 16 years, and our home is happily ruled by our daughter, two cats, and a very cat-like Shiba Inu. I love trying new foods, exploring new places, reading, writing, solving puzzles, watching movies, and spending time with my family.
professional background
I’ve been a psychotherapist since 2011. My first job out of graduate school was with the Children’s Foundation of Mid America, where I worked as an in-home therapist with families and children with trauma. I earned my LCSW license in 2013, and from 2014 to 2016 I worked as a Behavioral Health Counselor at Crider Health Center, now Compass Health, primarily with adults with trauma, anxiety and depression. Those early years taught me the thing I still believe most about this work: people don’t change because they’re told to try harder. They change when someone finally helps them understand what’s actually driving the pain, and stays with them while they work it through.
In 2016, I opened my own private practice. Over the past ten years, I’ve trained in the approaches that get beneath the surface, including EMDR, IFS, and ERP, because I kept seeing that coping skills alone weren’t enough for the people I serve. Today my practice is fully online, and I work with adults across Missouri and Arkansas.
Fifteen years of sitting with people through their hardest chapters
Joy Gillespie
MSW, LCSW · EMDRIA Certified Therapist™
Licenses
Missouri LCSW #2013037931
Arkansas LCSW #12663-C
Education & Certification
MSW — Washington University in St. Louis (2010)
EMDRIA Certified Therapist™ — EMDRIA
Training & Experience
EMDR · IFS · ERP · CPT · PE · CBT · MSC · Hypnosis
15+ years of clinical experience; 10 years in private practice
Specializes in anxiety disorders, trauma & PTSD, OCD, perfectionism and burnout
AffiliationS
Member — EMDRIA
“The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.”
Steve Maraboli
So much of anxiety isn’t really about the thing you’re worried about. It’s about whether you trust yourself to handle whatever life throws your way. Can you cope when things don’t go as planned? Can you survive someone else’s disappointment or rejection? Can you make a mistake, face the unknown, let someone down, and still be okay?
When those things feel impossible, the mind does what it thinks will keep you safe: it tries to control everything. You overthink. You replay conversations at 2 a.m. You scan for what might go wrong, keep everyone happy, push yourself to get it exactly right. It helps for a little while. Then the worry comes back, and you’re left wondering why you can’t seem to give yourself a break.
In our work together, we’ll absolutely build ways to manage anxiety when it shows up. But we’ll also look at what’s underneath it. Maybe you’ve been hurt before. Maybe you learned early that mistakes aren’t okay, that everyone else’s needs come first, or that letting your guard down isn’t safe. We’ll understand where those patterns came from and what keeps them going, and then we’ll change how you respond to yourself.
The goal isn’t to become someone who never feels anxious or always knows what to do. That wouldn’t be human. The goal is to become someone who can handle life’s ups and downs without constantly second-guessing, someone who trusts themselves. You don’t have to spend the rest of your life fighting with yourself. There’s another way to live, and helping you find it is what makes this work meaningful to me.
MY APPROACH & PHILOSOPHY
You can be doing everything right and still not feel okay.
“The world you see is not the world as it is;
it is a reflection of the world on the inside.”
Taoist Proverb
How I Work
Therapy that goes to the root, not just the symptoms
We go to the root, not just the symptoms
Coping skills have their place. But if the same anxiety keeps coming back, something underneath is driving it. We find it, and we work it through so the change lasts.
Your treatment is tailored to you
No two people are the same, so no two treatment plans are either. Yours is built around your history, your goals, and what actually works for your life, never a template.
Therapy is active, not passive
You won’t just talk while I nod. We do focused, structured work in session, and you’ll leave with clear things to practice between sessions because change happens in your real life, not just on the call.
We use what research shows works
EMDR, ERP, IFS, and CBT, not whatever’s trendy, but the approaches with the strongest track records for anxiety, OCD, and trauma.
Most clients need a blend, not just one method.
We use what fits your patterns, and we adjust as you change.
WHERE I SEE CLIENTS
Online therapy across Missouri and Arkansas, where you are.
All sessions are held by secure video or phone, so you can meet with me from anywhere in these states. You just need to be physically located in one of these states during our sessions, as required by licensing regulations. Many clients join from home, a parked car, or a private office.
Missouri
Online Therapy in Missouri for Anxiety, Trauma & PTSD, OCD
I work with anxious, high-achieving adults across Missouri through secure telehealth video, so we meet from your home or office. No commute, no waiting room. I'm based in the St. Louis area, but my practice is fully online and open to anyone in the state. I specialize in treating anxiety disorders, trauma & PTSD, OCD, perfectionism and burnout, using EMDR, ERP, and IFS to work at the root of what's keeping you stuck, not just manage symptoms.
St. Louis, St. Charles, O'Fallon, Chesterfield, Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia, Lee's Summit, Independence, St. Joseph, Joplin, Branson, and Cape Girardeau, and everywhere in between
Arkansas
Online Therapy in Arkansas for Anxiety, Trauma & PTSD, OCD
I'm licensed in Arkansas and provide online therapy to adults statewide by secure video. Outside Arkansas's metro areas, finding a therapist who specializes in trauma & PTSD, OCD, or EMDR can be difficult, but online therapy closes that gap. I work with anxious and high-achieving adults struggling with anxiety disorders, trauma & PTSD, OCD, perfectionism and burnout, using EMDR, ERP, and IFS. My practice is private pay, and we begin with a free 30-minute consultation.
Little Rock, Fayetteville, Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fort Smith, Conway, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff, Hot Springs, North Little Rock, Benton, and Texarkana, and everywhere in between
Owning our story can be hard, but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.
Brené Brown
GOOD FIT · NOT A GOOD FIT
You don’t have to look like you’re struggling to be struggling.
Many of the clients I see are capable, hardworking, responsible people who look like they have it all together on the outside, but feel exhausted on the inside. Here's a little about who I work best with, what working together looks like, and when another therapist or type of support might be a better fit.
We’re likely a good fit if you…
Overthink everything. Conversations replay in your head, and "what if" keeps you up at night.
Hold yourself to standards you'd never impose on anyone else.
Say yes to everyone else and feel guilty when you put yourself first.
Look like you're doing fine on the outside, while anxiety and burnout quietly take over your life.
Feel like your past is still affecting you, even though you think you should be over it by now.
Want to understand the patterns behind your struggles, not just find ways to get through the week.
Are open to an active, collaborative approach to therapy that goes beyond simply talking about your problems, and genuinely ready to do the work of understanding on a deeper level.
WHO
Adults 18+, located in Missouri or Arkansas during sessions
WHERE
Online only, by secure video. No in-person appointments
SESSIONS
50 minutes, weekly or bi-weekly to start. Longer when needed
PAYMENT
Private pay. Superbills provided for out-of-network reimbursement.
FIRST STEP
A free 30-minute consultation to see if we’re a good fit
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Live outside Missouri or Arkansas. I’m licensed to practice in these two states.
Prefer in-person therapy. My practice is entirely online.
Need to use an in-network insurance plan. I’m a private-pay provider.
Need evening or weekend appointments. My practice hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm CST.
Prefer a more traditional, nondirective talk therapy approach. My style is active and collaborative, and we’ll work together toward meaningful change.
Need evaluations or documentation solely for legal, disability, or employment-related purposes. These aren’t services I provide.
Want to focus exclusively on coping skills without exploring the patterns contributing to your struggles. We’ll absolutely work on practical ways to manage symptoms, but our work involves looking at what’s keeping you stuck.
Want therapy to focus exclusively on changing other people’s behavior. While we can explore how your relationships affect you and what boundaries may help, our work will also focus on what’s within your control.
Aren’t interested in exploring the experiences and patterns that may be contributing to your current struggles. Understanding these connections is an important part of my approach.
You may need a different level of care if you’re experiencing symptoms or circumstances that require more specialized or intensive treatment than my practice can provide, such as acute psychosis, a medically unstable eating disorder, or severe substance use concerns requiring a higher level of care.
You may need a different level of care if you need crisis intervention, on-call availability, or a level of support beyond what weekly outpatient therapy can provide. My practice isn’t equipped to provide these services, and I want to help you find care that better meets your needs.
Not sure if we’re a good fit?
A FIRST CONVERSATION
Let's find out in a free 30-minute consultation. After the first conversation, if we're not the right match, I'll do my best to point you toward other resources.