Anxiety Counseling in Greenville, SC

Anxiety counseling session in Greenville SC with John Kilgo LPC"

Anxiety has a way of making the smallest things feel enormous. The email you haven’t replied to. The conversation you’re rehearsing in the shower. The sound your heart makes at 2 AM when you can’t quite explain why you’re awake. From the outside, your life may look like it’s working — and on most measures, it probably is. But on the inside, something is running that won’t stop running, and you’re tired of carrying it.
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If you’re reading this, you’ve probably tried to manage on your own already. Most people do. They read books, they download apps, they tell themselves they should be able to think their way through it. Sometimes that works for a while. When it stops working — or when it never quite worked in the first place — that’s usually when therapy starts to make sense.

At Olive Tree Counseling & Consultation, I work with adults across Greenville, SC who are dealing with anxiety in its many forms. The goal isn’t to make anxiety disappear — it won’t, and you wouldn’t actually want it to. Anxiety is part of being human and is sometimes useful information. The goal is to help you have a different relationship with it: one where you’re no longer at its mercy, where the volume comes down, and where you can recognize what your anxiety is trying to tell you instead of being held hostage by it.

The kinds of anxiety I work with

Generalized anxiety and chronic worry. If your mind doesn’t seem to have an “off” switch — if you spend hours running through worst-case scenarios, replaying past conversations, or jumping from one worry to the next — this is the territory we’ll work in. Generalized anxiety often looks like high-functioning competence on the outside while the inside is exhausting. It responds well to therapy.

Work, performance, and burnout anxiety. Many of the people I see are professionals, parents, and high-achievers whose ambition has slowly turned into something that won’t let them rest. The anxiety has tangled up with their sense of identity — if I’m not driving, what am I worth? If I slow down, what falls apart? Working with this kind of anxiety often means looking at how it became your survival strategy and finding a new way of being effective that doesn’t require staying wound up.

​Panic attacks. Panic is its own beast. The racing heart, the chest tightness, the certainty that something terrible is happening — and the secondary fear of when it might happen again. Most people who experience panic attacks describe the fear of the next attack as worse than the attacks themselves. Therapy for panic is well-researched and effective; we can give you both immediate tools for managing attacks and longer-term work on what’s keeping the cycle going.

Social anxiety. Self-consciousness in groups. The conversation you keep rehearsing in your head before you join. The energy it takes to perform “normal” in social settings — and the relief when it’s finally over. Social anxiety is more common than most people realize, and it’s one of the most responsive forms of anxiety to treatment. We don’t need to make you a different person; we just need to give you more freedom to be the person you already are.

My approach

I draw primarily from two evidence-based approaches when working with anxiety, and I move between them based on what each person needs.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most well-researched approach for anxiety, and for good reason. Anxiety lives in the loop between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors — and CBT gives us tools to interrupt that loop in concrete, practical ways. We’ll look at the specific thoughts that are fueling your anxiety, test how true they actually are, and gradually build new patterns. CBT is structured and skills-based; you’ll leave most sessions with something you can practice during the week.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) comes at anxiety from a different angle, and I find it particularly useful when CBT alone isn’t quite reaching what’s going on. IFS treats anxiety not as something wrong with you, but as a part of you — usually a part that learned to be anxious for a reason, often a long time ago. We’ll get to know that part with curiosity rather than trying to silence it. What we usually find is that the anxious part is trying to protect something more vulnerable underneath, and once that vulnerable part feels heard, the anxious part doesn’t have to work so hard.
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In practice, most clients benefit from a combination — CBT for skills and structure, IFS for the deeper work of understanding why your nervous system has been on for so long.

Faith, when it fits

​If faith is part of how you make sense of your life, we can integrate it into the work — looking at how anxiety relates to trust, surrender, and the parts of your story God has already walked you through. I have a B.A. in Religion from Wofford College and am comfortable working from a Christian framework when that’s meaningful to you.
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If faith isn’t part of your story, the work is just as effective without it. I’ll follow your lead.

What sessions look like

Sessions are 50 minutes long and typically run weekly to start. Many clients with anxiety see meaningful shifts within 6–10 sessions; some choose to continue longer for deeper work or for ongoing maintenance during particularly stressful seasons.

I offer in-person sessions at my Greenville office at 156 Milestone Way, and HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions for clients anywhere in South Carolina. Many clients with anxiety actually prefer virtual at first — the lower barrier of doing therapy from home can make starting feel less daunting.

Fees and insurance

​Individual sessions are $120 per clinical hour. I’m in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna (Evernorth), UnitedHealthcare, and Aetna. For other insurance, I provide a superbill you can submit for potential reimbursement.
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I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation so we can talk about what’s going on and whether I’m the right fit. There’s no pressure on the call.

Ready to talk?

​If anything on this page feels familiar — even if you’re not sure your anxiety is “bad enough” to warrant therapy — that uncertainty itself is often a sign it’s worth exploring. Most people who reach out to me wish they’d done so sooner.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Or call (864) 881-2329

Anxiety Counseling FAQ

Yes. I offer HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions for clients anywhere in South Carolina, in addition to in-person sessions at my Greenville office at 156 Milestone Way. Many clients with anxiety actually prefer virtual at first — the lower barrier of doing therapy from home can make it easier to start. If you’re outside Greenville but still in South Carolina, virtual is a full option, not a workaround.

This is one of the most common things I hear — and it’s part of why so many people wait longer than they should to reach out. Anxiety doesn’t require your life to be falling apart to deserve attention. Many of the people I work with are high-functioning: they’re showing up at work, managing their relationships, getting things done. But on the inside, something won’t stop running. If that resonates, that’s exactly the kind of thing therapy is designed for. You don’t need a visible crisis to have a real problem.

I draw primarily from two evidence-based approaches. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps us look at the specific thought patterns that are fueling your anxiety — and gives you practical tools for interrupting those patterns and building new ones. Most clients leave CBT-focused sessions with something concrete to practice during the week. Internal Family Systems (IFS) comes at anxiety from a different direction: rather than treating anxiety as a problem to fix, IFS treats it as a part of you that learned to be anxious for a reason — often a long time ago. Getting curious about that part, rather than trying to silence it, tends to produce lasting change in a way that skills alone sometimes can’t. In practice, most clients benefit from both: CBT for structure and momentum, IFS for the deeper work.

I work with a range of anxiety concerns, including generalized anxiety and chronic worry, panic attacks, social anxiety, work and performance anxiety, burnout, health anxiety, and anxiety that’s tangled up with identity — the kind where slowing down doesn’t feel like an option. If you’re not sure which category you fall into, that’s fine. Most people’s anxiety doesn’t fit neatly into one box, and the label matters far less than understanding what’s actually going on for you.

It depends on what you’re working with and what your goals are. Many clients with anxiety see meaningful shifts within 6 to 10 sessions. Some choose to continue longer for deeper work, or to have support during especially stressful seasons. We’ll check in regularly about how things are going and adjust the plan as we go. The goal is always to build skills you can carry forward on your own — not to keep you in therapy indefinitely.

Individual sessions are $120 per clinical hour. I’m in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna (Evernorth), UnitedHealthcare, and Aetna. If you have a different insurance plan, I can provide a superbill you can submit for potential out-of-network reimbursement. If you’d like to verify your benefits before your first appointment, I’d recommend calling the member services number on your insurance card and asking about your mental health coverage.

Yes — and this is one of the areas where the research is clearest. Panic attacks are treatable. Part of what makes panic so exhausting is the secondary fear: the dread of when the next one might come, and what it might mean. Therapy gives you tools for managing an attack in the moment, but more importantly, it helps you understand the cycle that’s keeping the panic going. For most people, once they really understand what’s happening during a panic attack, it loses a significant amount of its power.

The first session is a conversation — there’s no pressure and no homework yet. We’ll talk about what’s been going on, what brings you in now, and what you’re hoping to get out of the work. You’ll also have space to ask any questions you have about my approach or what therapy looks like. Many people leave the first session feeling a quiet sense of relief simply from having talked about it openly in a space that’s entirely for them. If it turns out I’m not the right fit, I’ll tell you honestly and help you think through other options.

When it’s meaningful to you, yes. If faith is part of how you make sense of your life, we can look at how anxiety relates to trust, control, and the parts of your story you’ve already navigated with God’s help. I have a B.A. in Religion from Wofford College and am comfortable working from a Christian framework when that’s something you want. If faith isn’t part of your story — or if it’s complicated right now — the work is just as effective without it. I’ll follow your lead.

Do you offer virtual sessions for anxiety counseling?

Yes. I offer HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions for clients anywhere in South Carolina, in addition to in-person sessions at my Greenville office at 156 Milestone Way. Many clients with anxiety actually prefer virtual at first — the lower barrier of doing therapy from home can make it easier to start. If you’re outside Greenville but still in South Carolina, virtual is a full option, not a workaround.

Is anxiety counseling right for me if my life looks fine from the outside?

This is one of the most common things I hear — and it’s part of why so many people wait longer than they should to reach out. Anxiety doesn’t require your life to be falling apart to deserve attention. Many of the people I work with are high-functioning: they’re showing up at work, managing their relationships, getting things done. But on the inside, something won’t stop running. If that resonates, that’s exactly the kind of thing therapy is designed for. You don’t need a visible crisis to have a real problem.

What therapy approaches do you use for anxiety?

I draw primarily from two evidence-based approaches. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps us look at the specific thought patterns that are fueling your anxiety — and gives you practical tools for interrupting those patterns and building new ones. Most clients leave CBT-focused sessions with something concrete to practice during the week. Internal Family Systems (IFS) comes at anxiety from a different direction: rather than treating anxiety as a problem to fix, IFS treats it as a part of you that learned to be anxious for a reason — often a long time ago. Getting curious about that part, rather than trying to silence it, tends to produce lasting change in a way that skills alone sometimes can’t. In practice, most clients benefit from both: CBT for structure and momentum, IFS for the deeper work.

What types of anxiety do you treat in Greenville, SC?

I work with a range of anxiety concerns, including generalized anxiety and chronic worry, panic attacks, social anxiety, work and performance anxiety, burnout, health anxiety, and anxiety that’s tangled up with identity — the kind where slowing down doesn’t feel like an option. If you’re not sure which category you fall into, that’s fine. Most people’s anxiety doesn’t fit neatly into one box, and the label matters far less than understanding what’s actually going on for you.

How long does anxiety counseling typically take?

It depends on what you’re working with and what your goals are. Many clients with anxiety see meaningful shifts within 6 to 10 sessions. Some choose to continue longer for deeper work, or to have support during especially stressful seasons. We’ll check in regularly about how things are going and adjust the plan as we go. The goal is always to build skills you can carry forward on your own — not to keep you in therapy indefinitely.

What does anxiety counseling cost, and do you take insurance?

Individual sessions are $120 per clinical hour. I’m in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna (Evernorth), UnitedHealthcare, and Aetna. If you have a different insurance plan, I can provide a superbill you can submit for potential out-of-network reimbursement. If you’d like to verify your benefits before your first appointment, I’d recommend calling the member services number on your insurance card and asking about your mental health coverage.

Can therapy actually help with panic attacks?

Yes — and this is one of the areas where the research is clearest. Panic attacks are treatable. Part of what makes panic so exhausting is the secondary fear: the dread of when the next one might come, and what it might mean. Therapy gives you tools for managing an attack in the moment, but more importantly, it helps you understand the cycle that’s keeping the panic going. For most people, once they really understand what’s happening during a panic attack, it loses a significant amount of its power.

What can I expect from a first anxiety counseling session?

The first session is a conversation — there’s no pressure and no homework yet. We’ll talk about what’s been going on, what brings you in now, and what you’re hoping to get out of the work. You’ll also have space to ask any questions you have about my approach or what therapy looks like. Many people leave the first session feeling a quiet sense of relief simply from having talked about it openly in a space that’s entirely for them. If it turns out I’m not the right fit, I’ll tell you honestly and help you think through other options.

Do you integrate faith into anxiety counseling?

When it’s meaningful to you, yes. If faith is part of how you make sense of your life, we can look at how anxiety relates to trust, control, and the parts of your story you’ve already navigated with God’s help. I have a B.A. in Religion from Wofford College and am comfortable working from a Christian framework when that’s something you want. If faith isn’t part of your story — or if it’s complicated right now — the work is just as effective without it. I’ll follow your lead.