ANXIETY THERAPY · CHICAGO LOOP
Anxiety therapy that interrupts the loop, not just manages it.
You’re capable, high-functioning, and exhausted. This is therapy for people who’ve tried everything and still can’t turn their mind off.
FREE 30-MINUTE VIDEO CONSULT · NO COMMITMENT
Troy Johnson, LCSW | Founder, Queer Talk Therapy
ANXIETY THERAPY · CHICAGO LOOP
Anxiety therapy that interrupts the loop, not just manages it.
You’re capable, high-functioning, and exhausted. This is therapy for people who’ve tried everything and still can’t turn their mind off.
FREE 30-MINUTE VIDEO CONSULT · NO COMMITMENT
Troy Johnson, LCSW | Founder, Queer Talk Therapy
— BEFORE WE BEGIN
When managing anxiety stops being enough.
High-functioning anxiety doesn’t announce itself. It looks like discipline. Preparation. Responsibility.
But underneath, your nervous system never rests.
You’ve already tried the apps, the breathing exercises, the advice to “just relax.” They worked for a week. Then the anxiety came back, quieter but just as persistent.
This is where a lot of people start looking for something built differently.
Not therapy that teaches you to tolerate the discomfort forever. Therapy that helps you understand why your brain keeps doing this — and how to actually interrupt it.
— A DIFFERENT CLINICAL LENS
What conventional anxiety
therapy misses.
Most anxiety treatment focuses on symptom reduction. The Queer Talk Method focuses on pattern recognition. Here’s what that means:
01 Why rest doesn’t fix it
Your anxiety isn’t from doing too much. It’s from a nervous system that never learned the threat passed. We teach your body what safety actually feels like.
02 When anxiety is adaptive, not broken
Sometimes anxiety is your brain correctly identifying that something in your life doesn’t fit. We help you tell the difference between nervous system noise and accurate signal.
03 The performance trap
High-functioning anxiety often comes from years of proving you belong. That performance has a cost. We name it.
04 Inherited versus earned
Your anxiety might be responding to old threats — family rejection, financial precarity, social exclusion — that shaped you but aren’t current anymore. We update the script.
A free 30-minute consult gives us a first read on fit, pace, and what kind of support would actually help.
— WHAT PEOPLE COME IN FOR
Not just anxiety. The whole pattern.
Most people don’t arrive here with one clean problem. They arrive with overlapping patterns that conventional therapy keeps treating separately.
THE SPIRAL THAT WON’T STOP
THE FLATNESS UNDERNEATH
THE WEIGHT OF HONESTY
— IN THE ROOM
Therapy built for people who think fast.
You won’t waste time explaining context.
This is anxiety therapy in Chicago for adults who are tired of translating themselves before the work can start. You don’t need a therapist to validate that anxiety is hard. You need someone who can identify what’s driving it and help you interrupt the cycle — not six months from now, but this week.
Getting started is simple.
- Book a free 30-minute video consultation.
- We’ll meet and talk about fit.
If it feels right, we’ll schedule your first session.
Uses Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person Centered Therapy, and the Queer Talk Method — evidence-based frameworks delivered without jargon.
TROY JOHNSON, LCSW
Therapy with a
point of view.
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in high-functioning anxiety and the quiet exhaustion of performing a life that doesn’t fit. I built the Queer Talk Method because conventional anxiety therapy treats symptoms, not patterns — and I needed something that actually interrupts the cycle.
— A FEW COMMON QUESTIONS
Miss Betty, Chief Vibes Officer
Before you book, some things Betty wants you to know.
Do I have to be LGBTQ+ to work with you?
No. Queer Talk Therapy serves queer, trans, and allied clients. The method was built within queer clinical practice — which means it was designed for people navigating complexity, challenging inherited frameworks, and building lives that don’t fit conventional templates. That skillset applies to anyone dealing with high-functioning anxiety, systemic pressure, or the quiet exhaustion of performing a life that doesn’t actually fit. You don’t need to share an identity to benefit from the method.
Is therapy in person or online?
Most sessions are held in person at our Chicago Loop office, 307 N. Michigan Ave, Suite 824. The first consultation is a free 30-minute video call.
Telehealth in Illinois is available on a limited basis depending on the clinician, including a Spanish-speaking option starting in late May.
What does high-functioning anxiety actually mean?
High-functioning anxiety isn’t a formal diagnosis — it’s a clinical pattern. You perform well on the outside: you meet deadlines, show up for people, keep everything together. But internally, your nervous system never rests. Overthinking, decision paralysis, constant preparation for problems that haven’t happened. It’s exhausting, and most anxiety therapy treats it like you just need better coping skills. We treat it like a pattern that can be interrupted.
How is this different from anxiety counseling I’ve already tried?
Most anxiety therapy focuses on symptom management — breathing techniques, thought stopping, coping skills. That helps in the moment, but it doesn’t change the underlying pattern. The Queer Talk Method treats anxiety as information: What is your nervous system responding to? Is the threat current or inherited? Is the anxiety accurate signal or outdated protection? We identify the root and interrupt the loop, not just manage the symptoms forever.
Do you offer sliding scale or different fee options?
Yes. Session fees vary depending on the clinician, with a range of options to support different needs and levels of access. The goal is to offer flexibility without diluting the work.
What insurance do you accept?
BCBS, Aetna, and United PPO are accepted.
Will there be a dog in the office?
Sometimes. Betty, the office dog, may be present during sessions. She is friendly, calm, and a quiet part of the space for many clients. If you prefer a dog-free session, she can stay home. Just let us know what works best for you.
A CLEARER PLACE TO START
Ready when you are.
If any of this has landed, the next step is a free 30-minute consult. We’ll talk about what’s driving the anxiety, what you’ve already tried, and whether this approach makes sense for what you’re dealing with.
NOT A COMMITMENT. A CONVERSATION.
A free 30-minute consult is a simple first step.