When Life Feels Like a Storm: Therapy for High-Achieving Women & Nonbinary AFAB Professionals

Therapist in Salt Lake City

You’ve been holding it all together for so long—the projects, the responsibilities, the care for others. From the outside, you might even seem like the one who has it all under control. But inside? It’s loud. It’s chaotic. It’s overwhelming.

There are moments you feel like you’re on the verge of a panic attack. You find yourself thinking, “Am I going crazy?” Your thoughts are spinning, your body is tense, and you feel like you’re being blown from one emotional crisis to another in a constant windstorm of stress. You’re trying to function, but the overwhelm is starting to take over.

You’re not just tired—you’re disoriented, scared, and starting to feel unrecognizable to yourself.

The Weight of It All Feels Too Heavy

You’re used to pushing through. Compartmentalizing. Overachieving. People-pleasing. Doing things perfectly. These strategies have helped you succeed in your career, in your relationships, in life—but lately, those strategies aren’t working as well as they used to and it’s more difficult to do them than it used to be.

The more you try to keep going, the closer you feel to breaking. You’re afraid you’ll stop functioning altogether. You’re terrified of falling apart.

You feel isolated, even in the presence of others. Like people are far away. Sometimes they don’t even feel real. And somewhere inside, there’s a small but persistent voice whispering: “You shouldn’t need help for this.”

But you do need help—and that’s not weakness. That’s wisdom.

Hi, I’m Christy Kobe — SLC Therapist

I help progressive, perfectionistic, high-achieving women and nonbinary AFAB individuals who are stressed, overwhelmed, burned out, and afraid they’re about to break. My approach is grounded, compassionate, and centered around helping you open space for kindness, curiosity, and deep healing—the kind of healing that doesn’t just “manage symptoms” but transforms the way you relate to yourself and the world.

I blend body-based, nervous system work with emotionally focused, trauma-informed therapy to help you not just cope, but feel calm, clear, confident, and grounded again.

In short: I help you come back to yourself.

A Different Kind of Support

Therapy with me is not about weekly venting sessions or surface-level advice. It’s about transformation. It’s about moving from “I’m barely surviving” to “I can breathe again.”

Together, we’ll work to:

  • Understand the deeper roots of what’s keeping you stuck in stress, shame, or self-blame

  • Rewire your relationship with your body and your nervous system so that you can feel safe again

  • Loosen the grip of perfectionism and create more space for flexibility, freedom, and rest

  • Reconnect with your own sense of aliveness, clarity, and calm

You don’t have to carry all of this alone anymore.

What It’s Like to Work With Me

Clients often say our work feels like a soft landing—a place where they can finally exhale, say the things they’ve never said out loud, and begin to feel like themselves again. I bring over 20 years of experience as a therapist, but more importantly, I bring my presence, curiosity, and unwavering belief in your capacity to heal.

You don’t need to earn support. You already deserve it.

Let’s Take the First Step Together

Schedule 45-Minute Phone Consultation with a Therapist in Salt Lake City

You don’t have to commit to anything yet — just reach out. We’ll talk for 45 minutes on the phone so you can get a feel for how I work and ask any questions you have. No pressure. Just space.

Let’s take the next step together.

You’ve held it all. Let someone hold space for you now.

FAQs — Working with a Therapist in Salt Lake City

  • 1. I’m usually the one people come to. Why can’t I handle this on my own?
    You're not broken — you’re human. And if you’ve always been the strong one, it can feel unfamiliar and even shameful to need support. But needing help doesn’t mean you’ve failed — it means you’ve been carrying too much for too long, and your system is letting you know it’s time to have someone support you for once.

    2. How do I know if I need therapy?
    If you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected from yourself, or like you’re constantly one step away from falling apart — that’s a sign something deeper is asking for your attention. Therapy is a place to make sense of it all, to slow down, and to finally feel safe enough to breathe and begin healing.

    3. What kinds of people do you usually work with?
    I work with high-achieving women and nonbinary AFAB folks who tend to be the ones holding everything together. They’re often perfectionistic, hard on themselves, emotionally attuned to others, and struggling silently with anxiety, shame, burnout, or past trauma. Many are progressive, thoughtful, and deeply caring — and often very tired.

    4. What happens in the first session?
    The first session is really about getting to know you — what’s been going on, what led you here, and how you’re feeling right now. You don’t have to have a perfect story or know exactly what to say. We’ll move at a pace that feels safe and respectful to you.

    5. I’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t help. How is this different?
    You’re not alone in that. Many of my clients have tried therapy in the past that felt too surface-level, too advice-heavy, or not attuned to their experience. What we do together goes deeper — it includes working with your nervous system, exploring the root causes of your patterns, and creating real space for gentleness, curiosity, and lasting change.

    6. Do you offer virtual sessions or just in-person therapy?
    I offer both! I work with clients across Utah through secure telehealth sessions, and I also see clients in person in Salt Lake City. You can choose what feels most supportive and accessible for you.

    7. Will I have to talk about my trauma right away?
    Not at all. You’re always in control of what we talk about and when. We’ll build safety and trust first — and I’ll follow your lead. Sometimes what feels most healing at first is just having a space to not be alone in your experience.

    8. What does “nervous system work” mean?
    It means we go beyond just talking about your stress — we help your body start to feel safe again. When you’re stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, it’s not enough to just think differently. I use body-based tools and somatic practices to help you reconnect with your own internal calm and stability.

    9. What if I feel ashamed for needing therapy?
    That shame is so common — especially for people who’ve always been praised for being strong and self-sufficient. But you deserve support, not because you’re failing, but because you’re worthy of care. Therapy is not a weakness — it’s an act of courage and self-respect.

    10. What’s your fee and do you take insurance?
    My sessions are [insert fee] and I’m an out-of-network provider, which means I don’t take insurance directly. However, I can give you a superbill to submit for possible reimbursement. We’ll talk through all the logistics up front, so you know what to expect.Individual Therapy with SLC Therapist and Utah Therapist, Christy Kobe, LCSW, CCTP, EMDR Therapist Utah

I specialize in working with individuals who are struggling with trauma, anxiety, or relationship issues, who are in their mid 20’s through their late 50’s.

80 minute sessions for Effective Empowerment

I use 80 minute sessions, which are called double sessions, with all of my clients because research and my clinical experience have shown that double sessions are “the gold standard” and best practice for therapy. For several years now, I’ve been meeting exclusively for double sessions with all of my clients, and have found that these 80 minute sessions enable me and my clients to create SO much more change and progress in their lives and relationships than what was possible with shorter therapy sessions. I ask that people who want to work with me commit to meeting a minimum of once every two weeks because that’s what I’ve found is needed in order to create the momentum and progress needed for my clients to achieve and maintain the changes they want.

Using the Iceberg Model for Long-Term Healing

I describe each individual’s issues as being like an iceberg. We each have the external, more visible, superficial things that are like the tip of the iceberg peaking out above the surface of the water such as our behaviors, less difficult emotions, and things we feel comfortable sharing with people we don’t know very well. Under the surface of the water, however, is the much bigger part of the iceberg. That is where our more vulnerable and distressing emotions reside, the triggers that drive our patterns of behavior, patterns in the families we grew up in, traumatic things that have happened to us, and things we don’t share with others.

It’s what is under the surface of the water that is usually driving or causing the things above the surface of the water that we want to change. As a therapist, my desire and commitment is to assist you in creating significant and lasting change rather than just putting a band-aid on things. I want to assist you in identifying and working through what is driving you reacting in ways you don’t like in your life so you don’t have to go through the remaining several decades of your life continuing to have those buttons pushed. This is why I use double sessions, rather than bare minimum, shorter sessions.

Experience Support, Understanding, Connection, and Feeling Emotionally Safe

I will:

  • provide a safe, non-judgmental relationship & process for you to work through things

  • share my perspective and expertise

  • help you begin to understand the science of how your brain impacts your body

  • teach you tools and skills for coping and managing difficult symptoms and struggles

I don’t want to stop at providing you with support, deeper understanding, and some tools and shorter-term solutions though. I want to help you to create significant, lasting change.

So, I also want to help you to:

  • shift the dynamics in your relationships & replace unhealthy behaviors with ones shown by decades of research and clinical experience to support happy, long-term, connected, meaningful & fulfilling relationships

  • experience being truly seen, understood and supported

  • explore, identify and address the causes of your struggles

  • thrive not just survive

Your Next Step

If this sounds like a good fit for what you’re looking for and you are feeling ready for change, please contact me through the contact form on this page in order to hear back from me most quickly. You may also email me or give me a call to schedule your 45 minute phone consultation today.

Please Note: I am a fee-for-service, private pay therapist, which means that you are responsible to pay the fee for each session at the time of the session. Many of my clients pay for their therapy with their health savings account or flexible spending account, while others pay with cash or card.

I am considered an out-of-network provider for all insurance plans. You can get more information about seeking out-of-network reimbursement from your insurance plan here: