Therapy in Johnson City, TN
Willow & Arbor is located in Johnson City, Tennessee, just off Exit 22 on I-26 at 508 E Unaka Ave, Suite 1. We provide clinically supervised, private-pay therapy for individuals, couples, children, teens, and families in Johnson City and throughout the Tri-Cities region.
Johnson City is where we are. It's also where much of the region converges: East Tennessee State University, the Mountain Home VA Medical Center, the dominant regional healthcare systems, students, veterans, healthcare workers, families, and people from surrounding towns who already come here for work, appointments, and daily life.
Johnson City has always been a little harder to pin down than a single identity allows - a college town, a healthcare hub, a VA town, a railroad town, and a place where people from the surrounding counties come because this is where the services are. Even Mountain Dew's early story runs through this part of the state. That kind of local story matters here because where therapy happens, who sees it, and what systems it runs through can matter more in a close regional community than it might from a distance.
Therapy for individuals, couples, children, teens, and families in Johnson City, TN.
We offer in-person therapy at our Johnson City office and telehealth across Tennessee when clinically appropriate.
Individual therapy
For adults carrying anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, identity questions, relationship patterns, or life transitions.
Couples therapy
For relationships affected by conflict, distance, resentment, betrayal, or patterns that keep repeating.
Child and teen therapy
For young people navigating anxiety, mood changes, school stress, family strain, or identity questions.
Family therapy
For families navigating communication patterns, parenting strain, transitions, or stress affecting more than one person.
LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy
For clients who want therapy where identity isn't treated as the problem.
Telehealth therapy
For clients across Tennessee when privacy, safety, and clinical fit make telehealth the right starting point.
Johnson City brings the region together. Sometimes you want therapy that's inside the city but outside the systems.
Willow & Arbor is private pay, doesn't bill insurance directly, and isn't connected to the dominant regional healthcare systems or any employer-connected healthcare system.
College students
Students at ETSU, Milligan, and other area institutions navigating academic pressure, identity, relationships, and the transition of being away from home. Campus counseling has session limits. We don't.
Veterans and military families
Mountain Home VA Medical Center is right here. Dr. Barteck's extensive VA clinical experience is built into the clinical oversight for every therapist at this practice. Veterans and military families who want care outside the VA system will find that background in our clinical foundation.
Healthcare workers
Johnson City's dominant regional healthcare systems employ a large share of the area's clinical workforce. If you work inside those systems, you may not want therapy inside the same network. We're not part of them. That separation is intentional and structural.
First responders
Police, fire, and EMS in Johnson City and the surrounding region carrying accumulated trauma exposure, hypervigilance, and the weight of what the job requires. Private pay means no department documentation, no EAP record, no third-party access.
Educators
Teachers and staff from Johnson City, Washington, Carter, and Unicoi county schools, ETSU, Milligan, and other area institutions carrying secondary trauma, vocational grief, and the weight of work that was supposed to mean something.
Leaders and managers
People in leadership roles who want therapy outside the community where they're known. Private pay means no insurance claim and no record outside this practice.
Professionals
Professionals who want care outside the networks they work inside, without the visibility concerns that come with therapy in a close regional community.
New to the area
People who've relocated to Johnson City or the Tri-Cities and are rebuilding support systems from scratch. We know this area. You won't have to explain the geography of starting over here.
Browse all
See the full list of populations we work with at Willow & Arbor.
What brings people to therapy in Johnson City.
We work with a wide range of concerns at our Johnson City practice. The links below lead to dedicated pages organized by concern area.
Individual concerns
Anxiety, depression, burnout, shame, anger, self-esteem, codependency, perfectionism, loneliness, and other concerns that often bring adults to individual therapy.
Trauma and loss
Trauma, grief, religious trauma, emotional neglect, betrayal, and the lasting effects of experiences that were too much to process alone - common concerns for Johnson City's veteran and first responder communities.
Relationships and couples
Relationship conflict, emotional distance, betrayal, trust issues, marriage counseling, and patterns that keep repeating in close relationships.
Family and parenting
Family conflict, parenting stress, caregiver stress, family communication breakdown, and the strain that accumulates when family systems are under pressure.
Child and teen concerns
Teen anxiety, school stress, mood and behavior changes, social pressure, and identity questions - concerns affecting young people in Johnson City, Washington, Carter, and Unicoi county schools.
Identity and affirming concerns
LGBTQIA+ family stress, hiding or masking identity, faith and culture, and religious trauma - concerns where identity is part of the conversation without being treated as the whole problem.
ADHD, autism and learning differences
ADHD, autism, executive function difficulties, late diagnosis, and the emotional and relational impact of a mind that works differently - relevant for ETSU students and adults throughout the Tri-Cities.
Health and life stage
Chronic illness, postpartum mental health, pregnancy loss, medical stress, and the emotional weight of health changes - concerns where Johnson City's healthcare worker community often has specific needs.
OCD and intrusive thoughts
OCD, intrusive thoughts, health anxiety, eating disorders, and cycles of fear or compulsion that become hard to escape.
How therapy works at our Johnson City practice.
Therapists at Willow & Arbor draw on a range of evidence-based approaches. The method depends on the presenting concern, the person, and what the work calls for.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
One of the most widely used approaches in the field. Useful for anxiety, depression, perfectionism, and the thought patterns that sustain them.
Psychodynamic therapy
Useful for understanding patterns underneath the presenting concern - where they came from, what they're protecting, and what they're costing.
EMDR therapy
Designed for processing traumatic material that stays present in ways talk therapy alone doesn't reach. Particularly relevant for Johnson City's veteran and first responder communities.
DBT skills
Particularly useful for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and the intensity of feeling that makes daily life harder to navigate.
Attachment-based therapy
Useful for the relational patterns that repeat across relationships - how early attachment shapes what you look for and how things tend to break down.
Person-centered therapy
A therapeutic relationship built around genuine engagement rather than technique. Useful when the primary need is a consistent, non-judgmental space.
Trauma-informed therapy
An approach to the entire therapeutic relationship that accounts for what repeated trauma exposure does to the nervous system - relevant across Johnson City's healthcare worker, veteran, and first responder populations.
Emotionally focused therapy (EFT)
Used primarily in couples and family therapy to address the emotional patterns underneath conflict and distance.
Browse all methods
See the full list of therapy methods used at Willow & Arbor, with dedicated pages for each approach.
Named therapists, clinical supervision, and a clear first step.
The office is at 508 E Unaka Ave, Suite 1, a short drive from downtown Johnson City, ETSU, and the VA Medical Center. In-person therapy here, telehealth across Tennessee when appropriate.
Private pay and employer separation
No insurance billing, and no institutional connection to regional employer health systems. Your therapy records are part of our clinical recordkeeping, not part of any employer's system.
Named therapists
You know who you're seeing before therapy begins: their credentials, their supervision structure, and what they work with.
Clinical supervision
All therapists practice under the direct clinical supervision of Dr. Katherine Barteck, Licensed Psychologist and Clinical Director.
Telehealth across Tennessee
When privacy, safety, and fit make telehealth appropriate, sessions are available by secure video to clients physically located in Tennessee.
Fees and consultation
The initial consultation is free. Sessions are self-pay and vary by therapist and type of appointment. We don't bill insurance directly. Therapy is provided by associate-licensed therapists under the clinical supervision of Dr. Katherine Barteck.
View feesGetting started
The first step is a free 15-minute consultation. You don't need a diagnosis or a clear explanation before reaching out.
How it worksTherapy in Johnson City, TN. You don't have to have it figured out before you reach out.
The consultation is a conversation. It helps us understand what you're looking for and whether we may be the right place to begin.