Emily Kriehn, LCSW
Trauma, Anxiety & LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapist · Virtual Therapy in Missouri & Arkansas
You've been carrying a lot.
Maybe for a long time.
Somewhere along the way, you started wondering if therapy could actually help — or if you'd just sit across from someone (even on a screen) and struggle to find the words for something that's felt unspeakable for years.
Maybe you're anxious in a way that never fully turns off — the thought loops, the hypervigilance, the exhausting work of managing it all while looking fine on the outside. Maybe you're carrying trauma that keeps showing up in your present life in ways you can't quite explain. Maybe you're a woman holding a hundred roles and quietly wondering when it's okay to put some of it down.
Maybe you've tried to talk about this before and it didn't quite land. And you're willing to try again — with someone who really listens.
That's exactly where Emily comes in.
Emily Kriehn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) at gokc Healing Center specializing in trauma, anxiety, mood disorders, and LGBTQ+ affirming care. She sees clients exclusively via telehealth in Missouri and Arkansas — bringing warm, skilled, depth-oriented therapy to wherever you are.
Who Emily Works With
You might be a great fit if any of this resonates:
- You've experienced trauma — childhood wounds, toxic relationships, loss — and it's still showing up in your daily life in ways you can't quite explain
- You're anxious, overwhelmed, or stuck in thought loops that feel impossible to turn off
- You struggle with self-worth, people-pleasing, or feeling like you're always "too much" or "not enough"
- You identify as LGBTQ+ and want a therapist who genuinely gets it — no explaining, no educating, just affirming support
- You're navigating a mood disorder that makes the everyday feel heavier than it should
- You're a woman carrying the weight of a hundred roles and wondering when it's okay to put some of it down
- You're dealing with grief, relationship stress, or the lasting effects of bullying
- You've tried therapy before and it didn't quite land — and you're willing to try again with someone who really listens
- You're ready to stop white-knuckling your way through life and start actually understanding yourself — your patterns, your wounds, your worth
Emily sees clients exclusively via telehealth in Missouri and Arkansas. Originally from Arkansas herself, she understands what it's like to navigate life somewhere that doesn't always feel like home — and brings that depth of understanding to every client she works with.
Related services at gokcAreas of Focus
Complex Trauma & PTSD Therapy
Trauma doesn't always announce itself. It shows up in the patterns — the relationships that repeat, the reactions that seem outsized, the ways you protect yourself that used to make sense and now just feel like walls. Emily specializes in complex trauma and PTSD, helping clients understand how the past is showing up in the present — and building a path forward that doesn't require you to relive everything to heal from it. She uses CBT, IFS, and DBT in an integrated approach tailored to how your particular nervous system works.
Anxiety Therapy — For the Overthinkers Who Can't Turn It Off
Anxiety isn't just worry. It's the thought loops that start at 2am and won't stop. The hypervigilance that makes everything feel like a potential threat. The exhausting work of managing it all while appearing perfectly fine. Emily works with high-achievers, overthinkers, and people who've been anxious so long they've forgotten what it feels like to actually rest. Using CBT and DBT, she helps you understand what's driving the anxiety — and build genuine, lasting relief.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy in Missouri & Arkansas
Finding a therapist who actually gets it — not just tolerates it — is harder than it should be. Emily offers genuinely affirming care for queer, trans, nonbinary, and questioning clients, without the exhausting work of having to educate your therapist first. Her practice is a space where your full identity is welcomed from the first session. She sees LGBTQ+ clients virtually throughout Missouri and Arkansas — including areas where affirming care can be especially hard to find.
Women's Issues & Self-Esteem Therapy
There's a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from being a woman holding too many roles — caretaker, professional, partner, daughter — while quietly wondering if there's any room left for you. Emily works with women navigating self-worth, people-pleasing, and the deep conditioning that makes it hard to trust your own needs and reactions. This work is about learning to be the main character in your own story — not just the supporting cast in everyone else's.
Mood Disorders, Grief & Relationship Therapy
Whether you're managing depression, processing a loss that doesn't follow anyone's timeline, working through the lasting effects of bullying, or navigating relationship stress — Emily brings both clinical skill and genuine warmth to the work. Therapy with Emily is a space where the complicated, messy, hard-to-name stuff is exactly what's welcome.
What Therapy with Emily Looks Like
Emily uses a blend of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) — tailored to what actually fits you. But she's honest about something: no technique matters without a real, trusting relationship first. That's always where she starts.
She wants to get to know you — your hopes, your fears, your humor, your history. Therapy with Emily doesn't have to feel stiff or clinical. She believes in you as the main character of your own story. Her job isn't to rewrite it — it's to sit with you in the hard chapters, help you find the thread of who you really are, and support you as you write something new.
"I want to get to know you — your hopes, your fears, your humor, your history. Therapy doesn't have to feel stiff or clinical. It can feel like finally exhaling."
— Emily
All sessions are conducted via telehealth — which means you can show up from your couch, your car, your lunch break, wherever you feel safe enough to be real. No commute, no waiting room, no small talk before you're ready.
Not sure if Emily is the right fit? Try the gokc Therapist Match Maker — it takes two minutes and connects you with the right person on our team.
Credentials & Background
Emily Kriehn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) at gokc Healing Center, licensed to provide virtual therapy in Missouri and Arkansas. She specializes in trauma, anxiety, mood disorders, LGBTQ+ affirming care, women's issues, and self-esteem — bringing a warm, relational, and clinically grounded approach to every client she works with.
Originally from Arkansas, Emily brings a firsthand understanding of navigating life in places that don't always feel like home — and extends that empathy to clients throughout both states. She is committed to making quality, trauma-informed therapy accessible to people wherever they are, including in areas where affirming care can be genuinely hard to find.
Emily is part of the gokc team — a Kansas City-based practice rooted in the belief that therapy should be accessible, real, and genuinely helpful.
Insurance & Payment Options
Emily accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield for individual therapy, and private pay for clients who prefer flexibility or don't carry BCBS coverage.
Using Insurance
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) accepted for individual therapy.
Not sure if your plan qualifies? Reach out and we'll help you verify before your first appointment.
Private Pay
Available for clients who prefer flexibility or don't carry BCBS coverage.
Contact Emily to discuss current rates and availability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer LGBTQ+ affirming therapy in Missouri and Arkansas?
Yes — and it's a core part of Emily's practice. She provides genuinely affirming care for queer, trans, nonbinary, bisexual, lesbian, and questioning clients throughout Missouri and Arkansas. No explaining your identity before you can get to the real work. Emily gets it from the first session.
What is Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a powerful, evidence-based approach that understands the psyche as made up of different "parts" — inner voices, protective strategies, and wounded aspects of the self that all developed for good reasons. IFS helps you build a compassionate relationship with all of your parts — including the ones you've been trying to suppress or ignore — so they don't run the show unconsciously. Emily integrates IFS alongside CBT and DBT based on what each client needs.
Is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy?
Research consistently shows that telehealth therapy produces outcomes equivalent to in-person therapy for most conditions — including trauma, anxiety, and depression. For many clients, online therapy is actually more effective because it removes barriers: no commute, no waiting room, no performance of being "okay" in a public space. Emily sees clients exclusively online — and considers it a feature, not a limitation.
Do you offer trauma therapy in Arkansas?
Yes. Emily is licensed in Arkansas and provides trauma-informed, LGBTQ+ affirming therapy virtually to clients throughout the state. For Arkansas residents, especially those in areas where affirming or specialized care is hard to access, telehealth with Emily is a meaningful option. Learn more about trauma therapy at gokc →
What if I've tried therapy before and it didn't help?
Emily hears this often — and takes it seriously. Therapy not working is usually about fit: the wrong approach, the wrong connection, or a style that didn't match how you actually think and communicate. Emily's warm, relational approach — combined with CBT, IFS, and DBT — gives you more ways in. A free consultation is a no-pressure way to see if it feels different.
Do you accept Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance?
Yes. Emily accepts BCBS for individual therapy. If you're unsure whether your specific plan qualifies, reach out and we'll help you figure it out before your first appointment.
How do I know if Emily is the right therapist for me?
If you're nodding along — even a little — to what you've read here, that's enough reason to reach out. The best next step is a free consultation — a real conversation about what you're carrying and whether working together feels like the right fit. You can also try the gokc Therapist Match Maker to explore the full team.
Ready to Finally Exhale?
Starting therapy takes courage. You don't have to have it all figured out before you reach out. Text, call, email, or schedule — whatever feels easiest. Emily would love to hear your story.
Schedule a Free Consultation →Meet the full gokc therapy team — or use our Therapist Match Maker to find the right fit.
