Should you see Laura in Charlotte or in Columbus?
If you live in Polk County or the South Carolina foothills, the Columbus office is usually the sensible choice, because it is close and anxiety counseling works best when getting there is not a struggle. If you live or work in the Charlotte area, or spend part of each week there, the main practice may fit better. Laura is the same counselor in both places, working with adults on anxiety and the other concerns she lists.
The deciding questions are practical: where you are on the days you could come, how much driving adds to your stress, which days Laura is at each office, and how much distance from home you want for privacy. Ask Laura about schedules when you get in touch.
How far apart are the two offices?
Columbus is roughly eighty-three miles from central Charlotte by road, according to a public route planner, about an hour and three-quarters in light traffic. The route runs west on I-85 to Gastonia and Kings Mountain, then US 74 through Shelby and Rutherford County into Polk County. Real drive times depend on traffic around Charlotte and Gastonia, and on weather.
From the foothills towns to Columbus, the drives are short. Approximate road distances are:
- Tryon: about five miles on NC 108.
- Mill Spring: about four miles.
- Landrum, SC: about eight miles.
- Saluda: about ten miles, down I-26 and US 74 to exit 67.
- Rutherfordton: about twenty-two miles on US 74.
- Shelby: about forty miles on US 74.
When Columbus makes more sense
For anxiety in particular, a short and predictable trip matters. A long drive before a session can leave you keyed up; a long drive after one, when you may feel tired or stirred up, is worth avoiding too. If you live in Tryon, Columbus, Saluda, Mill Spring, Lynn, Green Creek or the South Carolina towns just over the line, Columbus is likely to be the better fit.
Columbus also has a practical advantage for privacy: it is the county seat, where people go for the courthouse, county offices, the hospital and clinics, so an appointment there looks like an ordinary errand. Anxiety counseling in Columbus, NC has more about that office, and anxiety counseling for Landrum and Saluda covers the state line and mountain weather.
When Charlotte makes more sense
Charlotte may suit you better if you live in the Charlotte area, commute there, or split your time between Charlotte and the foothills. It may also suit people who want maximum distance between their counseling and their small-town life. In a city, the chance of meeting a neighbor in a waiting room is smaller.
Because the Columbus office is part-time, Charlotte may also offer different days or times. Ask Laura which days she is at each office, and whether it is possible to see her in both places at different times of year, for example for people who spend winters in one place and summers in the other.
Privacy is the same in both places
Confidentiality does not depend on which office you use. The same rules and the same legal limits apply. What changes is only the practical side: who you might see on the way in. Seeing a counselor outside your own town looks at that trade-off in more detail.
What about video sessions?
The National Institute of Mental Health notes that psychotherapy for generalized anxiety can be effective when delivered in person or virtually by telehealth. Whether video sessions are available with Laura, and from which states you could join, is a question to ask her directly; this site does not state it.
If you are thinking about video because of the drive, also think about privacy at home. A session from a house where others can overhear is not always easier than one in an office. If you do try video, ask about a quiet place you could use instead, such as a parked car or a room at a friend's house.
What anxiety counseling with Laura involves
Wherever you see her, Laura Bass is a psychotherapist who works with adults in individual counseling, couples counseling and infidelity counseling, and anxiety is among the concerns she lists. She works with the whole person, mind, body and spirit, and clients choose what to include, from talk therapy alone to grounding, journaling or meditation. She does not promise particular results, and no honest counselor will.
The pillar page, anxiety and privacy in a small town, explains how counseling can help with anxiety and how confidentiality works when everyone knows everyone.
How to get started
Call 704-706-3264 or use the contact page. Say where you live, which office you would prefer, and that you would like to talk about anxiety. Ask which days Laura is at each office and whether there is a wait. Questions to ask before you start has a fuller list.
Counseling is not crisis care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 at any hour. In Polk County, Vaya Health's crisis line is 1-800-849-6127. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Common questions
Does Laura Bass have an office near Tryon?
Yes. Her main practice is in Charlotte, and she has a part-time office at The Healing Cottage in Columbus, the Polk County seat, about five miles from Tryon on NC 108. Because the Columbus office is part-time, ask which days she is there when you call 704-706-3264 or write through the contact page.
How long is the drive from Charlotte to Columbus, NC?
Roughly eighty-three miles from central Charlotte, mostly on I-85 and US 74 through Gastonia, Kings Mountain and Shelby. A public route planner puts it at about an hour and three-quarters in light traffic. Rush hour around Charlotte and Gastonia, or bad weather, can add a good deal to that.
Can I switch between the Charlotte and Columbus offices?
Ask Laura. Some people split their time between Charlotte and the foothills, and it may be possible to see her in one place for part of the year and the other for the rest. It depends on her schedule at each office. Raise it when you first get in touch so the arrangement is clear from the start.
Is the Charlotte office more private than Columbus?
Confidentiality is identical at both. The difference is only who you might happen to see on the way in. In Charlotte you are less likely to meet a neighbor; in Columbus an appointment looks like any errand to the county seat. Either way, a counselor does not confirm to anyone that you are a client without your written permission, apart from narrow legal exceptions.