As perfectly exemplified by Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) on the hit HBO series The Sopranos, there’s often a stigma surrounding therapy. Despite having a panic attack and losing consciousness, he’s initially unwilling to explore with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) the deep-rooted feelings that are causing his stress. For Tony, who fiercely hides these sessions from his friends, it’s considered a weakness to have such discussions.
Bensalem’s Kristen Spear, the sole practitioner of the Newtown-based Clarity Mental Wellness, LLC, is working to break society’s common misconception that therapy equals failure, or that it’s something to fear.
“We need to normalize that we’re all going through, maybe not the same exact thing, but the same emotions — that it’s isolating to feel like you can’t open up and talk about your thoughts, why you feel conflicted about what’s going on around you or what’s going on in your life,” Spear said. “So it gives the freedom, really, to talk to someone and not be judged, and to be told that other people go through this, too. You’re not bad, you’re not wrong, you’re not doing something horrible by having negative thoughts, feelings or emotions.”
Spear’s passion for psychology dates to her senior year of high school at Conwell-Egan, when she took an elective course on the topic. Though she found it absolutely fascinating to learn about how people think, her journey to becoming a therapist — and opening up her very own practice — was far from linear.
After starting to earn her associate’s degree in psychology at Bucks County Community College, she switched gears to pursue a degree in liberal arts. At Penn State Abington, she studied creative writing and got her degree in letters, arts and sciences, as well as a minor in English. All the while, she kept taking psychology courses, as the field continued to spark her interest: “What’s funny is, I probably had enough for a minor [in psychology] but I didn’t look into it.”Â
Upon earning her degree, Spear worked for some time as a content editor before the company downsized and she was let go. Though this could’ve been a major upheaval in her career, the timing actually worked out perfectly. After attending therapy herself and recognizing that psychology was, in fact, her true love, she began a master’s program at La Salle University in psychology counseling. Spear lost her content editing job during her first semester, allowing her to dedicate all of her time to her studies and her true calling in life.Â
“When that bubble burst, it kind of worked out for me,” she said, adding that many of the skills learned during her content career — critical thinking, symbolism, perception — carried over.
Spear spent seven years at a group private practice, where she thoroughly enjoyed working with all of her colleagues. But eventually, she found herself seeking clarity on what should come next. With the help of her own therapist, Spear realized the answer: opening up her own practice. In August 2023, Spear established her LLC and, by October of that year, began counseling her first client on the side from the group practice.
“She [my therapist] built me up enough to feel that I could do it,” said Spear. “It was hard to leave [the group practice], honestly. It doesn’t function as a team, it’s not like you’re on a team that’s working with one client. But you feel part of something. And when you’re in private practice, it can kind of feel lonely.”
Still, Spear quickly found her footing with Clarity Mental Wellness, a name derived from two things: the clarity that she once sought for herself and now works to help others find, as well as her goal of straying away from terms like mental “health” and “illness,” instead focusing on the journey of feeling well.
As far as choosing Newtown as her location, Spear explained that she had already been working in the area for some time and felt at home there. Plus, it’s accessible from all parts of the county. There are multiple offices in the suite, including a room that will eventually be utilized for regular group sessions.
Throughout the process of opening Clarity Mental Wellness, Spear was guided by SCORE Bucks County mentor Kathleen Donohue, who aided Spear with her budget tracking, financial projections, a transition plan, task prioritization and identifying software programs. Donohue even connected her with fellow SCORE mentor Robert Purdy to assist with business insurance.
Clarity Mental Wellness officially launched in April 2024 and has since grown to include 45 clients. While there were initial fears, things have so far been smoother than Spear could’ve ever imagined. She counsels individuals 18 years and older who are dealing with depression, anxiety, ADHD (especially in adult women, who Spear said are often undiagnosed), transition into parenthood, postpartum depression, building healthy personal boundaries and more, and is credentialed with some insurances.
“My biggest goal is to, one, make people comfortable, make people feel like they have a space to actually open up, talk about the things they don’t feel comfortable talking about with anyone else and to not feel judged. I want people to almost feel like they’re inside their own heads when they’re in the office. It’s a free space to put anything out there, look at it objectively and just pick it apart, see where it leads and what’s underneath it,” she said.
Since entering the field, Spear has seen a shift in how people, especially millennials and Gen Zers, view therapy. She recalled how, last Thanksgiving, when visiting with her husband’s side of the family, all of the 20-year-olds in attendance treated her like a “superstar” upon learning what she does for work.
“They thought it was the most exciting thing, and some of them are thinking about it, so it was really interesting to see that when I am used to the older generations and people in my own generation. I’m 46 years old,” she said.
Still, added Spear, she has seen an increase in older people attending therapy after seeing the benefits it’s had on others.
For those thinking about trying therapy for the first time, Spear offered some words of advice: “It’s just a conversation. It doesn’t have to be much more than that in the first session. Hopefully, it will feel like sitting with a new friend and just getting to know each other. If you feel like you could be friends with this person, they’re probably a good match. If you struggle in general to open up or to disagree with someone, that’s OK. That therapist wants you to disagree with them, wants you to say the things that feel uncomfortable to you. And that therapist, if they’re a good one, is going to receive it well and encourage that.”
