The Gray Area Counseling: Angelica Gray, LCSW, CCTP

01/05/2026

I’m currently accepting new patients for:
✔️ Telehealth therapy across all of Arkansas
✔️ In-person sessions in Jonesboro, AR
I’m in-network with BlueCross BlueShield and Ambetter, making quality mental health care more accessible.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or ready to work through anxiety, depression, or trauma—you don’t have to do it alone.
📍 In-person: Jonesboro
💻 Telehealth: Anywhere in Arkansas
🩺 Insurance: BlueCross & Ambetter
📞 870-819-4538
🌐 www.TheGrayAreaCounseling.com

01/05/2026

01/03/2026

✨ Healthy vs. Unhealthy Work Environments ✨

Struggling at work doesn’t mean you’re weak 💭
It often means something in the environment isn’t healthy.

🚩 An unhealthy work environment often includes:
😰 Chronic anxiety, dread, or tension before or during work
📉 Feeling like you’re never doing “enough,” no matter how hard you try
❓ Unclear, constantly changing, or unrealistic expectations
📱 Pressure to be available outside of work hours
🤐 Fear of making mistakes or speaking up
🧱 Little to no emotional or practical support from leadership
🫵 Being blamed for systemic problems
🙃 Stress being minimized (“that’s just how it is here”)
😔 Guilt for taking time off or setting boundaries
🔁 High turnover that’s explained away instead of addressed
🤕 Physical symptoms like headaches, stomach issues, or exhaustion
😶 Emotional numbness, detachment, or burnout

🌱 A healthy work environment looks like:
🗣️ Clear expectations and consistent communication
⏰ Respect for boundaries, time off, and personal lives
🛟 Psychological safety
🤝 Support during stress—not punishment
💬 Feedback that’s constructive, not shaming
🧍‍♀️ Room to be human, not just productive

⚖️ Feeling stressed occasionally is normal.
🚫 Feeling unwell because of work is not.

💬 Struggling doesn’t mean you’re weak.
🔄 It means something may need to change.

—
✨ Angelica Gray, LCSW
The Gray Area Counseling
📍 In-person in Jonesboro | 💻 Telehealth across Arkansas
🌐 www.TheGrayAreaCounseling.com

12/31/2025

🧠 Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
A clinical perspective beyond stereotypes

Antisocial Personality Disorder is defined by a persistent pattern of disregard for the rights of others, but clinically, the core issue is more specific: impaired moral internalization.

🔍 Core clinical features include:
• A markedly shallow emotional range
• Absent or severely deficient empathy (both affective and cognitive)
• Minimal guilt or remorse, even following harm
• Relationships that are utilitarian (instrumental rather than attachment-based)

⚖️ Affect regulation in ASPD
Unlike disorders driven by emotional overwhelm, individuals with ASPD typically experience:
• Low anxiety related to harm caused to others
• Irritability or aggression that is goal-directed, not affectively dysregulated
• Emotional responses that do not function as internal brakes on behavior

🧩 Interpersonal functioning
• Others are often viewed as means to an end
• Deceitfulness may be perceived internally as adaptive or necessary
• Relationships are maintained only while they provide benefit or leverage

🛡 Defensive structure
Common defenses include:
• Denial
• Rationalization
• Externalization of blame

These defenses minimize internal conflict rather than resolve it.

📌 Clinically distinct point:
Harm to others is not internally distressing in ASPD. This is a key differentiator from other Cluster B disorders, where behavior is often driven by attachment fear, shame, or emotional dysregulation.

🧠 Why this matters clinically
Accurate understanding of ASPD informs:
• Realistic treatment expectations
• Clear, firm boundaries
• Safety-oriented clinical decision-making
• Reduced stigma through precision, not minimization

✨ Education grounded in clinical accuracy improves care — and protects both clients and clinicians.

—
Angelica Gray, LCSW
The Gray Area Counseling
📍 In-person in Jonesboro, AR | Telehealth available
🌐 www.TheGrayAreaCounseling.com
📞 870-819-4538

Educational content only. Not diagnostic

12/23/2025

I will be unavailable during the holidays this week and will return on Monday, December 29th.

12/11/2025

PERSONALITY DISORDERS: A CLINICAL OVERVIEW (By Clusters)

The word “narcissist” gets thrown around constantly, but Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is only one of ten personality disorders — and it involves far more than being self-centered. Personality disorders reflect enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating that begin early in adulthood and create functional impairment.

Here’s a clear, clinical breakdown of all personality disorders, grouped by cluster.
✨ Educational, accurate, and easy to understand.

⸻

CLUSTER A

Patterns involving interpersonal distance, social discomfort, or atypical thinking styles. 🧩

⸻

Paranoid Personality Disorder

🔹 Core: persistent distrust and suspicion
🔹 Looks like: misinterpreting neutral interactions as harmful, questioning loyalty
🔹 Internal: chronic sense of being unsafe or targeted

⸻

Schizoid Personality Disorder

🔹 Core: detachment and restricted emotion
🔹 Looks like: preferring solitude, limited emotional expression
🔹 Internal: emotional distance; relationships may feel draining

⸻

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

🔹 Core: odd beliefs, unusual perceptions, social anxiety
🔹 Looks like: magical thinking, eccentric behavior
🔹 Internal: feeling different; discomfort in social settings that doesn’t improve

⸻

CLUSTER B

Patterns involving challenges with emotion regulation, impulse control, and relational stability. 🔥

⸻

Antisocial Personality Disorder

🔹 Core: disregard for others’ rights and social norms
🔹 Looks like: chronic deceit, impulsivity, lack of remorse
🔹 Internal: limited empathy; low regard for rules

⸻

Borderline Personality Disorder

🔹 Core: emotion instability, relationship instability
🔹 Looks like: intense reactions, impulsive coping, fear of abandonment
🔹 Internal: overwhelming emotions; fragile sense of self

⸻

Histrionic Personality Disorder

🔹 Core: heightened emotional expression and need for engagement
🔹 Looks like: dramatic communication, seeking reassurance
🔹 Internal: strong need to feel seen and valued

⸻

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

🔹 Core: challenges with empathy, identity, and self-esteem regulation
🔹 Looks like: sensitivity to criticism, need for admiration
🔹 Internal: fragile self-worth; underlying shame or inadequacy

⸻

CLUSTER C

Patterns involving persistent fearfulness, avoidance, or dependency. 🌿

⸻

Avoidant Personality Disorder

🔹 Core: fear of rejection and social inhibition
🔹 Looks like: avoiding opportunities, wanting closeness but withdrawing
🔹 Internal: self-doubt; expectation of being criticized or rejected

⸻

Dependent Personality Disorder

🔹 Core: need for reassurance and support from others
🔹 Looks like: difficulty making decisions alone, staying in unhealthy relationships
🔹 Internal: fear of being unable to cope independently

⸻

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

🔹 Core: rigid perfectionism and excessive control
🔹 Looks like: strict rules, difficulty delegating, inflexibility
🔹 Internal: mistakes feel threatening; control = safety
Note: OCPD is different from OCD.

⸻

WHY THIS MATTERS

✔️ Most people casually labeled “narcissists” do not meet criteria for NPD
✔️ Not all difficult behaviors reflect a personality disorder
✔️ Trauma and anxiety can mimic many of these traits
✔️ Diagnosis should always be made by a licensed mental health professional
💛 Education reduces stigma, increases understanding, and supports appropriate care.

⸻

The Gray Area Counseling

Angelica Gray, LCSW
Licensed Certified Social Worker | EMDR Therapist
📍 Jonesboro, Arkansas
📞 870-819-4538
🌐 www.TheGrayAreaCounseling.com

12/01/2025

🎄🐾 Gretchen Wieners is out running errands today and making sure we stop at every drive-thru that gives out dog treats. Priorities! ✨

12/01/2025

🎄✨ Christmas Self-Care Ideas ✨🎄

Gentle, grounding, and perfect for the holiday chaos 💆🏼‍♀️❄️

❤️ Emotional Self-Care
• 🚫💬 Say “no” without guilt
• 🧘🏼‍♀️🕯️ 10 minutes of quiet time
• 📓✨ 3 things you’re grateful for + 3 things you’re releasing
• 💛🥹 Let yourself feel the feelings — holidays are complicated

🌟 Sensory + Grounding
• 🎄🌌 Sit with only the tree lights on
• ☕🍫 Make a comfort drink (hot cocoa, tea, peppermint mocha)
• 🎥🧣 Weighted blanket + cozy Christmas movie
• 🕯️🍊 Holiday candle or stovetop simmer (orange + cinnamon)

❄️ Social Self-Care
• ✋💛 Protect your energy — choose who gets access
• 🍽️🤍 Plan one meet-up that actually fills your cup
• 📵🙅🏼‍♀️ Mute stressful people on social media

🎁 Practical Self-Care
• 🎁🧵 Wrap gifts in batches
• 💵🚫 Set a spending limit to avoid holiday stress
• 🥣🕒 Prep simple meals — crockpot counts
• 🙋🏼‍♀️✨ Ask for help instead of powering through

😴 Restorative Self-Care
• 🛁🌿 Hot bath with eucalyptus
• 🎶🎄 Soft Christmas music for unwinding
• 🚗✨ Slow drive to look at Christmas lights
• 😴🧘🏼‍♀️ Prioritize sleep — even Santa needs rest

🐾🎅 Gretchen Wieners Bonus Self-Care
• 🐶🎄 Sit with your dog under the Christmas tree
• 🎁🦴 Give them a new festive toy
• 🛋️🐾 Christmas movie with your dachshund on your lap

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from Gretchen Wieners, the therapy dachshund 🦃 🍁