Joanna was raised near the Salish Sea and lives on Orcas Island with her partner.

Before becoming a therapist, Joanna worked as a midwife for eight years and assisted 400 births. That experience continues to inform the steadiness and presence she brings to her work. She is also an artist and writer. Joanna believes every emotion is a teacher. Instead of pushing painful feelings away, individuals can learn to turn toward them with curiosity and compassion. Healing begins with gently facing what has been avoided, making room to rise into one’s fullest expression. When given the right conditions of safety and presence, growth emerges organically.

Our traumas become the compost from which our hearts bloom.

Joanna views anxiety as a natural part of being human. Too much creates misalignment; just enough can be experienced as excitement that lights the fire of our passions and dreams. Through awareness and intention, clients can find their growth edge and bring their nervous systems back into balance. Joanna works with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, depression, shame, trauma, relationship distress, life transitions, attachment patterns, existential concerns, and spiritual development. Her goal in therapy is to cultivate deeper self-awareness and emotional honesty. Joanna believes the degree of self-awareness clients develop is the degree to which they have choice. Having a choice equals freedom.

She draws from Transpersonal Psychology, Gestalt, Talk Therapy, Jungian and Psychodynamic approaches, Internal Family Systems, Existential Theory, Self-Compassion Practice, Polyvagal Theory, Attachment Theory, Matrix Reimprinting, The Gene Keys and Relational Life Therapy. For couples ready to do the work of real change, Relational Life Therapy (RLT) offers a clear and practical map for moving out of repetitive patterns. This work supports couples in building a bedrock of greater honesty, accountability, and connection. Joanna is currently engaged in the RLT certification process and is committed to integrating this method with the couples she supports.

Insurance Accepted: AETNA, Cigna, Community Health Plan of Washington, Kaiser, Molina, Premera & Regence.