Decorative. Joanne stands in an office smiling.

Glad you're here!

You’re probably reading this right now because you’re looking for someone who will GET you.

It’s hard enough as it is to KNOW what you’re feeling or needing, let alone TELL someone who might judge, criticize, or reject you. You already have a loud inner critic doing that for you, so why have more of the same?

You’re in good company! As a highly empathetic, conscientious, responsible type myself, I’m all too familiar with struggling to tune into myself as much as I attune to others.

 
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The #1 word that my clients said after their first session with me was “RELIEF” from hearing:

No, you’re NOT crazy. Your experiences make sense.

You’re NOT the only one who feels this way.

There’s a clear path to heal that’s definitely within your reach.

Deets About Me

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How am I in Session?

Decorative. Joanne smiles while looking at her whiteboard. A sign in the office states, Maybe swearing will help.

If you often feel embarrassed or ashamed, take a deep breath. I won’t be looking down from an ivory tower to analyze you. I got my own stuff, too, so you won’t be getting any shame or judgment from me.

A lot of people feel nervous when they first meet a new therapist, but I actually laugh (and cuss) a ton with my clients!

Therapy doesn’t have to be scary because it’s not always about facing the hard things. Sometimes it’s about dreaming about the life you want to create, celebrating the wins you’ve made, and making more room for what excites and nourishes you.

Big emotions like anger, sadness, and fear can be really overwhelming and confusing, but there’s probably a good reason WHY they’re coming up. I make it easier to understand what your feelings are revealing about your needs and what actions you can take to get them met.

Check out what I’m making!

In this day and age, there are tons of reasons why we might feel anxious or scared. What isn’t always clear is what to do when that happens. As an action-oriented, high-energy emotion, fear has some practical messages you could check off the
Joy is about the GOOD that exists in the present. 🟡 Life is more complicated than things being all good vs. all bad. GOOD and BAD are not mutually exclusive. You can seek and acknowledge the good even in the midst of evil, suffering, and the non-id
Sadness is about closing the gap between you and what/who matters to you. 🔵 What’s one thing that really matters to you that you want to do again? What’s one person who really matters to you who you miss? Close the gap. If it’s
Anger is a very action-oriented emotion, focusing on what needs to change to make things right. 🔴 It’s often known to be a secondary emotion (an emotion that makes a “truer”, deeper emotion), but it can actually be a primary emoti
A forest includes pine trees, cliff sides, and a waterfall.

EXPERIENCE

 

CREDENTIALS

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (#110804)

Certified Brainspotting Practitioner

Founder of Intelligent Emotions (Online Course)

Co-Founder of Havenly Counseling Collective

AREAS OF FOCUS

Painful Relationships

Difficult Emotions - anxiety, guilt, shame, anger

Trauma & Abuse/Neglect

Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs)

Enneagram

TRAINING

Western Seminary, San Jose
M.A. Marriage & Family Therapy

Chestnut Paes Enneagram Academy Professional Certification Training (with Beatrice Chestnut)

Brainspotting Trauma Treatment
Certified Brainspotting Practitioner
Completed Phase 1, 2, and 3 & Expansion Training

EMDR Trauma Treatment
(Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing)

Christian Counseling Center, San Jose
Prelicensed Training, Past Affiliation

PAST SEMINARS

Marriage Seminar

Depression & Anxiety

Empathy & Assertiveness

Self-Care

Attachment Relationships

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality 

Emotions

Enough about me!
Let’s create joy for you.

Decorative. Joanne sits at a table with a palette of water colors. She holds a paintbrush. A red circle is on the page in front of her. A tattoo on her arm states, courage, dear heart.

What are the Emotional Habits of your Enneagram type?

Grab this free guide that highlights the patterns that keep you stuck and the steps to grow beyond your type!

Proudly helping women, healers, pastors, caregivers, POC entrepreneurs, and Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) who are EXHAUSTED by anxiety, guilt, shame, and an allergic reaction with anger create VIBRANT relationships where THEY MATTER, TOO!

Enneagram, EMDR, and Brainspotting Therapy in the Silicon Valley (Santa Clara County - San Jose, Los Gatos, Campbell, Cupertino, Saratoga, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Willow Glen, Los Altos, Milpitas) and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Offering telehealth video sessions in California.