What’s the difference between worry and anxiety? How can I best parent my anxious child? How do I date after a divorce? Does my child have OCD? Are your thoughts intrusive?
If you’re asking these types of questions, you’re not alone. Welcome.
stop worrying, start living
Stop worrying,
start living
Tell me about your situation
- I’m an adult experiencing anxiety.
- I’m a parent who wants to help my anxious child.
- I’m an adult with obsessive compulsive disorder.
- I’m a parent of a child who has obsessive compulsive disorder.
- I’m divorced and want tools to help me adjust to this new life.
- I’m not looking for therapy but would like career or life coaching.
My specialties and expertise are focused on treating adults and children who have anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders, are going through life transitions (like life after divorce), or who would like help with their parenting skills.
I prefer the down-to-earth approach, so I translate the evidence-based research and give you useable solutions. I listen to your needs and then together we develop a plan that feels doable and that includes milestones to note improvement. Believe it or not, therapy shouldn’t be boring or stodgy, and it shouldn’t last forever.
Conversations with Joanna
Change Your Day in 22 Minutes — or Less
Every day, I take a 20-minute nap. I call it my 22-minute nap: one minute to fall asleep, 20 to sleep, and one minute to wake up. I was talking to a friend the other day and mentioned it. She was fascinated. I think what strikes people most about this glorious habit of mine is…
Tips to Talk to Your Kids about Therapy
Even though their mom was a therapist, my kids complained when they were little about seeing one. Looking back, I completely own that I probably didn’t present the whole thing very well. Ok I know I didn’t, because they thought they were the only ones who needed it (SO not true) and that it did…
Let’s Get You UnStuck!
Last week, I tried to help you figure out if you’re stuck. Acknowledging that you’re stuck is important, because we cannot fix something if we don’t know it needs fixing. So I know you’ve been waiting for the answer to the question how do I get myself unstuck? … drumroll … To best answer this,…
5 Lessons from the College Admissions Scandal
As I read about the college admission scandal, I find myself filled with equal parts of anger and sadness. So much so that I felt compelled to write this. I’m angry with the parents and the broken system, and I’m sad for the kids, many of whom had no idea their parents were engaging in…
3 Ways to Tell If You’re Stuck
As part of my Behavior Therapy Training Institute Certification for Pediatric OCD, I had the amazing experience of having Dr. Marty Franklin as my faculty consultant. As we were discussing some of my cases, he said to me “He who values comfort over function shall have neither.” These words have stuck with me, because they resonate…
Healing from Infidelity: Part Two
Last Monday, we introduced the first phase of Ester Perel’s Healing from Infidelity, called the Crisis Phase. Today, we’re going to learn about phase two, which is called the Making Meaning Phase. This phase happens whenever we’re able to see through our emotions. There’s no timeline for this, so please don’t hurry yourself. It’ll happen…