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
Thoughts: What Can You Control?
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could control our worries? Sometimes. But all is not lost. Worry is a temporary feeling just like joy or anger, and it, too, serves a purpose. While we can’t control the initial thoughts that may have evoked the worry, we can control how we respond to the thoughts. The…
Stop Fighting Your Anxiety
I just came back from the Annual OCD Conference in Austin. Something I kept hearing over and over again was anxiety and fear tolerance over anxiety and fear reduction. As a therapist specializing in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and anxiety, this notion is something I know and impart often. But the conference speakers…
The Difference Between Coaching & Therapy
As I’ve mentioned, I recently became a Gestalt-certified coach. One of the questions I get most often is what’s the difference between coaching and therapy. Therapy helps when there’s something preventing you from functioning well. There may be a mental illness, like major depression or OCD, trauma or loss. Sometimes you need to dive into…
Why I’m a Coach
Talk about not knowing where life is going to take you … I recently became a Gestalt-certified coach. Don’t worry, though, I’m not abandoning my therapy practice. I’m adding to it. I was inspired to become a coach after having my own transformational experience working with an executive coach on Martha’s Vineyard several years ago….
Divorce, Compassion & Howard Stern
You might be surprised to know that I’m a huge Howard Stern fan. I have been for years. In the current issue of Rolling Stone, Howard talks extensively about how going to therapy has helped him in life. (You might have seen me share the article on my Facebook and Instagram pages.) I’ve always appreciated…
Why We Need to Be Brave
Someone asked me recently to define my professional goal. The first thought that popped into my head was to be FEARLESS! (cue Superman theme song) But that’s not possible, really. I’m human, and fear is part of the human condition. As I tell my clients, my kids, and myself — it’s about being scared and…