Joanna Bissell

I work with teens and adults who find themselves struggling with anxiety and trauma-related issues. My favorite treatment modalities include ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) and ERP (exposure and response prevention) for OCD and anxiety disorders, as well as CPT (cognitive processing therapy) for trauma. I also enjoy working with people experiencing issues with fertility, pregnancy loss and parenting issues. A lot of my clients are members of the queer community and I feel very honored to support them. Feel free to ask about my education or training!

I'd describe myself as being a genuine, compassionate and warm therapist who can still be direct and challenge you when necessary. I like to take a creative approach to your treatment goals, incorporating bits and pieces of things I think may be helpful, BUT I like to let my clients guide sessions as much as possible, so I frequently check in to see where you need to go on any given day, while also steering us toward productive areas.

At the beginning of our work together, clients decide what they most want out of treatment. We'll formulate goals and I frequently check back in to make sure what we're doing feels productive. I often have clients clarify their values (what's most important to them) and we use them to guide our work together as well. Many of my clients' goals include tolerating uncertainty, learning to accept/not fight against intrusive thoughts and safely processing trauma in order to begin living a healthier life.