About Joanna
Joanna Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, and identity questions. She practices in Arizona and brings four years of experience to her work. Joanna aims to make therapy straightforward and practical for people who feel stuck or overwhelmed.
She creates a welcoming space for LGBTQ people and for those exploring sexuality or gender questions. Her approach combines talking and body-centered awareness so clients can notice how feelings show up physically as well as mentally.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on clear goals like improving communication, reducing panic, or managing workplace strain. Joanna uses somatic techniques alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and attachment-focused ideas to help people reconnect with themselves. She supports those coping with trauma, grief, addiction-related concerns, and changes like separation or career shifts.
The work often includes learning small daily practices that ease tension and improve focus. People meet her for help with intimacy issues, shame, anger, and confidence. She also addresses concerns related to ADHD, compassion fatigue, and life purpose.
Joanna listens for patterns, then offers steps people can try between sessions. Therapy with Joanna typically blends conversation, breath and body awareness, and practical exercises. She helps clients track progress and adjust techniques as needs change.
The tone is direct but compassionate, aimed at steady, realistic progress.
Therapeutic approaches you can use online
Joanna uses Somatic Therapy to help people notice how emotions show up in the body and to develop simple practices that ease physical tension. This approach can be useful for trauma responses, anxiety, and chronic stress that feel stuck in the body.She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which focuses on clarifying personal values and taking small committed actions toward them. ACT can help with worry, low mood, and life transitions by teaching skills to move toward what matters despite difficult thoughts or feelings.
Attachment-Based Therapy informs how she looks at relationship patterns and communication. That work helps people see how early patterns repeat in adult relationships and learn new ways of connecting and setting boundaries.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Joanna will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, then adjust methods over time. The plan evolves based on progress and what the person finds useful.
Online sessions are offered by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and let people use tools from home. The variety of options supports continuity of care when life gets in the way of in-person visits.
Frequently asked questions
What issues does Joanna commonly help with?
How would you describe her therapy style?
What is her background and experience level?
Where is Joanna licensed and based?
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Can people outside the U.S. work with Joanna?
What session formats does she use?
How does payment and scheduling work?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Career difficulties
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 4 years
- Licensed
- Arizona
- Languages
- English