TREATMENT
AREAS
Whether or not they struggle with the specific diagnoses indicated in the list below, Joan works with people of all ages to help them address their circumstantial experiences and come to a place of perspective in which they can proactively address their concerns and move forward with more intention and greater happiness or acceptance.
Adolescents experience a unique set of growing opportunities and challenges through the transformative stage before and during the entry into young adulthood. They frequently benefit from the outside perspective of someone other than a parent or educator.
Adolescents
Adults often seek help from an experienced professional during changes in their life as a result of family circumstances, challenges in their career, or just general dissatisfaction with the direction their lives have taken, or situation in which they find themselves.
Adults
Parents seek help from Joan through the format of her Parenting Groups, outlined below. Parents benefit from Joan's professional expertise as well as the experiences of other parents in the group. Additionally, Joan will meet with parents individually or as a couple.
Parents
Joan works regularly with couples trying to improve their relationships, and encourages them to seek her help as a proactive measure, so she can facilitate new means of constructive
communication,
and circumvent any hostility or resentment within the relationship.
Couples
Divorce
Joan works collaboratively with couples to alleviate stressors in their relationships and address assumptions or infidelities that lend to the parties feeling frightened or vulnerable and attempting to assert control or dominance in their relationships. However, in circumstances in which couples therapy does not lead to a resolution between the two parties, Joan is able to help them move forward from their separation individually by achieving a sense of closure. In cases in which children are involved, Joan can help create a plan for communication around custody and visitation, as well as interactions at family gatherings in which both couples are present.
Parenting Groups
While Joan does not work with young children she applies her expertise in early education by working directly with parents on strategies they can use with their children. She currently runs two parenting groups, which meet monthly, one of which has been meeting for 15 years and the other for more than 5. Occasionally, depending on the circumstance, Joan will meet with individual couples or individual parents from the parenting group, and the timing of their individual meetings varies based on the challenges they are addressing. While Joan's parenting work is purposefully solution-based and short-term, she will always meet with parents for the duration of time that suits their needs, as well as their children's.
Anxiety & Depression
Joan’s experience in working with individuals of all ages provides her with extensive access and knowledge about the potential triggers for anxiety and depression, and contributes to her knowledge around the disparate implications for those who struggle with chronic or circumstantial cases of each of these disorders. With a clear understanding of the varying approaches that benefit adolescents and adults, Joan applies a variety of treatment approaches to address their needs.
Eating Disorders
In cases in which eating patterns begin affecting a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health, Joan is able to build on a sense of trust to provide a comfortable atmosphere in which to address how his or her habits affect their health, and importantly the root of what might be causing this struggle. This treatment also includes a focus on creating a healthy foundation for acceptance, locating healthier instances in a person’s life in which they can find stability and control, so as not to cause harm by seeking it elsewhere. Working on relationship building and awareness of what’s working in a person’s life are often important factors in contributing to his or her recovery.
Addiction
Addiction is a circumstance that affects many ages and can co-occur with other mental health issues and challenging circumstances. In working with patients who struggle with addiction, Joan employs a variety of treatment approaches to determine where these problems stem from. In this facet, Joan works not only to address the problems associated with the addiction itself--such as brain and behavioral changes that are caused by the drug use--but also how to address those aspects that are causing the patient to turn to drugs in the first place.