About Joanna
Joanna Smith is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) based in Arizona who helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, and identity questions. She brings four years of practice to sessions and aims to make therapy straightforward and practical for busy lives. Joanna creates a calm, affirming space for LGBTQ people and anyone exploring gender or sexual identity.
She focuses on clear communication skills, self-compassion, and managing strong emotions. Sessions are practical and goal-focused rather than full of jargon.
Background and approach
Her background includes work with trauma, mood concerns, and addiction-related issues. Joanna uses approaches that help people process difficult memories and rebuild trust in themselves and others. She also supports people through career changes, grief, and the everyday stress of juggling responsibilities.
In therapy she blends techniques to match each person’s needs. That can mean practicing mindfulness to reduce anxiety, looking at attachment patterns that shape relationships, or using methods to address traumatic memories. Joanna helps people set realistic steps and keeps progress measurable.
Clients who appreciate a direct but compassionate counselor often connect well with her style. She aims to teach skills that can be used outside of sessions. Her work is collaborative, and she checks in regularly so goals stay relevant and achievable.
Therapeutic approaches you can use online
Joanna commonly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy in her online work. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people clarify their values and take small, committed steps toward them while learning to live with uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and helps people build safer, more supported ways of relating to others.She often pairs those approaches with mindfulness practices to help reduce anxiety and increase present-moment awareness. Finding the right mix of techniques is part of the process; Joanna works together with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and comfort level. This collaborative planning means the approach can change as progress is made.
Online therapy offers flexibility that fits many schedules. Video calls let people engage in a longer, face-to-face style session. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief check-ins, homework support, or when a shorter touchpoint is needed between sessions. These options make it simpler to keep therapy consistent around work, school, or caregiving responsibilities.
Questions people ask
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What this counselor works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- 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