(she/her)
New to Grow
You've read the books. You have endlessly analyzed your sun, moon, and rising signs. Maybe you have even tried therapy before. And yet something still feels stuck, like there is a layer underneath the thinking that no amount of insight seems to reach. I'm Joanna, a licensed therapist in Long Beach, CA. I work with folks who are anxious, burned out, or carrying the weight of past experiences and are ready to try something that goes deeper than just talking about it. Using body-based techniques alongside conversation, I help people shift patterns they have been trying to change for years.
Our first session is a conversation, not a checklist. I want to hear what brought you here in your own words, at your own pace. There is no pressure to have it all figured out or to explain your whole history in the first hour. There is no right or wrong way to arrive. Whether you come in feeling chatty, quiet, restless, or unsure, we start wherever you are. The first few minutes are simply about getting comfortable, so you can begin to relax into the space rather than performing. Over time, people often find that they feel more resilient, more grounded, and more able to meet life's challenges with clarity and presence. And perhaps most importantly, they begin to feel a deeper sense of ease in their own skin.
Most therapy focuses on changing how you think. That helps, but it has limits. Many of the patterns that bring people to therapy live deeper than thought alone can reach. They live in the nervous system, in the body, in habits formed long before anyone had words for them. I am trained to work at that level. That is why clients often shift things with me that years of talk therapy have not been able to touch. My clients leave therapy not just with better tools and strategies but with a fundamentally different relationship to themselves. Less self-criticism. More self-trust. That shift is what makes the change last. Whether you are burning out in a career that looks fine on paper, navigating a relationship that keeps hitting the same wall, or just quietly wondering why you feel so disconnected from yourself — if you know something needs to change and are ready to go deeper than thinking your way through it, we may be a good fit.
I work with adults navigating trauma, burnout, relationships, and the particular exhaustion of being a sensitive person in an overstimulating world. I also welcome couples, partners, and consensually non-monogamous (CNM) constellations seeking to strengthen connection and support and am LGBTQIA+ affirmative. My other offerings include Ketamine Assisted Therapy as well for those hoping to integrate non-ordinary states of consciousness. My clients tend to be creative self-aware people navigating big life adjustments, identity questions, existential questions, and relationship complexity.
Somatic
I am trained in Somatic Experiencing, a body-oriented therapeutic model designed to treat trauma and chronic stress by focusing on bodily sensations (soma) rather than just thoughts or memories. Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, it works by helping individuals release trapped survival energy in the nervous system, aiming to resolve fight, flight, or freeze responses and restore self-regulation.
Attachment-based
I draw from Attachment-based therapy models which focuses on repairing insecure attachments formed during childhood to improve emotional regulation and relationship quality. We may explore early caregiver interactions to address trauma, low self-esteem, and relationship struggles in both children and adults. Techniques include addressing childhood memories, establishing trust, and building secure emotional connections.
Psychodynamic
Psychodynamic and depth therapies are insight-oriented, talk-therapy approaches that explore the unconscious mind to treat deep-seated emotional, relationship, and behavioral issues. They focus on understanding how past experiences and repressed emotions shape current life. These therapies offer long-lasting transformation, typically by addressing root causes rather than just surface symptoms.