New to Grow
Joseph has over 25 years working in different capacities within behavioral health including running a statewide public health campaign to prevent suicide and eliminate stigma and discrimination of mental health challenges and addressing health disparities as a county cultural competency manager. His personality is engaging, warm and down to earth and he takes an integrative, non-judgmental, client-centered, trauma-informed, culturally humble approach using evidence-based practices to help individuals heal. I provide virtual individual therapy to adults and older adults. Isolation hurts, connection heals. Contact me to facilitate your healing.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
At the initial session I'll get to know you and understand what brings you to therapy, identify strengths, challenges, potential supports, collaborations and goals. It's the beginning of the therapeutic relationship which is unique in that it is solely about you. Multiple studies have identified the therapeutic relationship, even more than treatment modality, as the single most important factor to healing. It often takes a couple of sessions to identify if working with an individual therapist is the "right fit" and what qualities/style of a therapist works best for you.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I often use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy practices to highlight the impact of thoughts on our behavior, feelings and relationships. I integrate radical acceptance principles and motivation interviewing techniques to address ambivalence, increase acceptance, raise awareness of change readiness and to identify support and barriers. Finally, I employ Brainspotting to resolve past trauma.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
Joseph has extensive experience treating depression, anxiety, ADHD, substance use disorders and working with the LGBTQIA+ community. I was first credentialed as a substance abuse counselor in 1993 and have been a licensed clinician since 1999. I've practiced in several states and have been in California for the past 20 years.
Brainspotting
Utilizing brainspotting techniques to expedite processing and healing from psychological trauma.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Utilizing this structured, goal-oriented approach that is collaborative, present-focused and skills-based to assist with understanding and changing the relationship between thoughts, emotions, behaviors and physiological responses.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
Integrating DBT principles and skills to improve mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Motivational Interviewing
Utilizing motivational interviewing techniques to strengthen intrinsic motivation for change by identifying and resolving ambivalence.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
Integrating unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy, and genuineness to strengthen the therapeutic relationship in facilitating innate growth and self-healing.