Joanna (Jo) finds purpose in helping adults and older adults process life-changing events and regain a sense of self. She came to this work as a second career following setbacks and losses in her own life. She worked as an attorney for many years, beginning in corporate law but focusing on family law and estate and probate work in Louisiana. Jo attained a Master of Pastoral Studies degree from Loyola University New Orleans and a Master of Social Work degree from Louisiana State University. She now works with clients from diverse backgrounds, supporting each person in their own environment.

 

Early in her social work career, Joanna had the opportunity to work with clients seeking help for grief. Seeing that her clients’ grief is often impacted by past trauma, particularly trauma related to adverse childhood experiences, she expanded her focus to trauma processing. She uses a collaborative, trauma-informed approach to help her clients with symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Her background as a lawyer and life experience allow her to hold space for clients’ sometimes horrific experiences. She approaches most mental health symptoms and troubling behaviors, such as substance use and eating disorders, as triggered traumatic responses, and uses a combination of behavioral interventions and deeper psychodynamic work to treat the behavior while seeking to engage with the traumatic memories and beliefs that give rise to the need to do that behavior.