Helping Driven Women Navigate the Complexities of Relationships and Motherhood
My PhilosophyTherapy is a relationship. It matters that it feels right —that you feel it, and that I do too.
My approach is grounded in relational psychodynamic psychotherapy, with integration of Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy when it’s clinically helpful for OCD relief. This means our work is not only about symptom relief—it’s about understanding the deeper patterns shaping your inner world and your relationships.
I do not offer a brief consultation call. Instead, we will begin with a handful of initial consultation sessions to get a feel for one another and to understand what you are hoping for in therapy. Some thoughts to explore during this phase might be: Do I feel comfortable here? Can I speak openly? Do I feel understood? I will ask: Can I meaningfully help you? Does this feel like a good clinical fit?
MY STORY
MY STORY
Meet Joanna
My path to becoming a therapist was not linear. After more than a decade working as an attorney, I found myself drawn toward a different kind of work—one that made space for the parts of life that are not easily solved or reasoned through. While I valued the intellectual challenge of the law profession, I became increasingly curious about people’s inner worlds—the emotions, patterns, and experiences that shape how we move through relationships. That pull led me to pursue advanced clinical training and to shift my work toward psychodynamic psychotherapy, with my focus on supporting women.
The women I work closely with are thoughtful, capable, and often used to holding a great deal on their own. Many come in navigating anxiety, feeling stuck in recurring relationship patterns, or trying to make sense of experiences that feel hard to carry alone.
I also support women through the emotional complexities of becoming a mother—whether that includes infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, or the layered experience of surrogacy and third-party reproduction (egg and embryo donation). These paths to motherhood often bring up questions of identity, control, trust, and connection in ways that can be difficult to put into words. My understanding of this work is not only clinical, but grounded in a deep appreciation for how personal and nuanced these experiences can be.
In addition, I support women in the perinatal phase experiencing perinatal and postpartum anxiety and OCD. When anxiety or intrusive thoughts begin to take up more space, it can feel isolating or frightening. I offer a steady, understanding space and integrate Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy when working with postpartum anxiety and OCD.
If any of this resonates, please reach out to schedule an initial consultation session.
MY APPROACH
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My work is grounded in relational psychodynamic psychotherapy. Together, we look beyond surface-level symptoms to understand the deeper patterns shaping your internal world and relationships. It is not about “fixing” you or focusing only on symptoms but about creating space to understand yourself more fully, allowing you to move through your life and relationships with greater clarity, flexibility, and a stronger sense of self.
In our work, we will gently explore:recurring relationship patterns
how you experience closeness, distance, and vulnerability
the ways you may hold things in or take on more than you show
how past experiences continue to shape present feelings and expectations
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This kind of work can be especially helpful if you find yourself repeating the same patterns in relationships, feeling stuck in ways you don’t fully understand, or noticing that insight alone hasn’t led to lasting change.
Infertility and reproductive journeys can bring up grief, uncertainty, loss of control, and strain in relationships—often alongside feelings that are difficult to fully express or feel understood by others. Psychodynamic therapy offers a space to process these experiences more deeply, while also understanding how they intersect with your sense of self, identity, and connection to others.
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For clients experiencing anxiety, intrusive thoughts, or OCD—particularly in the perinatal and postpartum period, I integrate ERP into our work.
ERP is an evidence-based approach that helps you:
gradually face feared thoughts, images, or situations
reduce compulsive or avoidant responses
build tolerance for uncertainty and distress
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During the perinatal and postpartum period, anxiety and intrusive thoughts can feel especially overwhelming, confusing, or frightening. Many women experience unwanted thoughts that feel out of character, often accompanied by shame or fear about what those thoughts might mean.
My approach to ERP therapy is both structured and relational. While we use evidence-based techniques for treating OCD and anxiety, we also take time to understand the emotional and relational context surrounding your experience.
Specialties
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ANXIETY & RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
You may find yourself overthinking, questioning your decisions, or feeling stuck in the same relationship dynamics. Together, we begin to understand what’s underneath so these patterns feel less overwhelming and more within your control. -
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INFERTILITY & PREGNANCY LOSS
You may be carrying grief, hope, anxiety, and uncertainty all at once, and often in ways that feel hard to put into words. Together, we create space to understand and hold these experiences so they feel less isolating and more bearable. -
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SURROGACY & THIRD-PARTY REPRODUCTION
Whether working with a gestational carrier, an egg donor, or embryo donor, your path to motherhood can bring hope alongside complex and often unexpected emotions. Together, we make space to understand your experience so it feels less overwhelming and more manageable. -
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PERINATAL & POSTPARTUM ANXIETY, OCD & INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS
Anxiety and intrusive thoughts can begin during pregnancy or after birth. The perinatal period—which includes both pregnancy and postpartum—can bring emotional experiences that feel overwhelming, confusing, or difficult to share with others. Together, we make sense of what’s happening so it feels less frightening, more understandable, and less isolating.
Expertly Trained, Purposeful Connection
Two-Year Clinical Fellowship, Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute
Advanced Psychodynamic Program, St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute
Certificate in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Postpartum Support International
Certificate in Mental Health Treatment of Infertility, Levels I and 2, American Society of Reproductive Medicine
Clinically Trained in Exposure and Response Prevention, Cognitive Behavioral Institute
HOW TO WORK WITH ME
HOW TO WORK WITH ME
HOW TO WORK WITH ME HOW TO WORK WITH ME
Ready to Get Started?
If something here resonated with you, please reach out about an initial consultation through my contact page. Your first session is a full session, where we begin getting a sense of what’s bringing you in and whether working together feels like a fit.