Joanna White , LISW

Joanna White is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) with a background that blends criminal justice and clinical social work. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and spent several years working with the prisoner reentry population, gaining firsthand insight into the challenges individuals face as they transition back into the community. Joanna later completed a Master of Social Work at the University of Southern California while concurrently supporting women and men affected by domestic and sexual violence, which broadened her understanding of both offender and survivor perspectives.

Over the course of an eight-year career, Joanna has worked with people coping with trauma - including domestic and sexual violence and childhood trauma - as well as disordered eating, stress and anxiety, depression, and the pressures of life transitions. Her clinical focus also includes relationship and family concerns, parenting challenges, grief, career issues, ADHD, and a variety of body image and communication difficulties. Joanna integrates experience and empathy to address complex presentations such as dissociation, compulsive behaviors, and survivor responses to abuse.

She approaches change as a process and positions herself as a guide who helps clients identify what makes sense for their unique path. Joanna combines trauma-informed sensitivity with practical therapeutic strategies to support clients working toward clearer coping skills, healthier relationships, and more grounded responses to life’s stressors.

Therapeutic approaches that shape online care

Joanna draws on several evidence-informed approaches to guide online work. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and take meaningful action despite difficult thoughts or feelings - it is often useful for anxiety, stress, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and obsessive concerns. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, active listening, and a collaborative relationship in which the client’s experience drives the pace and goals of treatment.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Joanna works collaboratively with clients and licensed professionals to determine which methods best match a client’s needs, goals, and preferences, and she adapts interventions over time as those needs evolve.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or through text-based messaging - which can make it easier to fit care into busy lives, maintain continuity during life changes, and access support from different locations. These options support ongoing work on coping skills, relationships, and recovery in ways that meet clients where they are.