About JoAnn
JoAnn DePetro is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 40 years of experience helping people manage stress and anxiety. She works with individuals facing relationship strain, trauma and abuse, and depression. Her approach is respectful and compassionate, aimed at making early conversations feel straightforward and manageable.
She listens first and tailors sessions to each person's needs. Dialog is practical and focused on real-life changes rather than jargon. JoAnn helps people name what feels most urgent and develops steps they can try between sessions.
Background and approach
Her experience includes many kinds of emotional and interpersonal struggles, such as abandonment fears, panic attacks, social anxiety, and difficulties with communication. She also addresses issues like body image, guilt and shame, and feeling isolated or stuck. Treatment plans reflect the specific mix of concerns each person brings.
JoAnn uses several therapy methods depending on what a person needs. She draws on attachment-based ideas to look at how relationships shape feeling safe. Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps when strong emotions get in the way of connection.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing can be part of work on traumatic memories. Sessions are meant to be collaborative and down to earth. JoAnn aims to create a space where people can talk through hard things and try new ways of responding.
She is based in California and offers care in English for people both inside and outside the United States.
Approaches that guide online sessions
JoAnn uses several proven approaches that translate well to online work. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how past and current relationships shape feelings of safety and trust; it helps with anxiety tied to close relationships. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on identifying and reshaping intense emotions that get in the way of connection and helps when strong feelings disrupt daily life. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be used to process traumatic memories and reduce their emotional intensity.Finding the right approach is part of the process, and JoAnn aims to decide it together with each person. She will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, then adapt techniques so they fit the individual's needs. This collaborative planning helps make sessions feel purposeful from the start.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which offer flexibility for different schedules and situations. Video calls allow face-to-face work similar to office sessions. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging make it possible to share thoughts between sessions or fit support into a busy day.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 40 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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