My name is Joy Harris, and I have worked in the mental health field for nearly 20 years. I have had the pleasure of working in a variety of settings (such as residential, in-home, community, and outpatient treatment), and have served families, couples, children, adolescents, adults, and seniors.

 

As a compassion focused Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and PsyD (Doctorate of Clinical Psychology) candidate, I’m deeply committed to walking alongside you during life’s most challenging moments, whether you’re navigating chronic illness, healing from medical trauma, facing the emotional complexities of infertility, or adjusting to major life transitions like divorce.

 

I believe therapy works best when you feel truly seen, heard, and valued. My style is warm, nonjudgmental, and deeply client-centered, because you are the expert of your own story. I tailor our sessions to your unique needs, helping you cultivate resilience, self-compassion, and meaningful change. My therapeutic style focuses on honoring your lived experience while gently exploring the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that may be holding you back.

 

I draw from evidence-based approaches tailored to your unique needs, including:

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• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Helping you align your actions with your values, even in the face of pain.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Identifying and reshaping unhelpful thought patterns that keep you stuck.

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Exploring skills like mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance to empower you in moments of struggle.

• Humanistic therapy: Honoring your unique strengths, values, and capacity for growth.

• Psychodynamic Therapy: Exploring how past experiences shape your present to foster deeper self-understanding.

• Soon to be trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): an effective therapy for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health issues. EMDR involves processing traumatic memories or feelings while engaging in bilateral stimulation, like eye movements, to help reduce the emotional intensity of those memory.

 

Beyond the therapy room, I’m passionate about destigmatizing mental health care and empowering clients to embrace their stories with courage and kindness. Whether you’re seeking relief, clarity, or personal growth, I’d be honored to help you find your path forward. Let’s work together to create a space where healing begins, and where you feel empowered to thrive, not just cope.

 

Something that you may find interesting about me is that I am a chronically ill person, with chronic pain. I understand the struggle and am driven to support others who have to navigate this difficult path.

 

 

Some of my favorite quotes are:

 

“When you change your thoughts, remember to also change your world.” —Norman Vincent Peale

 

“The best way out is through.” —Robert Frost

 

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson