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www.counseldenver.com
As a practical, interactive, solution-focused therapist, my treatment approach is to provide support to help clients resolve current problems and long-standing patterns. With sensitivity and compassion, I help clients find solutions to a wide range of life challenges and psychological issues and provide support in issues of loss, illness or other major life difficulties in life.
I work with children, adolescents, adults and families to incorporate strength-based treatment, mixed with an eclectic combination of play therapy with children, and a person-centered approach with all, to come to a more full acceptance of self and embracement of life.
"To wish to be well is a part of becoming well." ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 B.C.-A.D.65)
Joanna attended The University of Colorado at Boulder and received her BA in Psychology and English in 1994. She attended Boston College for Graduate School, and received her Masters in Social Work in 1997. She completed her internships within the Elementary School and Hospital settings, and has incorporated social work/ psychological services in hospital-based and Child and Family Therapy clinics and settings since then. She has been licensed as an LCSW in the State of Colorado since April, 2001 and she is a member of the National Association of Social Workers.
Ms. Ioannides has spent approximately (12) twelve years working in the public and private sector, serving children, adolescents, adults, couples and families in a variety of contexts..
Ms. Ioannides works with children, adolescents and adults with mood disturbances (depression, anxiety, emotional oubursts), issues of self-esteem, attachment and separation. She also works with children, adolescents and adults presenting with issues of social maladjustment, sibling, parenting and marital issues, parental/ child medical illness and loss.
Due to Ms. Ioannides’ strong undergraduate background in Molecular Biology and Neurophysiological sciences, she has incorporated much of this background in her work in applied social sciences with children and families. Supporting the utmost20growth, “brain potential” and child development in each child/ adolescent, individual and family, she frequently addresses patterns of relating that can be adapted to encourage all family members’ well-being and development. She is a strong supporter of community-based supports such as sports, musical training and religious communities. Joanna’s strength-based approach encourages family members to balance the independence and interdependence roles critical to healthy child/ adolescent, individual and family function. She focuses on helping parents to create an atmosphere which allows and encourages optimal neural and emotional child development.
In her eclectic background serving children and families, Ms. Ioannides has provided supervision to graduate students in art and play therapy while working with children of trauma. She continues to work individually with children from all backgrounds with art and play therapy as the primary modality of her work. She views the family as a system, wherein childrens’ successes as well as struggles are frequently a barometer of family function and dynamics. Ms. Ioannides chooses to work with parents and families who are interested in and committed to addressing these issues.
Joanna frequently requests the cooperation of parents and families in Couples and Family Therapy to open topics that are often difficult for couples and families to address by themselves. Joanna might frequently request Couples’ counseling prior to beginning the work with children, to enlist parents’ cooperation in addressing their own issues, so they can better co-parent their child.
Joanna recognizes that children and families often communicate with each other in ways that request assistance, particularly in times of crises, and offers an open and welcome forum for these difficulties to be addressed and resolved in a non-judgmental, honest and safe environment.
In addition to working with children and families, Joanna works with individuals of all ages. She has extensive experience working with adults with mood disturbances (depression/ anxiety), eating disorders, childhood trauma, adult trauma and adjustment issues. Joanna combines several theories in her practice, and summarizes this as being client-centered. She has engaged in post-graduate training in EMDR, “New Rapid Recovery Techniques for Depression and Low Self-Esteem,” Dialectical Behavioral Therapy" and psychopharmacology.
Ms. Ioannides provided psychological and social work services to trauma patients and families with the Surgery Department at Denver Health, the Rocky Mountain Regional Level One Trauma Center between 1999-2001 . Returning to academia for several years after that, Ms. Ioannides then incorporated a short research study at CU Boulder in Neuroscience into her already existing practice, and has worked with Chronic Pain and Older Adult patients at Aurora MentalHealth Center since 2006.
For families with an identified faith, Ms. Ioannides incorporates spiritual counseling into her practice, and welcomes individuals with all faith backgrounds.