Joanne Gonzales MS, MFT

Welcome! I'm a Marriage & Family Therapist with sex therapy specialization - training that emphasized the importance of the bonds we create with those around us. My work focuses on supporting and challenging folks that were taught their identity can only look a certain way. I want to help you gain the confidence to identify your needs, rewrite unhelpful narratives, and strengthen your support systems. You don't have to be shamed for wanting to explore your identity, preferring an alternative relationship style, or having kinky desires. I hope to provide a safe space for folks to work through their difficulties while remaining true to their authentic selves. ********** Individual Therapy At an individual level, therapy works on your own terms and pace. If you’re ready and willing to dig deeper into your history that may be informing present reactions, we’ll work on unraveling negative thought and behavioral patterns. Relationship Therapy Relationships come in many shapes and sizes and for this work to be effective, everyone involved has to feel safe, heard, and equally considered. We’ll explore what’s been keeping you stuck and work on pushing through any barriers together. By building awareness, developing better tools, and reinforcing your emotional connection, we can start creating a dynamic and new bond. Sex Therapy Sex therapy allows individuals and couples to explore any psychological, physical, personal, or interpersonal factors relating to their level of sexual satisfaction -- by reframing sexual difficulties as partnered collaboration with increased communication, for example. Having a healthy sex life has been shown to have amazing benefits, e.g. lower blood pressure, better heart health, and stress reduction. But for some, sex can cause anxiety and worry [note: not every relationship involves physical or penetrative sex, nor is it required to be a "real" relationship. The purpose of sex therapy is to explore barriers (pertaining to sexuality) between partners in order to boost intimacy, prevent emotional distress, and improve relationship satisfaction moving forward]. ********** If you're interested in meeting and talking about your goals for therapy, please feel free to request an appointment. I look forward to meeting you!