Joanna dos Santos M.A., LPC, PsyA.

Board Certified Licensed Professional Counselor and Psychoanalyst

Seeking a therapist is a difficult and personal decision, and you have now taken that first step.  I am here to help guide you as you embark on your therapeutic growth. In therapy you not only learn about its process, but also the bravery and the capacity to go through it. Our work together is not about something being wrong; it is about making things work. It not necessarily about negative things; it is about your accomplishments and what makes you stand out. You will learn that, for all of us, throughout our life journey, we all encounter conflicts that are challenging and that sometimes require help in working them out. Some clients might say I am confrontational and don’t run away from reality. I look at happenings in our lives as being real and needing our professional relationship to explore, so we can work on things together.

It is important to have balance and question our inner thoughts, to bring our feelings into awareness and not be afraid of discussing them. With the necessary tools and through professional relationship, we explore these thoughts and feelings which then guide you to new possibilities and better versions of who you already are.

Certified Life Coach

As a life coach, I partner with you in a creative process that inspires you to discover your life purpose. Together we foster your desires by helping you become more inspired and reflective, to create your own life journey. As a life coach, I help you set goals to maximize your fullest potential. Through our work and collaboration, I help you identify with your true self, inner feelings and ultimate goals. Using everyday life events, we review your unhealthy habits and break down some of your negative thought patterns. We then guide you towards your own self-reflection.  In order to be fully engaged in life coaching, it is important to understand that in order to achieve your ideal self, you must be aware of how you want to be and feel. These desires need to be recognized and aligned in order to succeed.

Education and Experience

  • The Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies, Certified Psychoanalyst
    • Master’s in Counseling Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey
  • B.A. in Communications & Psychology, Caldwell University, New Jersey
  • Former Crisis Counselor at Clara Mass Hospital, New Jersey
  • Former Behavioral Health Counselor at Community Hope, New Jersey
  • Former Breast Health Navigator at Clara Mass Hospital, New Jersey
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Training, Part 1 & 2
  • IMAGO Relationship Therapy & Emotional Focused Couples Therapy
    • Certification in Life Coaching
  • Certification in Level I & Level II Reiki
  • Member of Psychological Counseling Association
  • New Jersey State License: LPC #37PC00710700

Trainings & Workshops

  • “Getting the Love You Want”- IMAGO RELATIONSHIPS INTERNATIONAL
  • EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
  • Life Coaching – Behavioral Health & Leadership Dynamics
  • Generating Ease in Troubled Times: Lessons from Neuroscience
  • How to Work with a Client’s Emotional Triggers – National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine