- Client-centered work
- Cognitive behavioral tools
- Mindfulness practices
About Johanna
Johanna Westin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Illinois with 15 years of clinical experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, anger, low self-esteem, grief, relationship and family concerns, parenting challenges, career issues, depression, and compassion fatigue.
Johanna has provided care in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She has led individual sessions, group therapy, and worked with family systems in clinical environments. That range has shaped a practical, down-to-earth style aimed at helping people tackle the problems they bring in day to day.
Her style is relaxed and straightforward. She starts with where a person is and focuses on the issues they say matter most. Johanna places importance on the working relationship and on building trust so people can talk honestly about painful experiences and patterns.
She uses a mix of established methods, including client-centered work, cognitive behavioral tools, skills from dialectical behavior therapy, EMDR for trauma-related distress, and mindfulness practices. In sessions she helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, practice new responses, and try skills between meetings.
Many people come for help with family conflict, blended family issues, communication problems, or guilt and shame. Johanna also supports people processing panic attacks, post-traumatic stress, sexual assault and abuse, and those wanting to build more self-love.
Her approach emphasizes collaboration. She helps set clear goals and checks in on progress so therapy stays focused on practical steps the person can take outside sessions.
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and reflecting back where a person is, helping them feel understood and decide what to work on next. It is useful for conversations about guilt, shame, relationship troubles, and life changes.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thoughts and behaviors and offers concrete tools to test and change them. It is often used for anxiety, depression, panic, and managing stress.
EMDR is a trauma-informed method that uses guided processing to reduce the intensity of painful memories and related reactions. It is commonly used when trauma or post-traumatic stress is part of the picture.
Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss different methods, consider a person's goals and preferences, and adjust the plan as work proceeds. That means approaches can be blended and revisited rather than fixed from the start.
Confirm the session formats available before booking since the biography does not list specific formats. Online sessions can make it easier to fit meetings into a workday, avoid travel time, and use different ways of connecting if someone prefers shorter check-ins or audio-only conversations. Ask about the practical options so sessions can be scheduled to fit daily life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
15+ years
Listed in
Illinois
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, anger, low self-esteem, relationship and family concerns, grief, parenting, career issues, depression, compassion fatigue, and related topics such as guilt and shame.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is down-to-earth and laid back. She focuses on building a working relationship and using practical tools people can try between sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 15 years of experience working in both inpatient and outpatient settings with individual, group, and family work.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an LCSW licensed in Illinois and practices from that state.
Can sessions be conducted in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What is the first step to begin therapy?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.