Associate Marriage & Family Therapist, License #162927
Supervised by Rebecca Friese, LMFT, License #53059

I discovered my heart for counseling individuals and families through 20+ years of pastoral ministry. Seeing the heartbreaks and challenges in my community led me to pursue training in Marriage and Family Therapy. My desire was to integrate faith with evidence-based interventions to promote emotional, relational and spiritual health in the lives of hurting people. My desire is for people to feel seen and loved as they take steps toward wholeness.

I especially love working with …

• Trauma Survivors. I want to help people understand why their brains go offline when they are triggered and how they can ground themselves. I love helping people eliminate the forces that are keeping their trauma alive and to lighten the heavy load they have been carrying.
• Couples and Families. I love seeing family members strengthen bonds and leave the clinic holding hands. Let's break those stubborn cycles together and discover new ways of relating that foster empathy and attachment.
• Ministry Leaders. Pastors, ministry leaders and their families can feel so isolated, mistreated and discouraged by an overwhelming number of challenges that come with ministry. I would love to walk with you through the mess and to help you draw from the Well of God's abiding love and faithfulness.
• Anyone looking for Christian Counseling. I understand that spirituality is a massive resource for our health. I have experience integrating faith and clinical interventions in treating trauma, depression, pornography/substance addiction, anger, grief, ADHD, social anxiety, family conflict and a variety of adjustment disorders.

Joe's Background

Joe received his BA of Psychology from UC San Diego and his MA of Mariage and Family Therapy from National University. Joe also has a Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary. He is currently an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist.

Joe has been married to Naomi for over 20 years. He has two sons: one in college and another in high school. They love traveling, the beach, and eating new things. Joe is the lone Lakers fan in the house but patiently endures the constant berating from the Warriors fans he lives with.