Dr. Joanna Kristeva

Dr. Joanna Kristeva is a licensed clinical social worker with 12 years of direct clinical experience. She holds LCSW in New York and LISW in Ohio and combines several psychotherapy approaches to help people facing major life changes and loss.

She works with people dealing with trauma and abuse, complicated grief, low self-esteem, depression, and the stress of life transitions. Life purpose is listed among her focus areas, and she also addresses attachment concerns, abandonment, dissociation, and feelings of isolation. The biography notes clinical training in trauma treatment and complicated grief counseling at Columbia University.

Her practice draws on cognitive-behavioral methods alongside psychodynamic and Jungian ideas. Sessions include practical skills for managing difficult emotions and time to look at deeper patterns that shape relationships and self-image. She also uses elements of dialectical behavior therapy for emotion regulation when helpful.

Joanna earned a postgraduate degree from New York University and a doctorate in philosophy. She has published peer-reviewed articles and books on related topics, which informs how she frames clinical questions and treatment options.

People often come to her when they feel stuck after a major change or when grief and past trauma get in the way of everyday life. She asks about current struggles, history, and what a workable next step would look like, then works together with each person to plan practical sessions focused on those goals.

How her approaches translate to online work

Dr. Kristeva uses cognitive-behavioral therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors. CBT gives concrete tools for anxiety, low mood, and practical problems that come with life transitions.

She also brings trauma-focused methods and psychodynamic ideas into sessions. Trauma-focused work looks at how past events affect current reactions, while psychodynamic approaches examine repeated relationship patterns and underlying feelings. Both can support processing grief, attachment struggles, and questions about life purpose.

Choosing the right approach is collaborative. She will talk about goals, preferred ways of working, and what feels manageable. Together they decide which methods to try and they adjust the plan as progress or needs change.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. In general, online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and let people use video or audio based on what works best for them. These practical benefits help people practice skills between sessions and keep therapy connected to everyday life.