About Joan Barnett, RP
Stepping into the difficult task of being fully human
About Me
I have been a psychotherapist in private practice in Toronto for 20+ years. I provide psychotherapy for individuals and groups and work with clients eighteen years and up from all walks of life.
I received my diploma from The Institute for Psychotherapy & Emotional Bodywork, where, after graduation, I taught for 7 years. I am a member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), and the Canadian Association for Psychodynamic Therapists (CAPT). Throughout those early years I completed training in theories and practices of body-centered approaches, experiential therapies, group work, supervision, and retreat leadership.
My extensive training in psychodynamic psychotherapy was a rich and immersive experience—both experiential and didactic. Using a co-operative learning paradigm, the foundational training was informed by contemporary psychoanalysis, Gestalt, and Jungian practices with a emphasize on working mindfully with the emotional body. Because of the nature of psychodynamics, it was essential that I experience my own individual and group therapy during my education, and I continue to employ these supports to facilitate my ability to separate out what is my material from that of my clients.
Personal and professional growth is a life-long mission. I continually grow through attending workshops and courses and by doing my own research. I work on being grounded in the emerging developments, theories, and practices of attachment theory, parts theory, art therapy, embodied imaginal therapies, and dreamwork —and follow current innovations in affective neuroscience to address the impact of racial, institutional, and transgenerational trauma on families and communities. I resonate personally with the arts and the transpersonal.
“In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. And no two journeys along the same path are alike.”
Clinical Approach
My approach is one that is unique to each individual client to personalize their therapy and experience. Generally, I would establish a secure environment where it is possible for the client to build trust. Together we talk about the goals the client has set. This is a fluid process where new goals and consent are re-negotiated on a continuum.
We look at the client’s history and root causes of the problems that are keeping them stuck in their life. We explore more deeply what emerges as the therapy progresses. How the client organizes their body, beliefs, and personality.
As the therapeutic alliances deepens, we explore what emerges inter- psychically; through dreams, memory, somatic-emotional cues, and the transference. This is done with an integrative approach. The work is held in the present moment as much as possible, however the client’s life story and psychoeducation are as important and essential to the process.
Therapy sessions are private and confidential.