Joanne Thurston, MA, LMFT
Joanne joins the Children’s Therapy Works Team as a marriage and family therapist in private practice. Recently, Joanne resigned from an in-patient child and adolescent psychiatric hospital where she gained a wide-range of experience working extensively with severely emotionally disturbed children, ages 6 to 18, and their families.
Joanne holds a masters degree in marriage and family counseling from the Alfred Adler Graduate School in Minnesota and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). Joanne enjoys working with families, couples, and individuals of all ages. Collectively she has over 8 years of experience in the mental health field including broad skills working with individuals who have: developmental trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, chemical dependency, mood disorders, personality disorders and the adult population of the seriously and persistently mentally ill. Joanne’s approach to therapy is based on the client’s strengths and the power of the therapeutic relationship to promote change and balance in people’s lives.
Joanne’s specialty is working with children and adolescents who have experienced developmental trauma such as: divorce, parental termination, grief and loss, adoption, removal from the home and/or placement into foster care, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect. Joanne helps children, adolescents and their care givers understand how trauma exposure can lead to secondary adversities and continue to affect adjustment and development over time. Joanne uses a collaborative, respectful and compassionate approach to expose, normalize and help change the thinking patterns required to stabilize and improve behaviors.
Help is a phone call away…
Call today to talk with Joanne regarding how she can help you, your child or adolescent. Evening and weekend appointments are available to accommodate your busy schedule. Joanne offers a sliding fee scale for families who do not carry insurance.
Children Matter
Improving the quality of life for your child and your family is Joanne’s highest priority. Children do best when they are given the support and resources to grow into responsible individuals. Joanne’s individualized approach to working with children will help do that.
Parents Matter
You know your child best. Joanne will collaborate with you in how to best help your child. Joanne will partner you to strengthen your confidence in managing your child’s difficulties through education and strategies that work.
Communities Matter
Families are the backbone of our communities. Sometimes a child struggles in areas outside the home. Joanne will work with the community professionals involved with your child. This can include referral sources, school personnel, County Social Service or Probation staff, and other treatment providers
What is counseling and how does it work?
Counseling is the process of solving emotional and relational problems by talking with a professional trained to help people achieve a more fulfilling individual life, marital relationship, or family relationships. The process of change will, in many ways, be unique to your particular situation. Who you are as a person will help to determine the ways in which you go about changing your life. The process of change begins by first clearly defining the problem, and then discussing your thoughts and feelings, understanding the origin of the difficulty, and developing new skills and healthy attitudes about yourself and others.
Joanne’s office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. To accommodate busy lives, after hour appointments can be arranged. You are invited to contact her 320 894-9968. Leave a message with your name and phone number and she will return your call as soon as possible. You can also e-mail Joanne at: jpcarrow@yahoo.com
