About Joanna
Joanna Manqueros, LCSW
Joanna has worked as a therapist in private practice in the East Bay,
and at Kaiser Permanente since 1994. She is a licensed
clinical Social worker, and has served
as a subject matter expert for the
Department of Consumer Affairs since 1997.
Her practice focuses on somatic tools for healing trauma.
EMDR
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. This is a treatment which is effective for trauma. Trauma symptoms, such as hyper-vigilance reside in the body, and specifically the nervous system. EMDR allows trauma to go from having dominated daily life, to something which becomes a bad memory. This is usually accomplished in 8 sessions; sometimes symptoms can resolve in a shorter time, and sometimes it can take longer, but this is an average number of sessions.
Couples
A successful partnership takes work. My role is to assess each partner’s communication style so that there is increased understanding. Intimacy increases when empathy grows. The couple’s therapy process allows each partner to feel heard. Communication skills enhance this process. Each partner will be given homework designed for shifting their role in the dynamic of the partnership.
Psychotherapy
Anxiety and depression are two common conditions which are particularly helped by psychotherapy. Specifically, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an effective treatment for both conditions. In addition, I treat many mental health concerns, such as job stress, family challenges, relationship problems and personal crises.