Johanna Lopez, MS, LPC

Hello! I am here for you, to listen and guide. What exactly does that mean? I understand the issues that you bring to our sessions are very important to you. You deserve to be heard. And in the process of listening to you, I intend to question and comment, giving you compassion, reflection, and the sum total of my expertise.

That experience is broad and complex. I have a master's degree in Educational Psychology from The University of Wisconsin-- Milwaukee (1983) and am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Wisconsin. In August of 2014, I also earned a Certificate of Completion from The University of Wisconsin-- Madison, focused on the topic of Mental Health and the Older Adult. It was important to me to back up my experience with scientific evidence regarding the aging process.

After teaching middle school students for 15 years, I discovered that the best part of the school day was counseling individuals after school! So I became a guidance counselor, working in the same school long enough to counsel the children of my former students. I progressed into in-home therapy, working with teens who had a "brush" with the law. Rather than put them in detention, a judge would send them back home, to the same school, but with a counselor (like me!) who worked with them in both the school setting as well as the home setting. I eventually worked with another organization that specialized in helping Medicaid families. They needed counseling in child rearing, budgeting, time management, and basic survival skills.

My therapeutic style is eclectic, that is, I use a variety of techniques to reach the goals you, the client, set in the beginning of our relationship. I do more listening than speaking. I move as fast or as slowly as you choose. Hopefully, you will trust me enough to be honest with me, knowing I won't judge you or hurt you with my words. I believe that people can change. If you are ready, I would love to support you in your journey. It would be a privilege to work with you.