Joanne Alexander, AASW

Joanne Alexander is a warm, compassionate therapist based in Australia with 14 years of experience supporting children, young people, and families through challenging and often complex circumstances. She holds an AASW credential - membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers - and brings practical skills in family therapy, children and young people’s mental health, and parenting skills development.

Her practice is guided by a trauma-informed perspective that places the child’s voice, safety, and wellbeing at the centre of every intervention. Joanne prioritizes building a genuine, trusting relationship as the foundation for change and works openly and collaboratively with families to recognise strengths and build confidence, stability, and connection.

Clinically, she draws on client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), alongside mindfulness techniques and motivational interviewing when appropriate. Joanne offers support for stress, anxiety, family and parenting concerns, anger, and depression, and has additional focus in areas such as attachment issues, blended family dynamics, caregiver stress, communication challenges, eating and food-related concerns, mood and personality disorders, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress, seasonal affective disorder, self-harm, social anxiety, women’s issues, and young adult difficulties.

Outside of her professional life Joanne is a mother to an 11-year-old neuro sparkle child and shares a busy household with a labradoodle named Finn and a ginger cat called Obe-wan. She enjoys reading and spending time in nature, and is learning cake decorating as her next challenge.

Therapeutic approaches and online care

Joanne commonly draws on client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in her work. Client-centered therapy focuses on building a trusting, collaborative relationship where the therapist listens and reflects to help clients find their own solutions - this approach supports personal growth and family connection. CBT helps people identify and shift unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors, which can be useful for anxiety, depression, panic, and mood regulation. DBT offers practical skills for managing strong emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness, which can help with anger, self-harm, and relationship challenges.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Joanne works collaboratively with each person and family to assess needs, goals, and preferences, and together they decide which methods to try and adapt over time to best support progress.

Online therapy options - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - make it easier to access care around work, family commitments, and daily life. These formats provide flexibility in scheduling, allow ongoing contact between sessions, and help therapists and licensed professionals deliver consistent support regardless of distance.