Joanna Fee, CLC

Relationship Expert, Individual Coach, and Certified Life Coach
949-222-6683
joannarfee@aol.com

I am an Orange County counselor who offers therapy to women and couples in my Irvine Spectrum office. If you are feeling overwhelmed, struggling in your relationships and in life and are looking to gain a sense of control, security, and peace of mind, I would love to help you.

I believe that each of us can live a richer, more satisfying life when we examine how our current problems and struggles are impacted by both our beliefs and present life experiences. Then we can use this knowledge to help solve our problems and to experience more joyful and contented living. In today’s fast paced world, I see therapy as a time to slow down, take stock of one’s life, explore solutions, and consider what we value and desire to create more of in our lives; thus therapy is a time for healing, discovery and clarity. If you’re not sure what you need or want, I can help you to explore possibilities and to uncover what might be needed for healthier, happier, more meaningful living.

I have two specialties: working with women individually and working with couples.

In working with women, I specialize in helping those who are just too hard on themselves--who see themselves as their own worst critic, often leading to feelings of anxiety and depression.

In working with couples, I specialize in helping couples move from blame and hostility , who keep struggling with that “same old fight”, towards re-igniting those loving feelings that brought them together. I also work with individuals who want to improve their marriages even if their spouse is resistant to seeking counseling. I see my role as teaching you the skills to make changes that will work for both you and your spouse.

My training is in life coaching and I am a certified life coach (CLC), with advanced training in marriage counseling and couples therapy from the Couples Institute at UCI. I made a very concious decision to focus on coaching versus clinical psychology or traditional therapy. While coaching can be very therapeutic and healing, similar to therapy, a Life Coach encourages the client to seize and act on their current potential, as opposed to delving into experiences and stumbling points of the past. Life Coaching is future oriented and visionary, and a good life coach will simultaneously act as sounding board, motivator and strategic planner.

In brief, coaching is for people who are not only hungry for change, but also able to take responsibility for their own changes; people who believe in their own natural wholeness and resourcefulness; and who are looking for a mentor with experience and wisdom to partner with, support and guide them on their path to change.

Here a few distinct distinguishing factors between conventional counseling and coaching: Counseling deals with emotions and the past, while coaching concentrates more on the present and future and is more action-oriented. Counseling uses medical and clinical therapy, where as coaching believes in implementation of learning and developmental skills. Counseling seeks to resolve the problems through nurturing and caring, while coaching adopts a more challenging and mentoring kind or role.

To contact me, please dial 949-222-6683 or email me. I look forward to assisting you.

Self-Help Articles and Books

Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert
Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive in Committed Relationships
Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples, 20th Anniversary Edition
Seeing Green: All About Jealousy
Speaking Your Partner's Love Language