Joel is a psychotherapist-in-training who believes that every person brings strengths and inherent value to the therapy room. His approach is warm, relational, and strengths-based, grounded in the belief that people are more than the struggles that bring them to therapy. Joel aims to create a space where clients can openly explore difficult emotions and experiences while also recognizing and celebrating the qualities that make them who they are. He hopes to offer clients a safe, trusting relationship where they can feel seen and understood.

He is interested in working with adults navigating emotional challenges, identity, grief and loss, self-worth, and relationships. He is passionate about LGBTQ+ mental health and men’s emotional well-being, particularly how societal expectations can influence how we understand ourselves, express emotions, and relate to others. Joel is also curious about how patterns from past experiences and across generations continue to affect us in the present, and how we can break cycles and choose different ways of living. His work is grounded in a multicultural framework that recognizes how culture and identity shape each person’s experience.

Joel’s path to counseling reflects his appreciation for the transformative potential of therapy, as well as his longstanding belief that sensitivity and emotional openness can be invaluable sources of strength. With more than a decade of international experience in the fashion industry, Joel also brings a unique understanding of the pressures that can accompany creative and performance-driven careers, including visibility, rejection, expectations, and the complex relationship between achievement and self-worth. His career has allowed him to work with and connect with people across cultures and experiences.

Outside of counseling, Joel enjoys playing the piano and has a deep appreciation for the outdoors, rooted in his West Virginia upbringing. He is currently pursuing his M.S.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education.