About Joanna
Joanna Ridgeway offers calm, practical support for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low mood or relationship strain. She helps clients notice what matters most, manage painful thoughts, and take small steps towards more stable days. Joanna aims to make sessions straightforward and non-judgemental so people can speak openly about what’s hard.
Joanna is an ACA counsellor with 14 years of experience in Australia. She has worked with people dealing with trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and the ongoing effects of depression.
How Joanna works
Her practice also covers a wide range of related concerns such as abandonment, attachment issues, chronic illness and caregiver stress. Her approach draws on attachment-based work and client-centred methods to build trust and clarity. Joanna uses cognitive behavioural techniques to help change unhelpful thinking and behaviour.
She also integrates emotionally-focused ideas and elements of the Gottman Method when relationship patterns are central to the work. In sessions Joanna listens first, then helps people choose practical steps they can try between appointments. She uses simple exercises, breathing or mindfulness practices, and conversational problem-solving tailored to each person.
Progress is usually about learning new responses, not quick fixes. Joanna supports people who need help with communication, coping after separation, body image concerns, or the emotional strain of caring for someone unwell. She works in English and conducts sessions online by video, phone, live chat or text messaging.
Starting involves a short matching questionnaire and scheduling a session. Joanna aims to make the first contact clear and manageable so people can focus on what they want to change.
Joanna lists 13 ways of working on the entry:
What Joanna works with
The areas below are the ones Joanna selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | ACA |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 14 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Australia |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Joanna's approaches work in online therapy
Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationship patterns shape current connections. Joanna uses this approach to help people understand trust, closeness and distance in their relationships and to build steadier emotional responses. Client-Centred Therapy places the person’s experience at the centre of sessions. With this approach Joanna listens deeply and helps people find their own solutions, which is useful for improving self-esteem and decision-making.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Joanna will talk through what feels most helpful and adapt methods to match a person’s goals and preferences. That collaborative process means the plan can change as progress is made or new issues arise.
Online formats offer practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, while phone sessions can be useful when bandwidth or movement is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for quick check-ins, shorter reflections or when someone prefers to write rather than speak. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to continue work between sessions.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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