Joe Groninga (he/him/his)

Addiction is something which I have several years of experience treating. People are often surprised to learn that treatment for substance abuse is not at all what they thought it would be. Typically, those with severe addictions will require a lifetime goal of sobriety while those with more mild addictions may acquire the ability to practice “controlled use” of chemicals. We will do a careful assessment of your symptoms so that effective goals for treatment can be established.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be a very debilitating set of symptoms and is something for which I use a therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention (ExRP or ERP). This therapy is widely considered to be the most effective treatment for OCD available. I will teach you how to approach situations that create obsessive thinking and emotional distress and how to simultaneously resist acting on urges to engage in your compulsive behavior. Clients are often amazed at the results.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) often creates very painful symptoms and is something for which I use a therapy called Prolonged Exposure (PE). In this therapy, we will revisit traumatic situations, process painful emotions, and change unhelpful beliefs about yourself and the world around you. People are often amazed at how quickly this treatment can work and by the very meaningful change that can result. For these reasons, this is one of my favorite treatments to provide.

I utilize exposure-based methods to treat many anxiety and fear-based symptoms including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and phobias. I will teach you how to approach your fear in such a way that it subsides quickly and allows you to build mastery over it. These techniques are among the most reliable and effective we have. Most clients are amazed at how effectively and efficiently these methods work for them.

Mindfulness practices involve learning how to open our awareness, focus our attention, and allow painful reality that we may be fighting. This leads to a reduction in anxious and depressive symptoms. However, understanding something intellectually is different from successfully implementing it. I can help you by providing individualized intervention and assistance to aid you in developing the ability to practically implement these practices so you can achieve the desired benefits.

While using these techniques, you and I will examine the component parts of your symptoms such as emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. We’ll then examine how these parts are connected and how they impact each other. I’ll help you create changes to one or more of these parts to achieve your desired symptom relief. These techniques are generally considered to be among the most efficient and effective available to psychologists.

LGBTQ+ issues are ones which are close to my heart as I am a gay-identified man. LGBTQ+ people share many unique experiences (e.g., stigma, rejection, alienation) due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. The symptoms that result from those experience are often more accurately understood by a psychologist who has shared in those experiences. Together, we will also share the goal of helping you develop into the LGBTQ+ person you want to be.

LGBTQ+ issues are ones which are close to my heart as I am a gay-identified man. I use a combination of therapeutic approaches with the goal of helping you develop into the LGBTQ+ person you want to be. LGBTQ+ people share many unique experiences (e.g., stigma, rejection, alienation) due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. The symptoms that result from those experience are often more accurately understood by a psychologist who has shared in those experiences.