Joanna  Lovinger
Vetted

Joanna Lovinger

She/Her/Hers

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT Specialties Insurance & Fees Locations
California Accepting Online
West Los Angeles, Encino Accepting In-person
Updated January 21, 2023

Specialties & Expertise

  • Anxiety
  • Artists' mental health
  • Codependency
  • Depression
  • Loss, grief, and bereavement
  • Self-esteem

Professional statement

Joanna Lovinger is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles and a specialization in Spiritual and Depth Psychology. She studied Infant, Early Childhood, and Parent Psychotherapy at the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies. She's also a Certified First Responder Counselor.

Her work with adults focuses on reducing anxiety, improving mood, and helping clients find their voice and purpose in life. She helps clients become unstuck creatively. She helps to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms. And she helps clients strengthen and enrich their relationships, starting with the relationship they have with themselves. Her approach to counseling is tailored to each client, but it’s a blend of psychodynamic, depth psychology, attachment theory, narrative therapy, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.

Joanna has been a writer for 16 years and brings humor and creativity to her work as a therapist. In addition to her professional training, her life experiences give her a deep understanding of the complex issues surrounding adoption. Joanna welcomes the opportunity to work with adult adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents. She provides couples counseling for couples who are struggling to stay together as they process the grief and loss of infertility. And she works with clients of all ages, who struggle with repetitive painful thoughts, sadness, languishing, and grief.


Message to clients

Examining your life and mind in weekly talk therapy sessions is hard. Especially in the beginning, when the biggest chunks of meat and vegetable have sunk to the bottom of the stewpot of your mind. In therapy, we stir the stewpot each week. Feelings and memories bubble to the surface that had been hidden for a long time - and for good reason. Don't be alarmed if you feel a little bit worse before you feel better. This doesn’t happen to everybody. Over time, the process of talk therapy becomes natural and automatic, if not necessarily easy. The stew thickens and it becomes less and less likely that we’ll encounter anything surprising lurking at the bottom of the pot.

Nobody should start therapy until they’re ready to be honest, or it won’t be effective. When you're ready, call me. We can speak briefly about what has you reaching out for help. Then if we book an appointment, the intake session is a chance for each of us to decide if it’s a good fit.


Specialties

Anxiety - Coping with excessive worry, nervousness, or stress; intense discomfort in social settings (social anxiety); sudden and intense feelings of panic (panic disorder)

Artists' mental health - Understanding of highly creative minds; goal setting related to the artistic and creative process; support finding meaningful balance in one’s life

Codependency - Development of healthy boundaries in relationships; strategies for increasing individual self-esteem and autonomy; coping mechanisms for separation and individuation.

Depression - Providing support and promoting healing of hopelessness, low motivation and energy, sadness, irritability, sleep disturbance, and loss of interest and pleasure in life

Loss, grief, and bereavement - Emotionally preparing for the anticipated passing of a loved one; managing feelings and reactions to a death or loss of significance; support during the process of healing and acceptance

Self-esteem - Cultivating self-compassion, assertiveness, and confidence; developing ways to reduce suffering, anxiety, social withdrawal, and self-neglect




Clientele

  • Adults (24+)
  • Couples
  • Parents
  • Seniors (65+)
  • Teenagers (13-18)
  • Young adults (18-24)

Insurance

Joanna Lovinger is not in-network with any insurances.

Read about the benefits of seeing an out-of-network provider here.


Out-of-pocket fees

  • Individual sessions: $150 (50min)
  • Initial session: $150 (50min)
  • Couples sessions: $175 (50min)
  • Extended Couples sessions: $200 (80min)

Additional session information

Out-of-network billing options

This provider can support you in getting reimbursement from your insurance company if you are seeking out-of-network reimbursement. Here are the out-of-network billing options they provide:

  • Super billing
Payment options
  • Cash
  • PayPal
  • IvyPay
Session frequency

Frequency of sessions this provider offers to see clients once you are an established client.

  • Weekly
  • Every other week
  • Multiple times a week

Location(s)

Online Sessions (California)
Accepting new clients online
Currently Available Times
  • Morning (Before 10am)
  • Daytime (10am - 1pm)
  • Afternoon (1pm - 5pm)
  • Evening (After 5pm)
  • Weekends
Regular Hours
  • Mon 12pm
  • Tue 12pm
  • Wed 9am or 10am
  • Thu Closed
  • Fri 11am
  • Sat 9am
  • Sun Closed

West Los Angeles practice
1849 Sawtelle Blvd. , Ste. 610, Los Angeles, California 90025
Accepting new clients in-person
Currently Available Times
  • Morning (Before 10am)
  • Daytime (10am - 1pm)
  • Afternoon (1pm - 5pm)
  • Evening (After 5pm)
  • Weekends
Regular Hours
  • Mon Closed
  • Tue 9am to 2pm
  • Wed Closed
  • Thu Closed
  • Fri 9am to 2pm
  • Sat 9am to 2pm
  • Sun Closed

Encino practice
16530 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 400, Encino, California 91436
Accepting new clients in-person
Currently Available Times
  • Morning (Before 10am)
  • Daytime (10am - 1pm)
  • Afternoon (1pm - 5pm)
  • Evening (After 5pm)
  • Weekends
Regular Hours
  • Mon 12:00-3:00
  • Tue Closed
  • Wed 12:00-3:00
  • Thu Closed
  • Fri Closed
  • Sat Closed
  • Sun Closed

Work and Education

Years of Experience: 9 years

Lovinger Therapy, marriage and family therapist, 2019 - Present

Antioch University Los Angeles, Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, 2015


Licensure

California: 111206


Languages

English


Publications