About Joy
Joy Gumm is a licensed clinical social worker in Wisconsin with 20 years of experience. She focuses on practical support for people facing stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief, and changes in life. Joy speaks plainly and meets people where they are in the moment.
Her approach starts with listening. She treats each person with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. Together she and the client shape conversations and goals to fit real-life needs.
Background and approach
Joy uses methods that help people notice patterns and try small changes. She draws on Client-Centered Therapy to make space for the person’s own priorities. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going.
Motivational Interviewing is part of how she supports people who want change but feel stuck. That method focuses on a person’s own reasons for change and builds practical steps to move forward. Her work includes caregiving and aging concerns, chronic illness and pain, family communication, and caregiver stress.
She also supports people dealing with compassion fatigue and issues related to military service. Joy adapts conversations and plans so they fit each person’s life and goals.
How these approaches work online
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following the person’s lead. It helps when someone needs a safe place to sort out priorities and make decisions about next steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and actions affect feelings and helps people try different ways of thinking and behaving to reduce symptoms like anxiety or low mood. Motivational Interviewing helps people find their own reasons to change and plan small, realistic steps forward.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences and will try different methods together to see what fits best. That process is collaborative and adjusted over time based on what the person says is helpful.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when a longer session is needed. Phone sessions can work well when video is difficult or bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief check-ins, quick coping strategies, or when writing feels easier than speaking. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to use different formats as needs change.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Isolation / loneliness
- Parenting issues
- Relationship issues
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English