Joanna J. Barrett is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT), offering Psychotherapy (in Massachusetts) and Emotional Wellness Yoga Instruction (worldwide) to clients with emotional and physical challenges, as well as those looking for stress relief and relaxation. Joanna’s experience in holistic wellness and mind-body modalities for healing has led her towards guiding individuals to reach their full potential for optimal well-being.

Joanna’s journey to yoga began after struggling for many years with depression, chronic fatigue, migraines, insomnia, and extreme stress. Her body, mind, spirit, and soul needed profound calming, centering, and relaxation. After her first yoga class, Joanna’s mind was clear and open, her body’s tension had subsided, and she felt that there was healing that could be done on her mat. Three years later, Joanna found herself gravitating toward yoga teacher training to advance her practice and find passion and purpose in her life. Moved deeply by the psychological effects of yoga, Joanna decided to pursue a career in yoga and clinical mental health counseling.

She earned her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. Joanna’s career includes the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, Harvard University’s School of Public Health, South Boston Yoga, Healing Tree Yoga & Wellness Center, Om Births, Breathe & Play Every Day, The Yoga Room, the Pathways Institute, The Mastlight, and community mental health agencies in the Boston and South Shore areas of Massachusetts.

Joanna has experienced over 1,000 hours of yoga workshops and trainings in vinyasa, yin, restorative, prenatal, therapeutic, and trauma-informed yoga. Joanna completed her 200-hour teacher training at South Boston Yoga with David Vendetti and Todd Skoglund. She continued her studies and completed her Relax and Renew® restorative yoga teacher training with Judith Hanson Lasater, yin yoga teacher training with Joshua Summers, and prenatal yoga teacher training with Rebecca Conant of Om Births (and later assisted the prenatal training). Joanna also participated in a 13-week meditation program with William Jackson of Skillful Means. Additionally, she completed teacher training modules in the areas of “the psychology of yoga” and “restorative yoga therapeutics” with Bo Forbes, as well as “Trauma Informed Mindy Body (TIMBo)” foundations training with Sue Jones and YogaHOPE. Joanna completed a yoga therapy mentorship program with Kate Graham of Soulful Yoga Therapy at South Boston Yoga and assisted the next training program.

Continuing her studies, Joanna regularly attends national workshops and classes to learn new tools to bring to her students.  She has taken workshops and training programs with Seane Corn, Elena Brower, Kathryn Budig, Shiva Rea, and Dr. Timothy McCall, among others. Joanna is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, National Counseling Association, Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, and Yoga Alliance.

Joanna is a public speaker for national women’s organizations including Alpha Sigma Tau National Sorority and the South Shore Conference for Women. She has been interviewed as a guest on Passion Purpose Posture’s platform, as well as on the Soulful Human’s Podcast, Lola Yoga & Wellness’ Podcast, and Getting Real with Gloria.  

She is also a published writer for Elephant Journal, Identity Magazine, Medium Magazine, Pathways Institute, South Shore Yoga Collective, Cream no Sugar Magazine, Red Letter Everyday Magazine, Therapy Den, and Yoga Girl.