Johanna Lopez

Johanna Lopez is a compassionate, experienced counselor who focuses on listening closely and offering thoughtful guidance. She approaches sessions with empathy and reflection, asking questions and sharing observations while drawing on decades of professional expertise to help clients reach their goals.

She holds a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee earned in 1983, and she is licensed to practice as a professional counselor in Wisconsin (licensure: WI LPC 1560-125). In August 2014 she completed a certificate program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison concentrating on mental health and the older adult, a training she pursued to ground her experience in current research about aging.

Her career began in education, where she taught middle school for 15 years before moving into school-based counseling. She served as a guidance counselor in the same school long enough to counsel the children of her former students. Johanna later provided in-home therapy to adolescents who had experienced a run-in with the law, working both in school settings and within the home when judges redirected youth back to their communities with therapeutic support. She also worked with an agency focused on supporting Medicaid families, providing practical counseling in child rearing, budgeting, time management, and basic survival skills.

With 35 years of experience, Johanna uses an eclectic therapeutic style, selecting techniques that match the goals set at the start of therapy. She tends to listen more than speak and moves at the pace the client prefers. She strives to be nonjudgmental and encourages honesty, holding the belief that people can change. If a person is ready for support, Johanna would consider it a privilege to accompany them on their journey.