Joe Wills Therapy
Bio
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in Chico, California. I consider this my later-life career, as I am in my sixties. I have also had very satisfying experiences working as an English teacher, freelance writer, home dad, newspaper editor and reporter and public relations and communications professional. I was strongly drawn to psychology in the 1980s, and after moving to California in 1987 began a 20-year involvement as a participant and leader in training at the Guild for Psychological Studies in San Francisco. Over that period and leading up to this day, I have found depth psychology with a spiritual perspective – reflected in works by Carl Jung, James Hillman, Thomas Moore, Robert Johnson, Clarissa Pinkola Estes and others – most influential and healing for me.
My formal education includes an M.A. in Communication from University of the Pacific and an M.S. in Psychology from CSU, Chico. I have also attended numerous workshops and trainings emphasizing the arts, creative imagination, wisdom teachings, dynamic group work, nonviolent communication and other tools for insight and healing. Prior to private practice, I was on the clinical staff for five years at Catalyst Domestic Violence Services in Chico, where I saw individuals and families and led groups at the women’s shelter. In my personal life I love books, movies, music, sports, food and humor and cherish my family and friends and a deep connection to nature.