Joan Becket, LMFT

Joan Becket is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with 26 years of clinical experience. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1982, majoring in Minority and Ethnic Studies and Sociology with a minor in African-American Studies, and went on to complete a master’s degree in Marriage, Family, Child Counseling at California State University, Los Angeles in 1992. Her path to therapy began after working in a group home for children and meeting a child therapist who inspired her to pursue clinical work. She has provided professional services in South Central Los Angeles and Compton and has volunteered with church outreach programs serving people experiencing homelessness as well as outreach to commercially sexually exploited children.

Joan has spent many years working within a government agency addressing complex cases involving abused and neglected children, and she has provided clinical supervision to colleagues preparing for licensure for 16 years. Her clinical approach blends a faith-informed perspective with evidence-based methods; she holds certification as a practitioner in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and draws on psychodynamic, family systems, structural, and client-centered ideas as needed. Joan describes her style as informal and relaxed, and she brings honesty, directness, compassion, and humor to her work. She often explores generational family patterns to help clients understand how early experiences shape current relationships, behaviors, and functioning. Joan collaborates with clients to choose interventions that align with their goals, values, and life context.