Dr. Joanna Chen is a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY35213) specializing in sleep problems, eating disorders, and trauma/PTSD. She is passionate about supporting individuals with reproductive mental health concerns and perinatal losses, and those living with chronic health conditions. 

After completing her bachelor’s degree at UC San Diego, Joanna dedicated her research and clinical training to understanding and treating eating disorders and earned her master’s degree and PhD in clinical psychology at Drexel University. She completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the UC San Diego/VA San Diego Consortium, during which she pursued further specialization in sleep, trauma, and reproductive mental health. Before joining Palmetto, Joanna worked as a women’s health psychologist at VA San Diego, where she found her passion in supporting women with a wide range of concerns such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, sexual trauma, perinatal trauma and losses, and adjustment to major life transitions.

Joanna’s therapy approach is collaborative and client-centered, and she considers how cultural factors and systemic oppression impact our physical and mental wellbeing. She draws from evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and prolonged exposure (PE). She tailors each treatment plan to the client’s unique needs and goals, and she strives to build a safe and secure relationship with each client, so they can feel empowered to grow out of patterns that are no longer helpful and reconnect with what matters the most to them.