Joy Belonger, MA, MFA (She/They)
Staff Therapist
Joy is a queer, transfeminine clinician interested in collaborative work where clients can be their complete selves. Joy aims to provide an encouraging and challenging space for folks to explore the meaning of gender identity, sexuality, and neurotype through an intersectional lens. As a neurodivergent person herself, Joy does not shy away from engaging with sensations and dysregulation when they show up. She roots her body work in fat liberation and disability justice.
Joy’s approach combines relational and trauma-responsive practices to provide tailored support to meet you where you are. Whether through humor or present-centered awareness, Joy strives to explore new ways of feeling, experiencing, and thinking about all the varicolored parts of life and its challenges.
Joy studied social work at The University of Chicago and poetry writing at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. This translates to a practice that engages in both the systems that shape our lives and our human need for expression. Joy is a white clinician who prioritizes anti-oppressive and decolonial perspectives. She looks forward to working with fellow creatives, trans folks, and anyone interested in creating the capacity to live more authentically.
Joy practices therapy in Illinois and offers coaching anywhere