- License
LCSW, State of Colorado, registered under the name Joseph Chouinard (CSW.09930629) - Education
MSW, Metropolitan State University of Denver (2022) - EMDR training
EMDR of the Rockies (2024) - Availability
Currently accepting new clients - Location
Denver Tech Center / Greenwood Village area
I'm Joe, a Denver-based therapist who specializes in complex trauma (C-PTSD) and addiction recovery, and who works with adults untangling anxiety, depression, grief, and the patterns that keep them feeling stuck. If you've spent years being told (or telling yourself) that you're "too much," "too sensitive," or "just difficult," there's a decent chance what's actually going on is complex trauma. That's very much my lane.
I ask a lot of questions, get curious out loud, and I'll laugh at something you say more often than you'd expect from a guy with a license number. I take the work seriously. I don't take myself too seriously.
Before opening my own practice, I spent years working in residential and outpatient treatment settings with clients navigating trauma, PTSD, mental illness, and addiction. My path into this work isn't only professional. I know recovery from the inside as well as the outside, and I've sat with a loss in my own life that shaped how I understand pain, coping, and what it takes to come back from it. That's part of what first pulled me toward addiction work, and later, toward the trauma work underneath it. Complex trauma especially is where I've found the most meaning and where most of my passion for this work lives today.
My approach is rooted in traditional talk therapy, building a relationship with you that's grounded in connection, compassion, and curiosity, so you can start building that same relationship with yourself. Psychodynamic work and Internal Family Systems shape a lot of how I think about people; CBT, ACT, somatic work, and EMDR show up when they're useful, not because a workbook said they should. My style's been described as creative, humorous, and affirming. Dark senses of humor are welcome here.
Who I work with
I work with adults, individually, and I'm affirming of LGBTQIA+ identities and allied with racial justice work. All are welcome. My clients are often navigating complex trauma, substance use, chronic relapse, anger, self-esteem, or grief, and many are simply trying to understand themselves a little better.
What colleagues say
"Joe is a grounded and experienced clinician. Adept at working with trauma, addiction, and core issues, Joe is an excellent choice for those looking to be brave, take risks, and address not only symptoms, but roots of the problem."
Karina Hope Palermo, LPC · via Psychology Today
"Joe is a compassionate therapist who is skilled at helping his clients access their strengths and develop resilience. He will come alongside you while helping you get unstuck in your healing and recovery."
Becca Tarnowski, LPC, NCC · via Psychology Today
"Joe is an all around great guy. He also happens to be an incredibly talented clinician. I worked with him in treatment for a bunch of years and the dude is a gem. I'd highly recommend him to people I'm closest to which says a lot."
Shane Falkenhart, LPC, LAC · via Psychology Today