About
Joey Wenning, LPC-MHSP
Certified EFT Therapist
I’ve always been drawn to the intense dynamics of relationships. As a young girl, I remember my Barbie dolls getting caught up in dramatic arguments and interactions; fortunately, they always made up and went on to live happily ever after. Sadly, real life couples experience these very real, and very intense interactions, and it can be hard to know how to reach that place of “happily ever after”. I’ve always had a passion for working with and helping people, and I wanted to be able to specifically reach Christian couples and individuals. Faith is such a central component of many peoples’ lives, so why would we leave it out of the counseling office? Fast forward many years later, and Knoxville Center for Marriage Counseling was born. At KCMC, I offer couples a chance to reach their happily ever after, a place where they no longer feel stuck, distant, unsure, or unloved. My aim is to help all couples better understand the patterns that keep them stuck by using Emotionally Focused Therapy. Once couples can see that there’s no “bad guy”, and better understand the patterns that keep them stuck, they have a real opportunity to end counseling feeling closer, more intimate, and more loved than ever before. It is an honor and privilege to help guide both couples and individuals down this path of healing and reconnection.
I’m originally from Ohio, but have called Knoxville home for the past 10 years. I absolutely love East Tennessee and have planted roots here with my husband and 5 kids. My number one purpose in life is to serve God, and I do this by loving my family and raising my children to know and love Him. I also truly believe God uses me as His instrument in helping couples and individuals. Be assured I pray for each and every one of my clients and couples and attribute all successes to God’s great glory.
I’m a master’s level, licensed professional counselor and have been counseling in Knoxville since 2009. I began my work with families, primarily counseling women suffering from addiction, mental health, and trauma, with a focus on mending and healing relationships with their families. My passion has always been working with couples and helping them strengthen and heal their relationships. In 2014, I began training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and have since become a Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist. I’ve been specializing in this model of therapy for the past 5 years in my work with couples and, similar to what research studies have shown, I have experienced it to be an incredibly powerful and successful approach. I am a part of several professional memberships including ACA (American Counseling Association), ICEEFT (The International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy), and TCA (Tennessee Counseling Association).
Experience
What is a Certified EFT Therapist?
EFT stands for Emotionally Focused Therapy and is considered the gold-standard of couples counseling. In order to become certified, a licensed professional needs to undergo many hours of training and supervision specific to EFT. Maybe you’re specifically searching for an EFT therapist, or maybe you don’t even know what EFT is. The most important thing you should know about EFT is it works! EFT is an evidence-based approach to couples and marriage counseling that yields the greatest outcomes, not only short-term but long-term as well. These outcomes include more effective communication, increased understanding for one another, increased emotional and physical intimacy, feeling closer, safer, and more bonded with your spouse, and having a happier and more stable marriage. EFT works by understanding the patterns or cycles that keep partners stuck. There are common stuck cycles that many couples fall into. Once we better understand these cycles, we work on exploring the fears and needs underneath that drive the cycle so we can shift the interaction between the partners.