01 · Who Dr. works with

Dr. works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and relationship issues

Dr. lists 14 specialisms and 25 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Dr. chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Dr.'s own words

What Dr. says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Hi. Thanks for reaching out to me.

Let me introduce myself. I'm Joe Wittemann, a licensed professional counselor who's been helping people for over 40 years. Those years have provided me with considerable insight, experience and skills. I'm an immigrant to this country, so I have a sense of what displacement and separation and assimilation means. I've been a single parent, so I understand the rigor of raising children alone. I've completed my formal education, so I understand what struggle and perseverance means. I've remarried, so I know what compromise and acceptance means. I have transitioned from one career to another and understand the potential for positive change. I've been unhappy. I've been frightened. I've been alone. I've felt the pang of depression . And I have grown through these trials. And when I couldn't do it alone, I sought professional help.

My first career was teaching and working with students. That lasted almost 25 years. Early in that career, I helped establish the Teen Institute on Alcohol and Drugs in Ohio. That led me to a 40 year involvement with adults in addiction recovery programs. I continue that work today. In my second career, I worked with organizations and industries struggling through major change initiatives. In those settings, I've helped individuals facing forced separation, transfer, and loss. I've also mentored leaders who struggled with the changes that they had to enact. I'm a consultant to a crisis response group serving companies experiencing workforce disruption.

I appreciate the courage it takes to pick up a phone and call for help, or to push the enter button on a computer to search for it. Bravo. Now I'd like you to consider some of my beliefs about the counseling relationship and my approach to working with people. I consider this relationship a sacred trust and protect it from outside influence. The time we spend together is solely for your benefit .

I believe that each individual inherently knows what is good or beneficial for them. Together we affirm that. Rather than looking at life as a series of problems to be solved, we explore opportunities for growth and development. What we think about is crucial to the way we behave or act. So exploring your thoughts about certain issues will help us find solutions to them.

All of us are concerned with security and privacy. The BetterHelp platform provides for both. To that I add, a personal commitment to honor your privacy while in session and afterwards. Only with your permission can any information be released, unless otherwise ordered by a court of law. HIPPA policies are always in effect to safeguard personal/private information.

Counseling is considered conversation between you and me. My role is to help clarify the concerns you bring to the conversation to help find solutions to them. Early on in our discussion, I will ask for more clarification to the issue(s) you present so that together we understand the core and tangential concerns. Together we will endeavor to find practical solution. And, if needed employ the aid of other health care professionals should medications be considered.

I use a pragmatic approach to therapy, which I find moves the process along comfortably for the people I work with. That means, education and goal setting are important elements in moving forward. Cognitive processing and mindfulness are two critical components in achieving continuing mental well-being. So I do focus on how thinking affects how we feel and act..I consider, with the patients with whom I work, how brain chemistry add to stress responses and teach my clients on how to better manage it.

I typically schedule 45 to 60 minutes with my clients. That allows us to explore more fully the concerns that you bring to the experience and to spend time needed to work toward resolution. That does limit the number of clients I see in a weeks time so that appointments are usually schedule every other week.

Also, being on the East Coast, can be a challenge for clients who live in different time zones. If you do choose to work with me, I will attempt to meet your needs as best as I can. At this point in time, I do not work in the evenings, but I do provide some opportunity on Saturdays. My appointment schedule is available for you to see so that you may make and informed decision as we go forward together.

If you believe that I might be a good fit for you, please contact me. We will see how we can work together to help you meet your needs.

Dr. K. Joseph "Joe" Wittemann, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Dr. works

The 4 approaches Dr. lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Dr. lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Dr. runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Dr. practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Dr.'s own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Dr. at this point.

2. Naming Dr. specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Dr. is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Dr..

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Dr.

Built from what Dr. actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - Dr. has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 40 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Georgia

Licence

GA LPC LPC003801

Licence number

LPC003801

Licence expires

30 Sep 2028

NPI

1568058097

Years in practice

40

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Dr.'s name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Dr.. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.