JoAnn W. Payne, LCSW

My professional course began as a Registered Nurse, with a 3-year diploma in Nursing from Good Samaritan Hospital. I enjoyed direct patient care, health education, and some real excitement as an Emergency Room Nurse. 

While raising my children, I worked part time in nursing and volunteered with a local Women’s Crisis Center. My service at this agency provided Child Sexual Abuse Prevention programming in public schools. Meeting with child victims of sexual abuse, my passion to become part of a solution for this devastating issue lead me to become a Social Worker.

I received my Bachelors Degree in Social Work from the College of Mt. St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio. My Masters Degree immediately followed at the University of Cincinnati, with an internship as a School-based Social Worker. This lead to my first official Social Work position as a School - based Mental Health Therapist in an urban middle school. After nearly 7 years, I transferred into the High School, continuing to enjoy absolute professional bliss for the past 10 years!

Working with adolescents and young adults is tremendously rewarding and quite an honor. The energy and emerging ability to self-define allows me the privilege of witnessing powerful transformation within an individual.

As a School Social Worker, I received the honorable invitation to facilitate the GSTA (Gay-Straight-Trans-Alliance) at the high school. This ever-evolving group of teens led me to a passionate commitment to serve the LGBTQ community. Supporting and exploring emotional wellness for this population of beautiful SOULS has brought me to this point in my career. I am honored by the invitation of others, to accompany them as they discover the inner true self.