Meet Joe Burke, LCSW
When good on paper doesn’t feel good to you–therapy helps you reclaim what matters.
Therapist based in Cary, NC & serving clients in SC, VA & MD
“Is this really the life I’ve been working toward?”
In reality, your life might not be falling apart, but it’s becoming harder to ignore that something doesn’t feel right. Maybe you’re more irritable than you’d like to be. The inner critic is only getting louder, and even though you keep showing up for your responsibilities, it still feels like you're doing it on autopilot.
You might feel stuck in a role that no longer fits, unsure how to speak up for yourself, or disconnected from what you truly want. And maybe you’ve been carrying too much for too long—your inner world constantly on high alert—and now it’s starting to show up in your mood, your energy, and how you move through your life.
Before we can hear our own voice, we have to stop standing in its way.
Underneath a lot of the stuckness my clients bring in, there’s usually a more fundamental struggle: they’ve spent so long accommodating expectations, avoiding uncertainty, or walking the well-worn path that they’ve lost sight of their own. Therapy helps surface what’s been buried—not just the fear or self-judgment, but the clarity, desire, and permission to live differently.
I believe that most problems or challenges aren’t signs of being broken—they’re adaptations that once made sense. And this work is about learning how to relate to them differently.
GET TO KNOW ME
Before becoming a therapist, my career started in the corporate world of tech PR, where I got an early glimpse into the performance-driven world many of my clients now navigate.
I know what it’s like to feel that pressure to perform, to keep it together, and how often you push inner feelings aside for the sake of the role you’re in. I also understand the responsibilities that come with balancing family, perfectionism, and the constant self-questioning that can come with being sensitive, anxious, or unsure of your place in the world.
That experience shapes how I show up as a therapist—not as someone removed or above it all, but as someone who understands how heavy it can feel to live out of sync with yourself. My style is warm, steady, and collaborative. I listen closely, reflect honestly, and offer thoughtful hypotheses about what might be keeping you stuck and what might help shift it.
You won’t have to guess what I’m thinking.
I’ll be clear and candid, always respecting your pace while offering perspective, challenge, and moments of levity when they’re needed. The work is serious, but we don’t have to be solemn—and you won’t be doing it alone.
I draw from a blend of psychodynamic, ACT, CBT, humanistic, and mindfulness-based approaches—whatever’s most useful to help you build clarity, self-trust, and momentum. My goal is to help you feel more aligned with your truest self, so you’re free to pursue your most meaningful endeavors.
ALLOW THERAPY TO SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE
“I’m getting things done, but it feels like I’m not really there.”
“I’m not numb all the time. I actually care again.”
“I can’t believe I said that. What’s wrong with me?”
“I know “me” better, and I speak to myself with more compassion.”
“If I stop pushing, everything will fall apart.”
“I have boundaries, and I don’t have to run on empty anymore.”
“I don’t even know what I want anymore.”
“My goals feel clearer—I know what matters and I’m more prepared to go after it.”
My BACKGROUND
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Master of Social Work, Smith College School for Social Work
Post-Master’s Fellowship, NC State University Counseling Center
Certificate in Business & Professional Coaching - NC State Continuing Education
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Licensed Clinical Social Worker
North Carolina (#C012638)
Virginia (#0904018027)
Maryland (#32919)
South Carolina Telehealth (#1276)
Let’s stop pushing through and start paying attention.
Online sessions available based in Cary & across NC, SC, VA, & MD.