Joyce Lynnette Hocker grew up in Texas, a descendent of four generations of Texans on both sides.  She obtained a PhD in communication from the University of Texas--Austin, and later received a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Montana.  Her academic career as a communication studies professor brought her to Missoula in 1976, where she began her private practice in 1985.  Now in semi-retirement, Joyce teaching in the MOLLI program at UM, and Red Willow Learning Center.  She lives with her husband, Gary Hawk, and their tuxedo cat, Lonestar.