Having made her decision, Joyce set out to find out everything she could about what had happened to make Buffy and the others the way they were. She pestered Giles with endless questions. Finding out the Watchers Council considered what had happened to Buffy and Faith a 'Calling' and 'Sacred Duty' didn't go over well with Joyce, at all. Finding out the Council had been around for a long time and that their the goal was to find and train girls like Buffy and Faith to fight monsters made her even angrier. Especially once she found out that, like with Buffy, it was often behind the parents backs. That Xander had been affected over a year before anyone, including himself knew, because Giles, someone with knowledge, training and experience had completely overlooked every warning sign, also upset her greatly, especially finding out, it could have been much worse. But it was her reaction to learning that Buffy chose to have a relationship with a vampire, soul or no soul, and had sex with him, that finally got thru to Buffy just how bad her choices had been. Fear of disappointing your mother was one thing, horrifying your mother was something else entirely. And Joyce was horrified. Buffy's explanation of her choices made no sense to anyone, except Willow, to a degree, but certainly not to Joyce. That because of Buffy's choices people, including another Slayer, had died, was even more horrifying. Joyce couldn't ignore the reality that monsters existed. She also couldn't ignore the reality of how badly it had twisted her daughter. After several long conversations with Connie and several screaming matches at Giles for allowing the relationship, she agreed to Buffy continuing counseling and prayed Buffy, having now begun to see the problems with her choices, would get better. She also decided to honor the kid's choices to use their abilities to help others. Someone had taken choice from them in doing this to them, now they were choosing to try to do something good with those abilities. She was proud of all of them. Even the ones without power, like Willow and Cordelia. Each had found a way to help as well. Willow with her knowledge of computers and Cordelia by supporting them in every way she could, including using the financial advantage she had to buy much needed supplies.
In the wake of her decision to support them, she became their emotional support, Connie tended to their minds, Giles and Jenny to teaching them, Joyce tended to give out hugs and hot chocolate and a listening ear about concerns unrelated to monsters. None of them had parents they could go to for those things. Willow's were never home, Xander's were often drunk, Cordelia's father worked and her parents traveled alot. Oz didn't have parents, they'd died a year ago, it's why he lived with his aunt and uncle, who cared and understood some of his issues with being a werewolf, but it wasn't the same as having your own parents. They loved him, but were only taking care of him up until he graduated. After that he'd be an adult and on his own.
Aside from Joyce finding out the truth, things were relatively quiet in Sunnydale for awhile. The gang patrolled and dusted vampires, researched new demons they encountered and destroyed the dangerous ones. Most of all, they helped people. Gathering her courage one night, Joyce decided to join them on a patrol, to see for herself what they dealt with.
Which is why Buffy, Xander and Oz are currently tied with very thick ropes to thick poles and about to be burned alive. During that patrol, Joyce discovered two dead kids. Turns they weren't kids, they were a demon pretending to be kids so it could get dinner and a show. It was feeding off of Joyce's and other people's fear of monsters and clouding their minds to make them think Buffy, Xander and Oz were monsters. They attacked them and tied them to the poles. The others were racing to save them, having figured out the truth about the dead kids and praying they'd arrive in time.
They did. Jenny used a potion and a spell to reveal the demons true form. Cordelia grabbed a water hose and began putting out the fires. Once the demons true form was revealed, Faith attacked it and killed it. Giles and Willow cut them free.
Unfortunately for Joyce, this meant that she now had a reason to visit Connie's office as well. She began seeing her the next day, after all, you don't recover over night from being brainwashed into nearly killing three kids, one of whom, is your own daughter.