About Jessica
Jessica "J. Marie" Garrett uses practical, goal-focused methods to help people manage stress and anxiety. She is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience.
Jessica works in Maryland and brings a calm, direct style to sessions. She focuses on clear steps people can take to feel steadier day to day. That might mean learning ways to change unhelpful thoughts, setting small behavior goals, or identifying what motivates change.
Background and approach
Her approach is straightforward and problem-focused while staying respectful and compassionate. Jessica has worked with many concerns across mood, behavior, and life transitions. Common topics she helps with include depression, anger, addiction, grief, relationship strain, parenting challenges, and coping with major life changes.
She also supports people facing adoption and foster care issues, veterans and armed forces matters, and financial or career stress. Sessions are shaped to fit each person's needs and priorities. Jessica emphasizes collaboration - clients set goals and she offers tools, coaching, and feedback to reach them.
She uses techniques drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Therapy. Her practice style is practical and empathetic. People who appreciate clear guidance, step-by-step plans, and a respectful tone often find this approach helpful.
Jessica encourages small, realistic steps that build confidence over time.
Approaches you can use online
Jessica uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing to guide online work. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and changing behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression. It offers concrete tools you can practice between sessions to notice patterns and try new responses.Motivational Interviewing is a conversational approach that helps people find their own reasons to change. It is useful for addictions, behavior change, and when someone feels stuck or uncertain about next steps. The therapist listens, reflects, and helps build motivation without pressure.
Choosing the right approach is part of the process. Jessica will collaborate with each person to pick methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. Together they set priorities, try options, and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online sessions use video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video offers face-to-face interaction; phone can work when bandwidth is limited or you prefer no camera. Live chat or text messaging is handy for brief check-ins, homework support, or people who prefer typing. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and keep consistent progress.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Maryland, District of Columbia
- Languages
- English
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