About Lara
Lara Joynes-Whidden is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who focuses on helping people manage anxiety and related challenges. She approaches each client as a partner in change and aims to create straightforward plans people can use in daily life. She has worked in both outpatient and inpatient settings and has experience in employee assistance programs.
That background informs a practical approach to problems such as mood disorders, substance use, workplace stress, and family tensions.
Background and approach
Sessions emphasize clear goals and steps to reach them. Clients can expect conversations that start with what matters most to them now. Lara uses tools from cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and to build better habits.
She also draws on client-centered methods to keep the focus on each person's strengths and priorities. Motivational interviewing and narrative therapy help when people feel stuck or want to reshape stories about themselves. Psychodynamic ideas are used when understanding patterns from the past helps break cycles in the present.
These methods are blended to fit each person's needs. Her work includes support for addiction concerns, relationship struggles, anger, and stress management. Lara also helps people dealing with grief, parenting pressures, career shifts, ADHD, self-harm, and issues tied to identity and trauma.
She aims for practical change while respecting each person's pace and goals.
How therapeutic approaches fit with online care
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building on each person's strengths to guide sessions toward what they want to change; it helps when someone needs a supportive space to sort priorities. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions link together and teaches practical skills to reduce anxiety and break unhelpful habits.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will help the client decide which methods match their goals, needs, and preferences. That choice is made collaboratively and can shift as progress is tracked over time.
Online options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a hands-free option is needed. Live chat and text messaging can support short check-ins, quick coping ideas, or when typing feels more comfortable than speaking.
These formats let people fit therapy into busy lives, manage symptoms between sessions, and continue care while traveling or during schedule changes. Licensed professionals can adapt their methods across these formats so work toward goals can continue in different ways.
Questions people ask
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How much clinical experience does she have?
What credentials and location are listed?
Which languages are offered and are international clients accepted?
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Anger management
Also listed
- ADHD
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family problems
- HIV / AIDS
- Intellectual disability
- LGBT
- Money and financial issues
- Parenting issues
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Sleeping disorders
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 3 years
- Licensed
- Florida
- Languages
- English
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