About Lara
Lara Joynes-Whidden is a licensed clinical social worker who focuses on helping people navigate stress, mood challenges, and addiction. She keeps sessions practical and straightforward. Conversations center on where a person is now and what they want to change.
With three years of experience, Lara has worked in both outpatient and inpatient settings and in employee assistance programs. That background means she knows common workplace stresses and how they affect mood and relationships.
Background and approach
She also supports people facing substance use concerns and process addictions. Her approach blends client-centered listening with practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing. Lara uses narrative and psychodynamic ideas when helpful to understand patterns and life stories.
She adapts methods to fit each person rather than following a single formula. Typical topics include anxiety, depression, bipolar concerns, anger, sleep problems, and parenting strain. She also addresses relationship conflict, blended family issues, financial stress, and workplace problems.
Additional areas include HIV/AIDS-related concerns, intellectual disability considerations, and young adult issues. Lara speaks English and practices in Florida as an LCSW, license FL LCSW SW6747. She views therapy as a partnership and works with people to set goals and track small steps.
Sessions aim to be useful, compassionate, and focused on real-life change.
Approach-focused online therapy that fits your life
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and responding to each person's needs. It helps when someone wants a supportive space to talk through feelings and decide what matters most to them.Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. It offers practical strategies for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and managing mood swings.
Motivational interviewing helps people find and strengthen their own reasons to change. It is often useful for substance use concerns, process addictions, or making lifestyle shifts.
Deciding which approach to use is a shared process. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, preferences, and day-to-day needs. Plans are adjusted over time based on what is helpful.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video calls work well for in-depth conversations, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low, live chat suits shorter check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, school, or family schedules while keeping the focus on progress and practical steps.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Anger management
Also works with
- 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