Therapist profile
Joanne Waithaka, LMFT
LMFT focused on relationships and family concerns
Continue with JoanneAbout
- Relationship dynamics
- Parenting support
- Trauma and abuse
About Joanne
Joanne Waithaka is an LMFT - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in Virginia with 28 years of clinical experience. She focuses on relationship and family concerns, parenting strain, coping with life changes, trauma and abuse, and depression. Joanne also lists coaching as part of her work with adults navigating life transitions.
She helps people talk through communication problems and patterns that keep them stuck. That can mean addressing family of origin issues, blended family tensions, or the fallout from separation and divorce. She also works with the specific challenges of adoption and foster care, immigration-related stress, and the effects of abandonment or attachment wounds.
Joanne uses several practical approaches in session. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice what matters most and take small steps toward it. Narrative Therapy supports reworking the stories people tell about themselves and their relationships. Solution-Focused and Systemic perspectives guide short-term goal work and look at how interactions between people shape problems.
She has experience with older adults and with people connected to the armed forces, and she names midlife transitions and workplace stress among common concerns. Sessions often involve clear problem-solving, skill-building for communication, and examining patterns across relationships.
Getting started follows a straightforward process: clients complete a short questionnaire and schedule a first session. Fees vary by location and use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How sessions work
How Joanne's approaches work for online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice what matters to them and take manageable steps toward those values despite difficult feelings. It is useful for depression, anxiety about relationships, and navigating life changes. Narrative Therapy focuses on the stories people tell about themselves and their families and helps rewrite those narratives to reduce blame and open up different possibilities. Solution-Focused Therapy centers on small, concrete changes and building on strengths to reach specific goals in a short time.Deciding which approach to use is part of the work. Joanne explores a client's goals, preferences, and day-to-day pressures and then suggests approaches to try together. She treats this as a collaborative process where methods can be adjusted as needs change.
The practical benefit of online work is fitting sessions into busy home and work lives. Before booking, confirm the current session options since formats are not specified here. Online sessions can make it easier to plan brief check-ins, avoid travel time, and fit appointments around caregiving or work breaks. Licensed professionals can use the methods above to support communication work, parenting concerns, and coping with transitions without requiring an in-person visit.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
28+ years
Listed in
Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of relationship or family concerns does Joanne address?
She works with relationship and family issues including communication problems, divorce and separation, blended family tensions, and family of origin concerns.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is practical and collaborative, using ACT, Narrative, Solution-Focused, and Systemic ideas to set goals and change interaction patterns.
How long has she been practicing?
She has 28 years of clinical experience as a therapist working with adults on relationship and life transition issues.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is an MA LMFT and listed as NC LMFT, and she practices in Virginia.
Does she offer sessions in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are fees and payment handled?
Fees vary by location and are charged through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin working together?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.