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LCSW

Margaret Joern, LCSW

  • Experience25 years
  • LocationVirginia
  • Focus areasADHD, Relationship, and Family
  • Therapy approachesCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
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About Margaret

Margaret Joern is a Virginia-based licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who brings 25 years of clinical experience to her practice. She blends practical, evidence-informed methods with an emphasis on trauma recovery and skills-based work to address concerns such as depression, anxiety, grief, relationship and family difficulties, and ADHD.

Background and approach

Her background includes long-standing support for people facing mood instability, addiction struggles, compassion fatigue, and the complex effects of past abuse. Her work often combines structured interventions and trauma-focused techniques to help clients develop healthier coping strategies and clearer problem-solving habits.

Margaret has a particular interest in issues that emerge from family-of-origin patterns, caregiving stress, and the aftermath of critical incidents experienced by first responders and veterans. She also addresses problems like hoarding, impulsivity, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms within a practical, goal-oriented framework.

Clients find that Margaret centers collaboration and measurable progress, using approaches such as cognitive behavioral tools, EMDR, and motivational interviewing to support change. Sessions emphasize building resilience, reducing distress, and creating concrete steps toward improved functioning while respecting each person’s pace and priorities.

Evidence-Informed Approaches for Online Healing

Margaret commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help clients identify unhelpful thinking patterns and develop practical skills for managing anxiety, depression, and everyday stress. CBT emphasizes goal-oriented exercises and behavioral experiments that translate well to video or phone work.

She also integrates Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma-focused care, a method that supports processing distressing memories and reducing their emotional charge; elements of EMDR can be adapted for work in online sessions with attention to pacing and safety.

Finding the right approach is part of the collaborative process. She discusses client goals, preferences, and symptom patterns to determine whether skill-building strategies, trauma processing, motivational techniques, or a combination will best support progress. This shared planning helps tailor sessions to each person’s needs.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, making it easier to fit care into busy lives or when in-person visits are not possible. These formats allow ongoing, consistent work on skills, trauma processing, and problem-solving while accommodating different schedules and communication preferences.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Margaret address?
Her practice covers a wide range of issues including relationship and family problems, trauma and abuse, depression, anxiety, grief, mood disorders, addiction, ADHD, and stress related to caregiving or first responder roles.
What therapeutic style can I expect in sessions?
She uses evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches such as cognitive behavioral techniques and EMDR alongside motivational interviewing to create a structured, collaborative style focused on practical skills and trauma processing.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Margaret brings 25 years of clinical experience working with complex emotional and behavioral concerns across a variety of presenting problems.
Where is Margaret licensed and practicing?
She is a licensed clinical social worker in Virginia with the credential listed as VA LCSW 0904006253.
Does she work with non-English speakers or international clients?
Sessions are provided in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available for online work?
Clients can meet via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on their needs and scheduling.
How are fees and subscriptions handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin working together?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Relationship issuesFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseSelf esteemDepression

Also works with

Stress, AnxietyAddictionsLGBTGriefBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentCaregiver issues and stressCodependencyDomestic violenceFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHoardingImpulsivityMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMood disordersObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPhobiasPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Social anxiety and phobiaWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Motivational InterviewingTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

25+ years

Licensed

Virginia

Languages

English