Joelle Purdy, LICSW - Therapist in District of Columbia

About Joelle

Joelle Purdy is a licensed independent social worker (LICSW) who uses client-centered techniques to support people facing major life changes. She keeps sessions warm and interactive and focuses on listening first. Her approach blends practical methods so conversations stay focused on goals and next steps.

Her work includes grief and loss, stress and anxiety, and relationship and intimacy concerns. She also helps people with parenting challenges, self-esteem, career questions, and coping with life changes.

Background and approach

She draws on mindfulness and cognitive behavioral ideas to help people notice patterns and try small changes. Purdy has four years of professional experience and brings a respectful, compassionate manner to each session. She adapts conversations to match what each person needs and values.

Motivational interviewing and solution-focused strategies are part of her toolkit to clarify priorities and build momentum. She also addresses issues such as caregiver stress, blended family dynamics, aging and geriatric concerns, hospice and end-of-life counseling, multicultural questions, and women’s issues. These topics can come up alongside grief, forgiveness, guilt, and finding life purpose.

The emphasis is on understanding what matters most to the client. Sessions are offered in English and take place through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Joelle practices in the District of Columbia as a DC LICSW LC50082070 and uses an approach that meets people where they are.

Therapeutic approaches and online options that fit your life

Joelle uses client-centered methods to begin where a person is. This approach means sessions start with listening to what matters most and shaping the work around personal goals. It helps when someone needs space to be heard and wants to build a plan based on their values.

She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify unhelpful thoughts and try concrete behavior changes. CBT works well for anxiety, depression, stress, and patterns that keep recurring. Mindfulness Therapy is used alongside CBT to teach simple attention and breathing practices that reduce reactivity and support coping during hard moments.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences, and together they will choose which methods to use and when to adjust them. That shared planning helps keep sessions practical and relevant.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These formats let people fit sessions into busy days, revisit short check-ins by message, or use video for deeper conversation. The range of options makes it easier to keep momentum and access care from where someone already is.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Mindfulness Therapy

Attention training: noticing thoughts and physical feelings as they arrive without being carried off by them. Much of it is practice you do yourself, so guidance over video or audio works much as it would in person.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address?

Joelle works with grief and loss, stress, anxiety, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting, self-esteem, career questions, depression, and coping with life changes.

How would she describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is client-centered and warm. She uses practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused therapy to guide conversations.

What is her professional background?

She holds a LICSW and has four years of experience in social work practice, focusing on grief, caregiving stress, end-of-life concerns, and related issues.

Where is she licensed to practice?

She is licensed in the District of Columbia as a DC LICSW LC50082070.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

What formats are available for sessions?

Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.

How are fees handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Grief

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 4 years
Licensed: District of Columbia
Languages: English

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