Jessica "J. Marie" Garrett, LICSW, LCSW-C

Jessica "J. Marie" Garrett is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience in Maryland and the District of Columbia. She uses a compassionate, straightforward style to help people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship strain. She encourages clients to take practical steps toward steadier days and clearer choices. Jessica believes the first step toward change is often the hardest, and she supports people through that step.

Her approach is collaborative and tailored to each person. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to notice patterns of thinking that fuel worry and low mood, and on Solution-Focused Therapy to set small, achievable goals. Motivational Interviewing is part of her work when people are weighing change or want extra help finding motivation.

Jessica has worked with concerns such as addiction, grief, parenting challenges, intimacy-related issues, and coping with life changes. She also addresses career questions, self-esteem, ADHD, and mood disorders including bipolar. Additional focus areas include adoption and foster care issues, communication problems, divorce and separation, and money or financial stress.

In sessions she aims to listen carefully, ask practical questions, and help people build skills they can use between meetings. Her style is respectful and sensitive, and she shapes each plan to match the client’s needs and goals. If you are thinking about starting therapy, she offers guidance and support for the first steps.

How Jessica’s approaches fit into online therapy

Jessica uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try new, more balanced ways of thinking. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, and stress when people want concrete tools to change how they react to situations.

She also uses Motivational Interviewing to support people who are weighing change or need help finding inner motivation. This approach focuses on hearing a person’s reasons for change and strengthening their confidence. Solution-Focused Therapy appears in her work when clients want to set clear, short-term goals and build practical steps forward.

Choosing which approach to use is a team effort. Jessica will talk with clients about their needs and goals and then recommend options to try. That collaborative process helps tailor sessions to what works best for each person.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the current session formats before booking since options are not specified here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, shorten travel time, and allow quieter check-ins during a work break or between errands. They also let people use strategies learned in session right away in their daily life.