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

Jessica "J. Marie" Garrett is a licensed clinical social worker with more than 20 years of professional experience working with individuals and families in Maryland and Washington D.C. Her credentials are listed as LICSW, MD, LCSW-C, reflecting advanced clinical social work licensure across the two jurisdictions. She brings focused experience supporting people facing stress and anxiety, depression, relationship and family conflicts, anger management, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related concerns, parenting challenges, self-esteem and career issues, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and coping with life changes.

Garrett emphasizes respectful, sensitive, and compassionate care and adapts conversations and treatment plans to the unique needs of each person. She also works with issues related to adoption and foster care, co-morbidity, communication problems, divorce and separation, forgiveness, veteran and armed forces matters, financial stress, mood disorders, and women’s issues. Her approach centers on tailoring strategies to fit an individual’s circumstances and goals while offering steady support during transitions. She acknowledges that seeking change requires courage and aims to guide clients through that process with practical tools and collaborative planning.

Therapeutic Approaches and Accessible Online Care

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and changing patterns of thinking and behavior to reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning. It is often used for anxiety, depression, stress, and coping with life transitions.

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, goal-oriented method that helps people find their own motivation to change. It is useful for addressing ambivalence around behavior change, such as substance use, lifestyle adjustments, or engagement in treatment.

Solution-Focused Therapy emphasizes practical strengths and short-term strategies to create forward movement. It helps clients set clear goals and build on what is already working in their lives.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Jessica "J. Marie" Garrett works collaboratively with clients to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adjusts plans as progress is made.

Online therapy offers flexibility in how people connect - through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - making it easier to fit care into busy schedules and to maintain continuity during life changes. This variety of formats supports consistent engagement and allows therapists and clients to choose the communication style that fits best.