Juanita J Smith Whittington , LPCC

Juanita J Smith Whittington is an African American licensed therapist with two decades of clinical experience supporting adolescents and adults in California. She holds the LPCC credential, which stands for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and combines practical skills with a compassionate, client-centered approach to help people navigate life’s transitions.

With a focus on stress, anxiety, relationships, self-esteem, depression, and coping with life changes, she works with individuals, couples, and families to address challenges such as attachment and abandonment, caregiver stress, communication problems, divorce and separation, and midlife concerns. Her practice also includes work around forgiveness, guilt and shame, money and financial issues, and cultivating self-love and life purpose.

Her clinical work centers on cognitive-behavioral therapy, which examines the connections among thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to identify and change unhelpful patterns. She also integrates mindfulness-based techniques to build self-awareness and acceptance. Juanita aims to create a professional yet inviting environment where clients can build resilience, discover personal strengths, and pursue meaningful change.

Evidence-Based Techniques and Online Care

Juanita emphasizes cognitive-behavioral therapy, a structured approach that explores the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to help people reduce anxiety, manage depression, and change limiting patterns. She also incorporates mindfulness-based techniques, teaching present-moment awareness and acceptance skills that support stress reduction and emotional regulation.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process; Juanita collaborates with clients to identify which strategies fit their needs, goals, and preferences, and adjusts the plan as progress unfolds. This collaborative stance helps tailor sessions to relationship concerns, life transitions, self-esteem work, or caregiver stress.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which offer flexibility for busy schedules and people living in different locations. These formats allow licensed professionals to provide consistent support, reduce travel time, and make it easier to maintain regular appointments while balancing daily responsibilities.