- CBT methods
- Mindfulness practice
- EMDR techniques
About Jarretta
Jarretta Mahalko is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Clinical Social Worker (CSW) practicing in Florida with 10 years of professional experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, depression, and life changes. Jarretta also lists focused areas such as abandonment, attachment issues, communication problems, guilt and shame, loneliness, and women’s issues.
Her approach is straightforward and person-centered. Sessions are shaped around what each person brings, with conversation and practical steps rather than jargon. She uses methods from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to notice and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. She also uses trauma-informed methods when past events keep affecting daily life.
Jarretta includes mindfulness practices to help calm the body and focus attention in the moment. For people whose memories of trauma are intense, she may incorporate EMDR techniques as part of recovery work. Overall, the work moves between present-day coping skills and dealing with the roots of painful feelings.
She draws on a decade of clinical work to combine talking, skill-building, and paced trauma work. Sessions tend to prioritize clear goals, steady progress, and ways to manage strong feelings like guilt or shame without judgement. The tone is practical and respectful, with attention to what helps someone carry less of their burden day to day.
If you are considering therapy, Jarretta asks people to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule an initial session to start the process.
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy centers the person’s concerns and priorities. In practice this means sessions focus on what matters most to the client, with the therapist listening and reflecting to keep the work relevant. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions and then builds practical skills to shift unhelpful patterns. CBT is often used for anxiety, panic, and mood concerns.For people affected by traumatic events, trauma-focused methods aim to reduce the hold those memories have on daily life. That can involve careful pacing, grounding tools, and sometimes EMDR-informed techniques for processing intense memories. Each approach is described in plain terms and used only as it fits the person’s needs.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the therapy process. Jarretta works collaboratively to figure out which methods match a person’s goals and tolerances, adjusting over time if something is not working. The plan is shaped by the client’s preferences, the issues they bring, and practical results they want to see.
The original biography does not list specific session formats, so please confirm available online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example, shorter check-ins during a break, fewer travel steps, or choosing audio when bandwidth is limited. Those practical benefits often help people keep therapy consistent without changing the nature of the clinical work.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
Florida, Georgia, Utah
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, depression, and coping with life changes. Additional focuses include guilt and shame, attachment issues, and communication problems.
How does she approach guilt and shame?
She uses a mix of client-centered conversation and practical techniques to help people notice the thoughts and behaviors that keep guilt or shame active. Work may include skills for self-regulation and tracking patterns that fuel those feelings.
What background and experience does she have?
Jarretta has 10 years of professional experience in social work and clinical practice, working with trauma, mood concerns, and relationship issues.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds LCSW and CSW credentials and practices in Florida with a history of licensure in multiple states.
Does she work in languages other than English or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography does not list session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How does payment or cost work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session to get started.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.