- Guilt and shame focus
- Communication problems
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
About Joanne
Joanne Waithaka is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with 28 years of clinical experience based in Virginia. She works with relationship and family concerns, parenting challenges, coping with life changes, trauma and abuse, and depression. She also lists work with guilt and shame among her areas of focus.
Joanne uses practical, talk-based methods that aim to clarify patterns and open new options. She draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Systemic Therapy to help people name what feels stuck and try different actions. Sessions tend to focus on communication, decision points, and manageable steps forward.
Her background includes extended work with older adults, multicultural families, and people facing major transitions. That has involved helping with divorce and separation, blended family issues, immigration-related stress, and the effects of adoption or foster care histories. Joanne describes this as listening for recurring themes and testing small changes in everyday life.
When guilt or shame is part of the concern, Joanne helps people locate where those feelings show up in relationships and behavior. She works with attachments, abandonment history, and family-of-origin patterns to make sense of how those feelings persist. The work often mixes narrative techniques with action-oriented tools to try new responses.
Joanne communicates in English. Her professional credential is MA LMFT, NC LMFT, and she practices in Virginia. Before booking, readers should confirm current session options and scheduling details.
How her approaches translate to online work
Joanne often draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Narrative Therapy in her practice. ACT focuses on noticing thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, and then choosing actions that line up with personal values. Narrative Therapy helps people separate themselves from the problems they carry by retelling stories and finding different meanings.She views finding the best approach as a collaborative process. The therapist and client review concerns, try methods that fit the client’s goals, and adjust as needed. Decisions about pacing, techniques, and focus happen together during early sessions.
The practical benefits of working online should be confirmed before booking since specific session formats are not listed in the biography. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when that fits a schedule, and reduce the need to travel. Ask about the available session options when you complete the matching questionnaire so scheduling matches your daily routines.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
28+ years
Listed in
Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with relationship and family concerns, parenting, coping with life changes, trauma and abuse, and depression. Guilt and shame are listed among her focus areas.
How would she approach shame or guilt?
She uses narrative and action-focused methods to locate where guilt and shame show up and to test different responses in relationships and daily life. The goal is practical change rather than labels.
How much experience does she have?
She has 28 years of clinical experience working with adults on relationship and family issues and major life transitions.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
Her credentials are MA LMFT and NC LMFT, and she practices in Virginia.
Do sessions take place in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions scheduled and paid for?
Cost varies by location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.