About Joelle
Joelle Purdy is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) based in the District of Columbia. She focuses on grief, stress, anxiety, and relationship and intimacy-related issues. Her style aims to be warm and interactive so people feel heard and respected.
Joelle uses a client-centered approach to start, listening closely to each person’s story before suggesting tools. She often brings in cognitive behavioral techniques to help change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
How Joelle works
Mindfulness practices are used to ground people who feel overwhelmed by strong emotions. Her work includes support for parenting strain, caregiver stress, blended family concerns, and end-of-life and hospice-related issues. Joelle also addresses self-esteem, guilt and shame, life purpose, and women’s issues.
She tailors conversations to the specific goals a person brings to therapy. Sessions combine practical skills and reflective conversation. That can mean setting small, doable steps, trying thought experiments, or practicing short mindfulness exercises between meetings.
Joelle emphasizes respect, compassion, and cultural sensitivity while helping people figure out what matters most to them. With four years of experience as an LICSW in Washington, DC, she blends motivational interviewing and solution-focused work to help people identify strengths and next steps. Joelle aims to support and empower people as they navigate grief, life changes, and ongoing stress.
Joelle lists 5 ways of working on the entry:
What Joelle works with
The areas below are the ones Joelle selected when setting up a profile. The first one is listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Life purpose
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Stress, Anxiety
- Women's issues
Training and background
| Register | LICSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 4 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | District of Columbia |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Practical approaches for online grief and stress work
Joelle draws on client-centered therapy to begin sessions by listening closely and following what matters most to the person. This approach helps her learn specific goals and tailor sessions to the individual’s needs. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is used to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can reduce anxiety and improve coping during grief and life transitions.The right approach often emerges over time. Joelle works collaboratively to test methods and adjust them based on how the person responds. She helps set small goals, checks in about what’s working, and changes course when needed so therapy stays useful and focused on the client’s priorities.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls allow a more face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be a good choice when bandwidth is limited or for a shorter check-in. Live chat and text messaging give flexibility for briefer interactions and ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and keep continuity when life gets in the way.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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