Janine Thomas, LCSW

Janine Thomas is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, grief, and self-esteem struggles. She guides clients through life changes and supports those coping with trauma, loss, and mood conditions such as bipolar disorder. Janine writes in a direct, calm way and focuses on practical steps people can use day to day.

She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, client-centered methods, and elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and mindfulness in sessions. That means she helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, try new behaviors, and practice skills for managing intense emotions. Sessions are conversational and focused on real-life problems rather than long lectures.

Janine brings ten years of professional experience as an LCSW in California. She works to create an open atmosphere where thoughts and feelings can be shared without judgment. Her background includes helping people navigate caregiving stress, attachment and abandonment issues, chronic illness and pain, and family of origin concerns.

When someone is facing communication problems, codependency, commitment doubts, or the fallout of divorce and separation, Janine helps them identify patterns and build clearer ways forward. She also supports people dealing with emptiness, forgiveness work, and coping after natural or human-caused disasters.

Clients can expect straightforward conversations, skill-building practice, and collaborative planning. Janine encourages small experiments between sessions and practical tools for coping with everyday pressures.

How Janine’s approaches translate to online therapy

Janine commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and client-centered methods when working online. CBT helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and test new ways of thinking and behaving, which can be practiced between sessions. Client-centered work focuses on listening and reflecting so people feel understood and can clarify their goals. She also integrates elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy to teach emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills useful for intense moods or relationship stress.

Deciding which approach to use is collaborative. Janine will discuss goals, preferences, and the problems you want to solve, and then suggest methods to try. She checks in over time to see what is helping and adjusts the plan together with each person she works with.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful when visual cues and more in-depth conversation matter. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging offer flexibility for brief updates, on-the-go reflections, or when it helps to write through feelings. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or busy schedules while keeping the focus on practical skills and real-life change.