Joanne (Jody) Girou, LMSW

Joanne (Jody) Girou welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck. She aims to make sessions calm and approachable so conversations are easier. Jody uses straightforward tools to help clients cope with daily stress and big life changes.

Jody is a Licensed Master Social Worker, LMSW, with 24 years in the social work field. She has experience supporting people with ADHD, autism, anxiety, parenting concerns, depression, relationship struggles, and trauma. Her background includes work with both children and adults in a variety of settings across Michigan.

Her style is relaxed and nonjudgmental. Sessions often begin by identifying what someone already does well and building from those strengths. She mixes practical techniques and short-term goals so people can try new approaches between meetings.

Jody draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, and solution-focused methods. That means she helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, practice skills for emotion regulation, and commit to values-based actions when that fits the situation.

People who choose her often want direct tools and steady support while facing parenting challenges, grief, career shifts, intimacy concerns, or long-term stress. Jody aims to make therapy useful and understandable, with steps clients can use in daily life.

Practical approaches for online therapy

Joanne uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, aiming for clear steps that can reduce anxiety and improve mood. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps clients clarify their values and take action even when difficult thoughts or feelings are present, which can be useful for long-term life changes and chronic stress. Dialectical Behavior Therapy contributes skills for managing intense emotions and improving communication when relationships or anger are concerns.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try techniques together, and adjust methods based on what helps most. Sessions focus on practical exercises and small experiments people can use between meetings so progress is steady and trackable.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls work well for conversations that benefit from visual cues, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low, live chat and messaging let people check in or do shorter skill practice, and messaging can fit brief coaching or scheduling needs. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to try different ways of working until the best fit is found.