- Emotionally-Focused Therapy
- Attachment work
- CBT techniques
About Margarita
Margarita Araiza-Johnston is an LCSW licensed in Hawaii and California with ten years of clinical experience. She practices from New Mexico and meets people in English and Spanish. Her work covers family and parenting concerns, mood and anxiety issues, grief, relationship and intimacy questions, and stress around life changes.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology with a French minor, then completed a Master of Social Work at Tulane University. Early roles included social work in hospice and crisis and suicide counseling in Louisiana. Those settings shaped her approach to high-stress situations and end-of-life concerns.
Margarita draws on Emotionally-Focused Therapy to look at how emotions shape relationships and patterns. She also uses Attachment-Based Therapy to consider how past bonds influence current interactions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Narrative Therapy are part of her toolbox for changing thoughts and telling a different story about problems.
Her background includes training in mediation and family law mediation, plus experience with child abuse assessment, family systems work, domestic violence, and suicide prevention. She offers bilingual therapy and has worked with LGBTQ+ issues in past roles.
In sessions she focuses on clear, practical steps and on naming emotions that are hard to name. Clients can expect work that addresses communication, control and commitment issues, codependency, and sexuality questions such as kink and BDSM when relevant. She also supports people facing aging and geriatric concerns, fertility stress, compassion fatigue, and career-related strain.
Approaches used in online sessions and how they help
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on identifying and naming emotions that drive relationship patterns. It can help people understand recurring interactions and the feelings underneath them. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early bonds shape current expectations and reactions in relationships and can help when trust, closeness, or distance feel difficult. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to reduce distress and change unhelpful patterns.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with clients to decide which methods fit best based on goals and preferences. That shared process can include trying different techniques and checking in about what is or isn't helpful.
The original biography does not specify session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. They can reduce travel time, allow a shorter check-in when needed, and make scheduling around work or caregiving simpler. Licensed professionals, including this LCSW, use these formats to maintain continuity of care and to offer therapy that adapts to everyday routines.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
New Mexico, Hawaii, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Arkansas, California
Languages
English, Spanish
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She helps people with family and parenting concerns, depression, anxiety, grief, intimacy questions, anger, self-esteem, and stress from life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her stated approach includes Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, used to name feelings, look at relationship patterns, and change unhelpful thoughts.
What is her professional background?
She has ten years of experience, a Master of Social Work from Tulane University, and prior roles in hospice and crisis and suicide counseling in Louisiana.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is an LCSW licensed in HI and CA and practices from New Mexico.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not list specific session formats. Confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.