Jenise Aydell-Hontiveros, LCSW

Jenise Aydell-Hontiveros is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 17 years of experience. She works with adults who are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, relationship strain, grief, parenting stress, or life changes. Her approach is warm and straightforward so people can talk about what matters most without feeling judged.

She takes a client-centered stance and blends practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness and solution-focused techniques. Sessions often focus on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns, building small doable skills, and testing new ways of coping between visits. She also draws on dialectical behavior therapy and emotionally focused ideas to help with intense emotions and relationship concerns.

Jenise trained in social work at Southern University of New Orleans after earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southeastern Louisiana University. She has practiced in Louisiana since 2007 and brings long experience helping people manage mood disorders, trauma histories, panic, social anxiety, and complex family stressors. She also supports people dealing with chronic pain, illness, or disability alongside emotional concerns.

In sessions she aims to create a calm, respectful space where clients set goals and try practical steps. Conversations tend to be clear and action-oriented while honoring each person’s values and pace. Those who want help with boundaries, communication, or rebuilding after separation will find focused, skills-based support.

Jenise offers several online formats so people can fit care into busy lives. She emphasizes collaboration: clients and therapist decide together which strategies to try and which goals to prioritize.

How Jenise adapts therapy approaches for online care

Jenise commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy and client-centered methods in online work. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, with practical homework between sessions to build new habits and reduce anxiety or depressive symptoms. Client-centered therapy emphasizes a respectful, listening stance where the client sets the pace and goals of therapy while the therapist offers empathy and reflection.

She also draws on dialectical behavior therapy skills when emotions feel overwhelming. DBT skills teach concrete techniques for managing distress, improving emotion regulation, and strengthening interpersonal effectiveness, which can be practiced in real life between sessions. Finding the right mix is part of the process; she collaborates with each person to choose approaches that fit their needs, goals, and comfort level rather than prescribing a single method upfront.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to increase flexibility. Video lets people work face-to-face from different locations, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a quick check-in is needed, live chat suits shorter conversations, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between scheduled sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, parenting, or medical schedules while maintaining consistent progress.