Jo Laboff, LICSW

Jo Laboff is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) based in Washington. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, career worries, grief, sleep problems, anger, and self-esteem challenges. Jo also supports those dealing with aging and geriatric concerns, caregiver stress, impulsivity, and mood disorders.

Her approach is practical and hopeful. Jo uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), solution-focused work, mindfulness techniques, and elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy to help people change unhelpful patterns. Sessions focus on skills you can use day to day and small steps that build confidence.

Jo's style is relaxed and down-to-earth. She listens closely, points out strengths, and helps people try different ways of thinking and reacting. Humor and warmth often ease the process of working through hard topics.

She draws on 18 years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist, counselor, and geriatric care manager. That background informs practical strategies for life transitions and caregiving stress. The aim is to meet each person where they are and set realistic, meaningful goals.

In sessions Jo avoids stigmatizing labels and focuses on what’s useful right now. She works collaboratively to develop plans that fit a person’s daily life. The work is paced to what feels manageable, with attention to building skills that matter long after sessions end.

Practical approaches for online therapy

Jo uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns; CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and managing stress. She also draws on mindfulness techniques to help people notice thoughts and bodily sensations without getting pulled into them, which can reduce reactivity and support calmer decision making.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Jo will work with each person to choose methods that match their goals, preferences, and day-to-day life. Together they’ll try approaches, see what helps, and adjust plans based on what works in practice.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video is good for deeper conversation and visual cues, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat works for short check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy schedules and choose what feels most manageable.