Therapist profile
Joy-Ann Phillips-Schwartz, LICSW
District of Columbia
LICSW - Anger and Relationship concerns
Continue with Joy-AnnKey details
- CredentialsLICSW
- LicenseLICSW, District of Columbia / LC50080229
- NPI1497176978
- Experience15 years
- LanguagesEnglish
- LocationDistrict of Columbia
About
- Trauma-informed care
- Cognitive-behavioral tools
- Faith-based options
About Joy-Ann
Joy-Ann Phillips-Schwartz is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) practicing in the District of Columbia with 15 years of experience. She works with adults, couples, and families on problems like stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, anger, self-esteem, ADHD, and coping with life changes.
She uses straightforward conversation and structured techniques to help people manage hard moments. Sessions can include discussion of past experiences, skills for handling strong emotions, and practical steps to change unhelpful patterns. She also offers faith-based options for clients who prefer a Christian perspective.
Joy-Ann has experience as a forensic interviewer and has worked with survivors of sexual abuse. That background informs her approach when trauma and abuse are part of a person's story. She combines techniques such as motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral strategies with trauma-focused work to address both symptoms and underlying issues.
Her style emphasizes collaboration. She treats people as experts on their own lives and helps them build on existing strengths. Conversations focus on clear goals, doable skills, and steady progress rather than jargon.
If someone is dealing with anger that shows up at home or work, she talks through triggers, routine reactions, and small changes that reduce escalation. For relationship stress she helps partners communicate differently and set practical boundaries. Sessions aim to make daily life feel more manageable and less reactive.
How sessions work
Approaches you may use in online sessions
Joy-Ann works from a mix of evidence-based techniques. Cognitive-behavioral work focuses on identifying thought patterns and testing them with real-life experiments. It helps with anxiety, depression, and reactive anger by changing the habits that feed those feelings.Motivational interviewing is a collaborative way to clarify values and support small behavior changes. It is useful when someone feels stuck or ambivalent about change. Trauma-focused approaches aim to reduce the hold of past painful events through careful processing and coping skills, helping people tolerate strong emotions and regain control over daily life.
Choosing the right approach is part of the process. She will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels doable, and then try methods that fit. That collaboration helps shape session focus and pacing over time.
Practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into a busy schedule and keeping work or family disruptions to a minimum. Because formats are not listed here, confirm which session types are currently offered before booking. Online work can make it easier to check in during a break, use shorter sessions when needed, or avoid travel while still keeping steady appointments.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Experience
15+ years
Listed in
District of Columbia
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family strain, trauma and abuse, anger, self-esteem, ADHD, and coping with life changes.
How does she approach anger and strong emotions?
She uses practical conversations and skills-based strategies to identify triggers and change habitual reactions, drawing on cognitive-behavioral and trauma-focused methods.
What experience does she have?
She has 15 years in the mental health field and experience as a forensic interviewer working with survivors of sexual abuse.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a District of Columbia LICSW and practices in the District of Columbia.
Are sessions offered in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Session formats are not specified here; confirm current session options before booking to know which formats are offered.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is unsafe, use the crisis numbers.