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Margarita Araiza-Johnston

Margarita Araiza-Johnston, LCSW

Therapist in New Mexico

Compassionate LCSW helping people find practical change

Continue with Margarita Review online therapy options on BetterHelp.
  • Depression support
  • Bilingual English Spanish
  • Family and parenting

About Margarita

Margarita Araiza-Johnston is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with ten years of experience. She provides thoughtful, down-to-earth therapy for people facing depression and other life stresses. Margarita speaks English and Spanish and brings practical help to sensitive topics like grief and relationship struggles.

She trained in social work at Tulane University after earning a BA in Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in French. Early in her career she worked with children and families in Illinois and California and later served as a hospice social worker and as a suicide and crisis counselor in Louisiana.

Margarita has experience in assessment, child abuse and neglect, family systems, and domestic violence. She also completed programs in the theory and practice of mediation and family law mediation, which inform how she helps people sort through conflict and communication issues.

Her approach blends attachment-based work, cognitive behavioral ideas, emotionally-focused techniques, motivational interviewing, and narrative methods. In sessions she helps people notice unhelpful patterns, try small behavior changes, and reframe painful stories that keep them stuck.

She offers bilingual support for English and Spanish speakers and works with a wide range of concerns including parenting, intimacy-related issues, ADHD, career pressures, compassion fatigue, and fertility or aging-related worries. To start, visitors use the site Start Therapy button and complete a short matching questionnaire to schedule according to therapist availability.

This summary is based on the profile information listed on BetterHelp.

How her approaches guide online work

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how relationships shape feelings and behavior. It helps people notice patterns in close connections and build ways of relating that feel safer and more satisfying. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and uses small experiments and skill practice to change them. Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people identify and express deeper feelings so they can repair bonds and reduce emotional distance.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Margarita will work with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, needs, and preferences. She combines techniques from different models so sessions match what a person wants to change and how they prefer to work.

Practice logistics and formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm current session options before booking. Many people find online sessions make it easier to fit care into a busy week, keep appointments when travel is difficult, or choose a shorter check-in when needed. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises, use worksheets, and guide breathing or grounding practices just as they would in person. If making therapy part of daily life matters, discuss scheduling and format during the matching process to find the best fit.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Margarita focus on?

She works with many issues including depression, anxiety, parenting stress, grief, relationship and intimacy-related concerns, ADHD, and compassion fatigue.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

She blends attachment-based work, cognitive behavioral ideas, emotionally-focused techniques, motivational interviewing, and narrative therapy to help people change patterns and tell different stories about their lives.

What is her clinical background?

She has ten years of practice experience, including roles in hospice care and as a suicide and crisis counselor, plus family work in Illinois and California.

Where is she licensed to practice?

She holds LCSW credentials and is associated with practice in New Mexico; the biography also lists licensure in Hawaii and California as HI LCSW and CA LCSW.

Which languages are supported in sessions?

Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.

Can international clients work with her?

She does not accept international clients at this time.

How are fees and payment handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

What should I do to begin therapy?

Use the Start Therapy button on the site, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Therapists on BetterHelp do not prescribe medication. A doctor can talk with you about medical options. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 988; in an emergency, call 911.

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