Jessica Lareau

Jessica Lareau is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) practicing in Massachusetts with 14 years of professional experience. She works with adults facing addictions, depression, relationship and parenting concerns, career uncertainty, and the strain of life changes. Jessica also helps people dealing with grief, self-esteem struggles, LGBT issues, and compassion fatigue.

Her sessions focus on practical steps and real conversations. She treats clients as the experts on their own lives and looks for strengths to build on. Sessions are straightforward and goal-oriented, with attention to how daily habits and choices affect mood and relationships.

Jessica draws on several evidence-informed approaches. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thinking and behavior. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is used to clarify values and guide choices that matter. Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills and Motivational Interviewing techniques are used when managing strong emotions or making changes related to addiction.

She also brings ideas from psychodynamic work to understand repeating patterns that show up in relationships and choices. That mix lets her match methods to a person’s needs and preferences. Sessions often include practical exercises, skill practice, and reflective talk to connect current problems to past patterns.

People who feel stuck in work, overwhelmed by caregiving, unsure after a separation, or drained by ongoing stress may find her approach practical and steady. To begin, clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule an initial appointment.

How therapeutic approaches guide online sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take values-based steps, which can be useful when someone feels empty or unsure about direction. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and changing behaviors that keep problems going, often with homework between sessions to practice new skills. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) supplies concrete emotion regulation and distress-tolerance tools that are helpful for strong feelings and managing urges related to addiction.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to pick methods that match their goals and the problems they bring. That means trying practical tools, checking what helps, and adjusting the plan as needed.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and reduce travel time. They also let people practice skills in their everyday surroundings and bring real-life examples into sessions. The therapist uses these methods to focus on clear goals and manageable steps rather than broad promises.