Joan Becket, LMFT

Joan Becket is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with 26 years of professional experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Minority and Ethnic Studies and Sociology with a minor in African-American Studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and earned a master’s degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling from California State University, Los Angeles. Her career includes professional work in South Central Los Angeles and Compton and roles at a government agency addressing complex cases involving abused and neglected children. She has volunteered with church outreach programs supporting people experiencing homelessness and has been involved in outreach to commercially sexually exploited children.

Joan brings an informal, relaxed therapeutic style that balances direct honesty with compassion and warmth. She is faith based and integrates biblical perspectives when appropriate, believing that spiritual resources can contribute to a fuller life for those who choose to include them in therapy. She emphasizes examining generational and family-of-origin patterns to help clients understand how past experiences shape current thinking, behavior, and relationship dynamics.

Clinically, she draws on multiple orientations and is an Official Certified CBT Practitioner, trained in cognitive behavioral therapy. She has provided clinical supervision for 16 years to colleagues pursuing licensure as LCSW, LMFT, or LPCC. Joan works with individuals, couples, and families on relationship and family concerns, grief, depression, anxiety and stress, trauma and abuse, addictions, parenting and fatherhood issues, attachment and adoption concerns, eating and sleeping difficulties, self-esteem and body image, ADHD and bipolar challenges, and related matters such as codependency, abandonment, and forgiveness. She collaborates with each person to identify the therapeutic approach and interventions that best fit their needs and goals.

Attachment and CBT informed care delivered online

Joan integrates Attachment-Based Therapy to explore how early relationships influence current bonds and emotional responses - this approach can be especially helpful for clients dealing with intimacy issues, abandonment concerns, or family-of-origin patterns. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a practical, skills-based method that helps people identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. In addition, Client-Centered Therapy guides the work with a focus on empathic listening and supporting clients to discover their own solutions, making it useful for those seeking a non-directive, validating space.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Joan works collaboratively with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences, and she adapts interventions so the work feels personally relevant and effective. This collaborative process helps determine whether attachment-focused exploration, CBT techniques, client-centered support, or a combination will best serve the client.

Online therapy with Joan is available through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options offer flexibility for scheduling, allow ongoing access to support from licensed professionals, and make it easier to maintain continuity of care despite busy lives or geographic limitations.