Joni De Groot, LMFT

Joni De Groot is a California-licensed LMFT - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 35 years of clinical experience supporting individuals, couples, groups, children in play therapy, and entire families across the lifespan, from age 3 to 83. She approaches therapy as a collaborative exploration, helping people identify the recurring patterns and themes that shape how they relate to themselves, others, and the wider world.

Her therapeutic style blends client-centered care with cognitive-behavioral techniques, a Jungian sensibility, family systems thinking, and mindfulness practices to tailor work to each person or family. This mix allows her to be practical and solution-oriented while still attending to deeper meanings and relational dynamics.

Professionally, she has served as an intake coordinator, case manager, and therapist in sub-acute care, and has provided individual, couples, group, and family therapy on multidisciplinary teams in outpatient, school, and residential settings. Her work has involved collaboration with psychiatrists and social service agencies such as Children’s Services, County Mental Health, juvenile probation, and both public and private schools.

Joni brings a wide-angle, big-picture perspective that balances practical skills training with holistic support. Her aim is to help clients experience relief and build stronger coping skills for stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and parenting challenges, trauma and abuse, and school-related concerns for children. She is comfortable with online teletherapy and offers an open, nonjudgmental space where clients can take courageous steps toward meaningful change with practical, measurable support.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Joni De Groot often combines client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness-based practices to meet a range of concerns. Client-centered therapy focuses on the therapeutic relationship and helps clients explore their own goals and values in a supportive, non-directive way - it is helpful for building self-awareness and strengthening relationships. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) identifies unhelpful thought and behavior patterns and teaches practical tools to reduce symptoms of anxiety, stress, and mood difficulties. Mindfulness therapy cultivates present-moment awareness and stress-management skills, which can be useful for emotional regulation and reducing reactivity.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Joni works with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences and then adapts methods so therapy feels useful and relevant. She aims to help clients choose or combine strategies that fit their life and values.

Online sessions - including video calls, phone appointments, live chat, and text-based messaging - offer flexibility for busy schedules, caregiving responsibilities, or limited mobility. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care, access timely support, and integrate therapeutic work into everyday life while working with a licensed professional who tailors the approach to each client.