- Attachment focused
- Bilingual English Spanish
- Ten years experience
About Margarita
Margarita Araiza-Johnston is a licensed clinical social worker who draws on attachment-based ideas to help people untangle difficult patterns in relationships. She combines practical tools with a calm, conversational style. Margarita speaks English and Spanish and brings ten years of clinical experience to each session.
She trained at Tulane University where she earned a Master of Social Work. Before that she studied sociology and anthropology at the University of Redlands. Early work with children and families in Illinois and California shaped her focus on family systems and parenting concerns.
Margarita has experience in hospice care and in crisis and suicide counseling. She also completed programs in mediation and family law mediation, which she uses when helping people navigate separation, divorce, or family conflict. These settings informed her work on grief, loss, and end-of-life issues.
Her clinical approach blends Attachment-Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Narrative Therapy. Sessions tend to combine discussion of present problems with clear steps to try between meetings. She often helps people address anxiety, depression, stress, and codependency concerns.
Margarita also supports people with issues around intimacy, communication, trauma-related outcomes such as domestic violence, and identity concerns including LGBTQ topics. She describes therapy as a collaborative process focused on small, practical changes that add up over time.
Therapeutic approaches that translate to online work
Margarita uses Attachment-Based Therapy to look at how relationships and early bonds shape current reactions. This approach can help people who struggle with trust, closeness, or recurring relationship patterns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on how thoughts, behaviors, and feelings interact, and it offers concrete strategies to reduce anxiety or depression symptoms.Emotionally-Focused Therapy pays attention to feelings in the moment and how they guide interactions with others. It can be useful for people who want to understand and change emotional patterns that affect intimacy and communication. Margarita often blends these approaches to match what each person needs rather than using a single method alone.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that fit their goals, preferences, and the issues they bring. Together they will try tools and adjust the plan over time based on what proves most helpful.
Session format options are not listed in the biography, so confirm current session options before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, remove travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It also makes it possible to work with a therapist who speaks English or Spanish without changing location.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Credentials
New Mexico, Hawaii, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Arkansas, California
Languages
English, Spanish
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with a broad range of concerns including anxiety, depression, stress, parenting and family difficulties. Additional focus areas include codependency, grief, intimacy issues, and sexual health topics such as BDSM and kink.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Margarita uses an attachment-informed approach combined with cognitive behavioral and emotionally-focused techniques. Sessions typically mix conversation about patterns with practical steps to try between meetings.
What background and experience does she have?
She has ten years of clinical experience, including work in hospice and crisis and suicide counseling. Her training also includes mediation and family law mediation programs.
Where is she based and what are her credentials?
She practices in New Mexico and holds the credential LCSW with licensure in HI LCSW and CA LCSW as listed.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.