Margarita Araiza-Johnston, LCSW

New Mexico · 10 years in practice

Margarita Araiza-Johnston is a licensed clinical social worker who focuses on helping people sort through difficult emotions and relationship challenges.

License and registration

LCSW, New Mexico: C-06992 · expires June 2026
LCSW, Hawaii: LCSW-4991 · expires June 2028
LCSW, Utah: 13322972-3501 · expires September 2026
LCSW, Oregon: L14477 · expires December 2027
LICSW, Washington: LW 61494715 · expires November 2026
LCSW, Arkansas: 13152-C · expires December 2027
LCSW, California: 121394 · expires March 2028
NPI: 1821232984 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 10
Languages: English, Spanish

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.

About Margarita

Margarita Araiza-Johnston is a licensed clinical social worker who focuses on helping people sort through difficult emotions and relationship challenges. She brings a calm, straightforward style and speaks both English and Spanish. Her background includes work in hospice and crisis counseling, which shaped her practical approach to stressful life moments.

She studied sociology and anthropology at the University of Redlands and later earned a Master of Social Work from Tulane University.

Background and approach

Early work with children and families in Illinois and California informed her perspective on family dynamics and parenting struggles. She also completed training in mediation and family law mediation to support people facing separation and conflict. Her clinical experience covers assessment, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence response, and suicide and crisis intervention.

Those roles taught her to prioritize safety, listening, and clear next steps when problems feel overwhelming. She also offers bilingual therapy in English and Spanish for people who prefer either language. Margarita uses approaches such as Emotionally-Focused Therapy, attachment-based ideas, and cognitive behavioral techniques to help people notice patterns and try different ways of responding.

She often blends narrative and solution-focused ideas to help people reframe struggles and set achievable goals. People consult her for concerns like grief, depression, anxiety, parenting difficulties, relationship challenges, intimacy questions, compassion fatigue, and ADHD. She aims to make sessions practical and hopeful, offering tools people can use between meetings.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Margarita lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Family conflicts
Parenting issues
Depression
Coping with life changes
Stress, Anxiety
LGBT
Relationship issues
Grief
Intimacy-related issues
Anger management
Self esteem
Career difficulties
Coaching
Compassion fatigue
ADHD
Aging and geriatric issues
Attachment issues
BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
Codependency
Commitment issues
Communication problems
Control issues
Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
Divorce and separation
Domestic violence
Emptiness
Family problems
Fertility issues
Forgiveness
Guilt and shame
Hoarding
Hospice and end-of-life counseling
Immigration issues
Isolation / loneliness
Life purpose
Midlife crisis
Money and financial issues
Multicultural concerns
Post-traumatic stress
Pregnancy and childbirth
Prejudice and discrimination
Social anxiety and phobia
Women's issues
Workplace issues

Approaches Margarita names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

Approach-driven care delivered online

Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people identify and name strong emotions and change how they respond to one another, which can be useful for relationship and intimacy concerns. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early bonds shape current patterns, helping people understand connection needs and repair ruptures. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at thoughts and behaviors to build practical coping skills for anxiety, depression, and stress.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, history, and what feels most helpful. Together they will try methods that fit the issue and adjust the plan as needed in a collaborative way.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, which makes scheduling easier for busy lives. Video lets people work face to face, phone can be a simpler check-in with lower bandwidth, live chat fits quick conversations, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options aim to make care flexible and accessible while focusing on practical progress.

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Questions people ask

What kinds of concerns does she address?

She helps people with grief, depression, anxiety, stress, parenting and family issues, relationship and intimacy concerns, ADHD, career questions, and compassion fatigue.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her approach is practical and compassionate, combining Emotionally-Focused Therapy, attachment-based ideas, and cognitive behavioral techniques to notice patterns and try new responses.

What is her professional background?

She has ten years of experience, including hospice social work and suicide and crisis counseling, plus work with children and families in multiple states.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is an LCSW licensed in Hawaii and California and practices from New Mexico.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.

Can sessions be held remotely and in what formats?

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as session formats.

How does pricing work for sessions?

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

What are the steps to begin working together?

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

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