Joanne W. Small
MSW, LCSW-C. & Author
serving individuals, couples, families & groups
Grow your knowledge, power, and resolve against the problems you experience. Examine things like patterns
of thinking and behavior, and how they affect your interaction with the world around you.
Focus on specific problems, and work on learning
techniques tailored to those unique needs. Healthier coping methods or avoiding problem areas can help with addiction or stress management.
Considered an adoption competent therapist, and expert on adoption loss and search, I have presented at state and national genealogy associations, and train mental health professionals in state and county social services.
Receive expert consultation services to birth or first parents,
adoptive parents, grandparents,
adopted persons who have
concerns about how adoption
touched them, and anyone coping with genetic DNA issues.
Glad you made it here.
Whatever brought you to this page, I am here to help you! Carrying a Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW.) and as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Clinical (LCSW-C), I'm equipped with 40+ years of experience in community mental health and private practice. A social worker's approach is different than perhaps your typical therapist or psychiatrist. The profession of social work places high value on our assessing and understanding all of the ways
society impacts the individual.
For how better is it to effectively diagnose and treat a human problem then to utilize a fully inclusive, psycho-social model of evaluation?
Customized
treatment
No one size fits all.
My philosophy
I believe understanding an individual’s feelings, needs, and experiences, and how those things are related the society at large, is paramount to helping any client I work with. I believe our mental states are part of our surroundings, because society, like an ecosystem, impacts us in ways we are just beginning to understand and recognize. rather attributing all the blame to the individual first and foremost, as the medical model of "disease" often does, I use my knowledge to see beyond just a diagnosis and into causes of what my client's are facing. I provide solutions and understanding to my utmost abilities.
Areas of Focus
codependency, couples communication, divorce, family dysfunction, marital & premarital, peer relationships, parenting
social anxiety, stress management, coping skills, insomnia, negative thoughts, fear, phobias, letting go, self-control
emotional abuse, sexual abuse, grief, Loss, post Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adoption trauma
aging spouses, aging parents, care-taker fatigue, self-esteem
Families of origin, families who adopt, isolation, DNA testing,
step families
loss of loved ones, medical and health concern, location transitions, social aniexty, separation
sadness, loss, grief, helplessness, families surviving suicide, handling intense emotions
emotional and physical abuse, trauma, infertility, separation, professional and career issues, self-esteem
find me on
psychology today
We're adapting.
Covid-19 has changed a lot for all of us. So, we're adapting. In addition to phone sessions, I can now offer teletherapy, or video sessions, through the Psychology Today website. Psychology Today is a wonderful resource for people seeking help, and it's a great place to start. Please visit my profile using the button below to ge
Consider scheduling
a free 15-30 minute consultation to see if
we make a good fit.
frequently asked
Questions?
What is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker?
LCSW-C means I am a licensed clinical social worker certified by the state of Maryland to practice psychotherapy or offer psychotherapy services.
Where are you located?
7111 Fairfax Rd, Bethesda MD 20814. Due to the COVID-19 my office is not open for in-person sessions. I'm available to clients in and out of the Maryland, District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania area.
What is your availability?
I work by appointment only through email, or phone calls. If I do not pick up right away, please leave a call back number, your name, and a brief description of your needs! I will call you back promptly.
How long are your sessions?
My typical sessions with clients are 50 minutes long, weekly or bi-weekly, or whatever you need.
How much do you charge and how do you take payments?
Each of our sessions together range from $150-$250 each. I take cash, check, or other instant payment services, including PayPal. I am out of network, and also offer sliding scale.
FOR
PRAISE
Critical
The Adoption Mystique:
​
A Hard-hitting Exposé of the Powerful Negative Social Stigma that Permeates Child Adoption in the United States
Marley Greiner
Amazon Review
"The Adoption Mystique by Joanne Wolf Small is a book that every adoptee rights activist needs to keep on the nightstand. I first ran into Joanne in 1980 when somebody gave me an article about sealed records and identities she'd written for a social work publication. It was from Joanne that I first heard the peculiar legal concept that the adoptee and natural parent(s) are 'as if dead to each other."'
Janet F. Allen
New Hampshire State Representative
"She is a truth teller and a myth buster. The Adoption Mystique should be in every classroom. I am a reunited adult adoptee, who was pleasantly surprised how she covered so many issues in depth and even helped me to get a better understanding of what happened to me in my adoptive family. Five Stars! A must read!"
"THE ADOPTION MYSTIQUE is for everyone. Adoptees, it's your life line. Adoptive parents and everyone else who loves adoptees - gentle help has arrived. Teachers, social workers, doctors and other professionals - these extremely well researched articles will enhance your ability to help all the different people you meet whose lives have been touched by adoption."