Joann Chavez-Holder

Joann Chavez-Holder is a licensed clinical social worker who brings two decades of experience to her practice. She works in Kentucky and uses practical, down-to-earth methods to help people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and anger. Joann focuses on helping parents and individuals improve communication and manage the effects of trauma and emotional abuse.

She draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and build clearer coping skills. She also uses mindfulness practices to slow racing thoughts and trauma-focused methods to address painful memories. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is part of her toolkit for people processing intense trauma.

Joann describes her style as warm and interactive. Sessions are conversational and tailored to each person’s needs, with an emphasis on respect and sensitivity rather than labels. She aims to make changes feel doable and grounded in everyday life.

Her background includes long experience working with children and families to boost communication, along with a broader practice helping adults with bipolar symptoms, ADHD, parenting strain, and loss. Joann has been licensed in Kentucky as an LCSW for the past 10 years and has worked in behavioral health settings for about 20 years.

She encourages people who are ready for change to take the first step. The work begins with your goals, and she supports people as they build new responses to stress, anger, and relationship strain.

How Joann’s approaches translate to online work

Joann uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and habits. CBT is practical and skill-focused, often useful for anxiety, depression, anger, and stress-related patterns. EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is used to process traumatic memories and reduce the emotional charge around painful events.

Mindfulness Therapy is another part of her practice and involves simple attention and breathing exercises to calm the body and mind. These approaches can be combined and adjusted over time based on what is helping most. Joann works collaboratively with each person to figure out which methods fit their goals and preferences rather than imposing a single path.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the available session formats before booking so you know how she currently meets with people. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into busy days, allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight, and reduce travel time. A therapist will help set expectations, adapt techniques like guided mindfulness or CBT exercises for remote delivery, and adjust the plan as needed to suit everyday life.