Dr. Joy McElveen, LCSW
Compassionate skills-based therapy for strong emotions
Explore online therapy optionsWorks with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Grief
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Depression
How Joy works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Louisiana, Connecticut
- Years in practice
- 35
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Joy
Dr. Joy McElveen supports people facing stress, anxiety, grief, anger, low self-esteem, depression, and addiction. She helps with relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, and major life changes.
She names practical goals and works step by step toward them. She uses short, clear conversations to identify what matters most to a person. Sessions focus on small, doable changes in thinking and behavior.
She encourages the search for hope and positive meaning while acknowledging real losses and setbacks.
Background and approach
Her approach blends skills training and acceptance-based work. Mindfulness practices help people notice thoughts and feelings without getting swept up by them. Skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy are used to manage intense emotion and reduce impulsive reactions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques are brought in to shift unhelpful thinking patterns. Motivational Interviewing supports decisions about change when someone feels stuck. The therapist frames these methods plainly and asks the person to choose what fits best.
Joy Smith McElveen holds a doctorate in social work and a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan. She is a licensed clinical social worker, LCSW, with licenses in Connecticut and Louisiana. Her clinical work draws on 35 years of experience helping people find steadier ground.
People who meet with her can expect a practical, collaborative style. She aims to be a steady presence in a client's process of change. The work asks for effort, but is paced to each person's needs.
What Joy works with
Everything Joy lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Joy's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Grief
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Coping with life changes
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Emptiness
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Workplace issues
Approaches Joy lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Approaches that translate well to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice what really matters to them and take small actions toward those values while accepting difficult feelings. It can be useful for stress, anxiety, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors through practical exercises and homework assignments that work well between online sessions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy provides concrete skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening interpersonal effectiveness in day-to-day life.Choosing the right method is a team effort. The therapist will talk about your goals and try different approaches to see what fits. Sessions are collaborative and adjusted over time so the approach matches your needs and comfort level.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video calls let you work face to face, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing reflection between appointments. These options help fit therapy into work, caregiving, or other routines while keeping the focus on practical skill building.
Questions people ask about Joy
What kinds of problems does she address?
She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, anger, low self-esteem, depression, addictions, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, and coping with life changes.
How does she typically work with clients?
Her style is practical and collaborative, combining skills training, acceptance work, and short-term goal setting to help people change thinking and behavior.
What experience does she bring?
She has 35 years of clinical experience working with a wide range of emotional and life challenges.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with licenses in Connecticut and Louisiana, and practices from Louisiana.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available online?
She meets via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different schedules and needs.
How are fees and getting started handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to availability.