Monique Paulus, LCSW

Monique Paulus is a licensed clinical social worker with 13 years of experience helping people cope with anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction. She practices in Idaho and focuses on straightforward, skills-based work that parents can use in everyday life. Monique aims to make therapy practical and understandable for someone juggling family and work demands.

Monique uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help identify unhelpful thoughts and change patterns that increase stress. She also draws on Motivational Interviewing to support people who are ambivalent about change, and Trauma-Focused Therapy when past events are still affecting daily functioning. Her work focuses on small, achievable steps rather than overwhelming plans.

Clients come for help with a wide range of concerns including grief, intimacy-related issues, parenting strain, self-esteem, career transitions, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. She also addresses substance use, anger, bipolar mood concerns, and relationship communication problems. Monique has experience with adoption and foster care issues, blended family challenges, and first responder stress.

Monique aims to create an affirming, nonjudgmental environment where people can talk through painful experiences. Sessions combine practical strategies, goal setting, and emotional support so clients can try new behaviors between visits. She works collaboratively with each person to shape an approach that fits their life.

Therapy with Monique is available through online formats that fit busy schedules. She holds an LCSW credential in Arizona and Montana and practices in Idaho, offering straightforward guidance and steady support for everyday struggles.

Approach to online therapy and how it helps

Monique uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify and change thought patterns that increase anxiety or depression. CBT focuses on concrete skills and short-term strategies that can be practiced between sessions to reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning.

She also uses Motivational Interviewing to help people who feel unsure about making changes. This approach uses respectful conversation to draw out a person's own reasons for change and build motivation at a manageable pace.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. Monique listens to each person's goals and preferences, then suggests steps and methods to try. The plan is adjusted over time based on what is helpful and what fits into the person's life.

Online sessions include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules. Video is useful for longer therapy visits, phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or chat can be used for brief check-ins or when a shorter touchpoint is needed. These options make it easier to keep consistent treatment while balancing family, work, and other obligations.