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LCSW

Monica Cruz, LCSW

  • Experience16 years
  • LocationLouisiana
  • Focus areasStress and Anxiety, Relationship, and Trauma and abuse
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Attachment-Based Therapy
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About Monica

Monica Cruz is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) practicing in Louisiana with 16 years of experience supporting people through a wide range of life challenges.

Background and approach

She draws on evidence-informed methods and a client-centered stance to help clients explore stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship concerns, addiction, grief, and many other issues. Monica emphasizes collaboration and practical goal-setting so progress feels achievable and meaningful.

Her approach blends Internal Family Systems with attachment-informed perspectives and cognitive-behavioral strategies, tailoring interventions to each person’s needs and values. Monica aims to listen deeply without judgment, help clients understand patterns that drive suffering, and co-create stepwise plans to improve coping, communication, and emotional regulation.

She also focuses on concerns such as body image, intimacy-related issues, ADHD, codependency, and adjustment after separation or loss. Monica offers flexible session formats including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging.

Prospective clients in Louisiana can begin by completing a short matching questionnaire and scheduling according to therapist availability, with subscription-based sessions that may be canceled at any time.

How Monica’s Approaches Translate to Online Work

Internal Family Systems helps clients notice and dialogue with different inner parts - for example protective parts that keep you stuck or vulnerable parts that carry pain - and it can be practiced remotely through guided reflection and gentle attention to internal experience. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in relationships and how early connection shapes current reactions, offering ways to build safer relating and communication skills that translate directly into everyday interactions. Client-Centered Therapy prioritizes the client’s perspective and pacing, with the therapist providing empathic listening and support so clients feel heard and empowered to steer their own change.

Finding the right combination of methods is part of the therapeutic process, and Monica approaches that task collaboratively. She will explore a person’s goals, history, and preferences and then adapt techniques so the work feels useful and manageable rather than prescriptive. Clients often try a few strategies early on to discover what resonates.

Online formats - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - provide flexibility for busy schedules and different comfort levels with remote communication. These options make it easier to maintain consistency, access care from home in Louisiana, and experiment with approaches in real time while working with a licensed professional.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Monica address?
She works with a broad set of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, bipolar symptoms, addictions, relationship and intimacy-related concerns, grief, and work or career stress.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Monica combines a compassionate, client-centered stance with structured techniques from cognitive-behavioral and dialectical approaches to help clients set and reach manageable goals.
What is her professional background?
She brings 16 years of clinical experience working with diverse populations and uses a mix of attachment-informed and behavioral strategies to support change.
Where is she licensed to practice?
Monica is an LCSW licensed in Louisiana with license number LA LCSW 10398 and practices from that state.
Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English only and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available for working together?
Clients can choose from video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on what best fits their needs and schedule.
How does pricing and subscriptions work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin therapy with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a brief matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesTrauma and abuseBipolar disorderDepression

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBDSM, kink, and alternative sex cultureBlended family issuesBody imageCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)DissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisMood disordersNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Gottman MethodJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

16+ years

Licensed

Louisiana

Languages

English