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LCSW

Paula Schneider, LCSW

  • Experience20 years
  • LocationFlorida
  • Focus areasAddictions, Relationship, and Family
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Attachment-Based Therapy
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About Paula

Paula Schneider is a Florida licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with two decades of clinical experience supporting people facing addictions, eating difficulties, anxiety, depression, and complex family and relationship concerns.

Background and approach

She has worked directly with individuals, couples, and families affected by substance use and eating disorders, and with the loved ones trying to understand and respond to these struggles. Her practice draws on a blend of evidence-informed methods familiar from therapeutic communities, 12-step perspectives, and structured therapies such as cognitive behavioral approaches and Internal Family Systems.

Clients who come to Paula often seek to heal patterns rooted in family of origin wounds, attachment ruptures, or long-standing shame and self-criticism. She emphasizes self-understanding and self-acceptance while helping people set practical goals and develop healthier ways of relating.

In sessions she aims to be reflective and direct when needed, offering encouragement and honest feedback within a collaborative, respectful therapeutic relationship. Paula describes her stance as supportive and interactive, adjusting pace and focus based on each person’s needs.

Her work integrates skills-based strategies with deeper exploration of internal parts and attachment dynamics to help clients move toward more stable emotion regulation, clearer communication, and improved relationships.

Integrative Approaches for Online Healing and Relationship Work

Paula integrates Internal Family Systems with attachment-informed and client-centered work to address both symptoms and underlying relational patterns. Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps people notice and dialogue with different internal parts that carry emotions and beliefs, offering a way to reduce self-criticism and resolve internal conflict. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relational experiences shape current intimacy and coping, supporting shifts in how clients relate to partners and family members. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, respect, and collaboration, creating a therapeutic environment where clients guide the pace and focus of exploration.

Choosing a therapeutic approach is part of the collaborative process Paula uses; she will work together with clients to identify which methods fit their goals, needs, and preferences and may blend approaches as therapy unfolds to address both practical skills and deeper personal change.

The online formats offered include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which provide flexibility for scheduling and ongoing support between sessions. These options can make it easier to engage in therapy from different locations and allow clients to use the modality that best suits their day-to-day life and communication style.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Paula commonly address in therapy?
She works with people facing addictions, eating and food-related issues, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and family problems, parenting and stress, and related challenges such as body image, codependency, and guilt and shame.
What is her therapeutic approach and style?
Her style combines supportive, client-centered interactions with reflective and occasionally challenging feedback, using both skills-based techniques and deeper explorations of family and internal dynamics.
How much clinical experience does she bring?
She has 20 years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples, and families across addictions, eating disorders, mood and anxiety concerns, and family-of-origin issues.
What credentials and geographic location are on record?
She holds the LCSW credential and is licensed in Florida under FL LCSW SW12494.
Can sessions be conducted in languages other than English or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English only, and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
In what formats are sessions available?
She provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different needs and preferences.
How are costs and scheduling handled?
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 working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

AddictionsRelationship issuesFamily conflictsEating disordersSelf esteem

Additional focus areas

Attachment issuesBlended family issuesBody imageCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesGuilt and shameImpulsivityIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMidlife crisisMood disordersMulticultural concernsPrejudice and discriminationSelf-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Imago Relationship TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

20+ years

Licensed

Florida

Languages

English