About Monique
Monique Gardner is a licensed clinical social worker who focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma, and low self-worth. They write plainly and listen first, meeting people where they are and helping them find practical ways to cope. Sessions aim to make small shifts that add up over time so daily life feels more manageable.
Monique combines body-centered work with talk therapy to address how emotions show up in the body.
Background and approach
This somatic perspective helps clients notice physical reactions and learn grounding strategies alongside traditional talk techniques. They also use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tools to build clearer choices and healthier habits. Their background includes work with people facing mood and behavioral challenges, grief, and substance-related concerns.
Monique has five years of professional experience as an LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker - and practices in Virginia. They draw on motivational interviewing and solution-focused strategies to set realistic goals with clients. Sessions are practical and paced to each person’s needs.
Monique supports people dealing with ADHD, depression, attachment questions, body image, chronic health struggles, caregiver stress, and identity-related concerns. Therapy focuses on what matters most to the individual and the next doable step. People who choose Monique can expect a collaborative, down-to-earth approach.
The work combines body awareness, present-moment skills, and problem-solving. The aim is clearer choices, less overwhelm, and more confidence handling life’s challenges.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Somatic work focuses on how stress and emotion appear in the body, teaching breathing, grounding, and movement awareness to reduce physical tension. This approach can help with anxiety, trauma reactions, and somatic symptoms by combining gentle body noticing with conversation.Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify what matters most and take steps toward those values while accepting difficult thoughts and feelings. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions where values-based choices matter.
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns in relationships and how early bonds influence current interactions. It can help people wanting to change how they relate, repair connection, or understand repeating relationship patterns.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what feels helpful, then try methods together to see what fits. This is a collaborative process and can change over time as needs shift.
Online therapy with Monique offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy days and to use short check-ins or longer sessions as needed. Many people find online formats reduce barriers to care while still allowing meaningful therapeutic progress.
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- Virginia
- Languages
- English