01 · Who Monica works with

Monica works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and self esteem

Monica lists 10 specialisms and 10 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Monica chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Monica's own words

What Monica says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I'm an LCSW with 20 years experience in counseling individuals, couples, families and groups. I specialize in issues of Self Esteem, and healing our own sense of being able to manage our lives, our relationships, and our feelings in positive and effective ways.

I'm also very familiar with Corporate and EAP counseling, and supervising Interns who are working towards their license.

My clients come from all backgrounds and life experiences, all kinds of careers, and often, clients who themselves work in the helping professions, from therapists to doctors and nurses, to teachers and caregivers.

I'm respectful of culture, self-identity, and of beliefs: who you are and what has meaning for you are crucially important, and to the degree that these things are valued by you, the are valued by me. I believe in the dignity and human rights of all people.

My counseling style is inquisitive and interactive -- I want to know what you need to tell me. I want to know what is causing your life to be anything less than pleasant, safe, and manageable. I want you to be okay, to feel okay, and to be confident in yourself and in your choices: I want you to feel safe, and that it is good to be you. Most of my clients present with some degree of past trauma, or injury to their sense of being worthy and needed -- there are wounds in all of us, whether we consider them minor or overwhelming. Life is not easy, and if we are carrying unhealed wounds, every setback, every disappointment can re-trigger those pains of the past. I find that once the major wound of how we see ourselves is healed -- when we see ourselves as someone we like and accept -- someone we trust --- then the rest of life's problems are much easier and quicker to resolve.

Thanks for taking the time to read about how I can work with you. Not every therapist is a good fit for every client. I hope you've seen here something that clicks, that makes sense, and that feels safe and good to you. I'm very communicative, and I'll always want to know how you feel, what you think, and what you want. Your needs need to get met. I hope that I can help you do exactly that.

I'm wishing you all the best, now and always. I believe all that it takes is a little help for us to find our way. I'm looking forward to meeting you soon.

Monica Englander, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Monica works

The 4 approaches Monica lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Monica lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Monica's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Monica runs a session.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Monica practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Monica's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Monica at this point.

2. Naming Monica specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Monica is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Monica.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Monica

Built from what Monica actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Monica's - Monica has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Narrative Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “With 26 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCSW

Licensed in

California

Licence

CA LCSW 26012

Licence number

26012

Licence expires

30 Apr 2027

NPI

1841427440

Years in practice

26

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Monica's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Monica. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.