Hi, I’m Monica Cavalcante, LCSW, M.Ed., a licensed psychotherapist specializing in trauma, PTSD and OCD treatment for adults seeking deeper, lasting change.

I work with people who may look like they are functioning on the outside, while internally feeling overwhelmed, stuck, anxious, or disconnected from themselves. Some clients come to therapy feeling consumed by intrusive thoughts or the need for certainty. Others are carrying the effects of past experiences that continue to show up in their relationships, self-worth, nervous system, or daily life.

My approach is calm, collaborative, and grounded. I do not believe healing needs to be rushed or forced. Therapy can be a place to slow down, understand what is happening internally, and begin relating to yourself with more clarity and compassion.

I often work with clients who have spent years trying to manage symptoms without fully understanding the deeper patterns underneath them. Anxiety, avoidance, perfectionism, emotional shutdown, people-pleasing, shame, or self-criticism often make more sense when we understand what those patterns have been trying to protect.

In our work together, we may focus on reducing present-day distress while also making space for deeper healing. This can include working with intrusive thoughts and compulsive patterns, processing trauma, understanding protective parts of the self, and building more internal steadiness.

I integrate evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches based on each client’s needs, including EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and DBT-informed skills. My style is active and engaged, while also respectful of your pace and readiness.

My background in clinical social work and education, combined with ongoing advanced training in trauma treatment, OCD therapy, and parts work, informs a therapy approach that is thoughtful, specialized, and grounded in current clinical practice.

Whether you are navigating OCD, trauma, intrusive thoughts, emotional overwhelm, or long-standing patterns that feel hard to change, therapy can be a place to make sense of what feels tangled and reconnect with parts of yourself that have been carrying too much for too long.