Monica Romo, LSW, PEL, Reiki Healer

Monica is a licensed social worker with over 18 years of experience supporting children, teens, and young adults across a range of settings, including schools, foster care, and therapeutic programs. She specializes in working with individuals navigating behavioral, emotional, and autism-related challenges, and brings a deep understanding of how systems can impact a person’s ability to feel supported and successful.

Monica approaches therapy with the belief that all behavior is a form of communication. Rather than labeling behaviors, she helps clients and families understand the underlying needs driving them. Her work is rooted in empathy, collaboration, and building strong, trusting relationships; because meaningful change starts with feeling truly seen and heard.  Above all, Monica prioritizes helping clients cultivate radical self-love and reconnect with their authentic selves that is often hidden beneath their pain and suffering.

Monica brings extensive experience as a school-based social worker and behavior specialist, where she saw firsthand how many students need stronger advocacy and more individualized support to thrive in systems that don’t always align with their developmental needs. She helps parents understand their child’s behavior as meaningful communication, often reflecting unmet needs, rather than something to be labeled or punished. Monica works collaboratively with families and school teams to shift perspectives, advocate effectively, and implement trauma-informed strategies that support students who may not respond to traditional approaches. Her goal is to help children feel safe, respected, and understood, while empowering parents to confidently navigate and advocate within the school system.

She is especially passionate about helping clients find their voice, develop self-understanding, and build a sense of safety within themselves. Monica creates a space where clients can develop an authentic connection to explore their experiences without judgment and move toward greater self-worth, self-acceptance, and lasting change.

Using a holistic, strengths-based approach, Monica tailors therapy to each individual’s needs, recognizing that we all have the natural capacity to heal and grow given the right environment and guidance. She integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), somatic and polyvagal-informed work, mindfulness, play therapy, trauma-focused approaches, and person-centered care. She also holds additional certification in Polyvagal therapy and incorporates nervous system regulation into her work to support emotional and behavioral balance.