Dr. Paula Alvarez, LCSW
Licensed in California · 35 years in practice
Dr. Paula Alvarez helps people manage stress, anxiety, trauma, and the ups and downs of mood and relationships.
License and registration
- LCSW, California
- 19790 · expires December 2027
- LCSW, Missouri
- 2016036974 · expires September 2026
- LCSW, Illinois
- 149.023704 · expires November 2027
- NPI
- 1710020227 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 35
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Paula
Dr. Paula Alvarez helps people manage stress, anxiety, trauma, and the ups and downs of mood and relationships. She is Dr.
Paula Alvarez and she brings 35 years of clinical experience to her work in Missouri as an LCSW. Her style is straightforward and focused on what each person needs now. She offers short-term practical tools alongside deeper work for long-standing problems.
Sessions can include skill practice, structured exercises, or open discussion depending on what a person prefers.
Background and approach
She also uses strategies to address addiction, grief, parenting strain, and issues tied to identity and life transitions. Her background spans inpatient and outpatient settings as well as group work with people who had engaged in domestic violence programs. That experience shaped her approach to trauma, anger, and behavior change.
She has worked with cultural diversity and end-of-life concerns over many years. Therapy sessions are collaborative. She listens first and then suggests techniques such as acceptance and commitment ideas, cognitive-behavioral tools, dialectical skills, or relationship-focused work from the Gottman method when those fit.
Homework and reading suggestions are offered for people who want them. People often come for help with coping, self-esteem, career questions, and caregiving stress. Dr.
Alvarez pairs practical coping steps with attention to life purpose and connections. The goal is clearer choices and manageable day-to-day routines.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Paula lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family of origin issues
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Paula names
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Gottman Method
- Hypnotherapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How therapy approaches translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them and then choose actions that match their values. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns through practical exercises and skill building; it is often used for anxiety, mood concerns, and coping strategies. The Gottman method concentrates on communication and problem-solving in relationships and can help people improve intimacy and reduce recurring conflict.Choosing which approach to use is a team process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful. Sessions may combine elements from different approaches so the plan matches real needs and daily life.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when visual cues help the work. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit into a lunch break or commute. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief check-ins, homework review, or when someone prefers writing to speaking. These options make it easier to use therapy tools consistently while balancing work, family, and other obligations.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, anger, bipolar disorder, depression, addictions, LGBT issues, relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting challenges, grief, self-esteem, career questions, and life transitions.
What is the therapy style like?
Her style is client-centered and collaborative. She blends practical skills, structured exercises, and open conversation depending on each person's needs.
What is her background and experience?
She has 35 years of clinical experience across locked and outpatient mental health settings and has facilitated group work in both English and Spanish.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is listed as an LCSW with practice in Missouri and holds licensure in multiple states as provided in her profile.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be held via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on the person's preference.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies by location and therapist factors; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
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