(she/her)
New to Grow
Hi, I'm Daija Monroe, Licensed Professional Counselor and founder of Monroe Behavioral Insight Consulting. I'm so glad you're here and I want you to know that finding the courage to seek support is something to be proud of. I'm a Virginia-based therapist with over seven years of experience working with individuals across a wide range of life experiences and challenges. I have experience in community mental health, forensic mental health, crisis intervention, and school-based settings which means I bring a well-rounded, real-world understanding of how life, systems, and mental health intersect. My work is rooted in creating a space that feels genuinely safe where you don't have to perform, pretend, or have it all figured out before walking through the door. I'll be honest with you, I'm not the therapist who will sit quietly and just nod. I'm warm, I'm real, and I'm straightforward. I believe you deserve a therapist who will actually engage with you, celebrate your wins, and gently challenge you when you need it. No sugarcoating, but always with compassion. My approach blends evidence-based techniques with genuine human connection. I specialize in working with women, young adults, adolescents, first responders, healthcare workers, and immigrants navigating life's most difficult moments. Whether you're carrying invisible weight, feeling stuck, or simply ready to finally put yourself first, I want to help you get there. Outside of my clinical work I am a mother, author, speaker, and advocate for mental health awareness. Life has taught me firsthand that healing is possible even when it feels impossibly far away. That lived experience shapes everything about how I show up for my clients. You don't have to keep holding it all alone. I'm here.
Your first session with me is not about having the right answers or knowing exactly what to say. It's simply about showing up and I'll take it from there. I want to start by saying something important: whatever you're feeling right now, nervous, uncertain, relieved, or even a little skeptical, that's completely normal. Most people feel a mix of emotions before their very first therapy session. You might be wondering if you're "bad enough" to need therapy, or whether talking to a stranger will actually help, or even whether you'll know what to say. I want you to release all of that before we meet. You don't need to prepare. You don't need a script. You just need to show up. Our first session is 60 minutes, and every minute of it is dedicated entirely to you. When we meet for the first time, my priority is making sure you feel comfortable, safe, and welcomed. There's no pressure to dive into the deep end right away. We move at your pace, always. My job in that first session is not to fix everything, it's to understand you. And I take that seriously. Here's what you can expect: We'll start by getting to know each other. I want to know who you are beyond whatever brought you to therapy. What's your life like? What do you care about? What does a typical day look like for you? What makes you laugh? What keeps you up at night? This isn't an interrogation, it's a conversation. I'm genuinely interested in you as a whole person, not just your symptoms or struggles. From there, I'll complete a biopsychosocial assessment. That's a clinical term that simply means I'll ask you questions to better understand your full picture. We'll talk about your personal history, your family background and dynamics, your relationships, romantic, platonic, and familial. We'll touch on your work or school life, your physical health, your support system, and what's been weighing on you most lately. Some questions may feel easy to answer. Others might bring up emotions you weren't expecting. That's okay. There's no wrong way to do this, and you are always in control of what you share and when. We'll talk about what brought you to therapy and what you're hoping to get out of it. Maybe you have a very specific goal in mind. Maybe you just know something feels off and you can't quite name it yet. Maybe someone suggested therapy and you're not even sure you need it. All of that is okay. We'll figure out the rest together, at your pace, on your terms. I'll also make sure you have a ch
One of the most common things clients tell me after our first few sessions is that they've never felt so comfortable talking to someone they just met. That doesn't happen by accident, it happens because of who I am, what I've been through, and how intentionally I show up for every single person who sits across from me. My greatest strength as a therapist is my ability to meet you exactly where you are, not where I think you should be, not where textbooks or the internet say you ought to be, but exactly where you actually are right now. I don't come into our sessions with a rigid agenda. I come in fully present, fully prepared, and fully focused on you. I bring over seven years of real-world clinical experience across some of the most complex and demanding settings in mental health, community mental health, forensic mental health, crisis intervention, school-based services, and outpatient therapy. That experience doesn't leave you when you walk into a private practice setting. It sharpens you. It deepens your empathy. It makes you a better clinician. I have sat with people in their darkest moments. I have worked within court systems, alongside law enforcement, and inside communities that have been failed by systems that were supposed to protect them. That experience lives in me every time I sit with a client who feels like the world has worked against them. I don't just understand systemic pain intellectually, I have witnessed it up close. But beyond my professional experience, it's my lived experience that truly sets me apart. I became a therapist because I needed one and didn't have one. I grew up as the oldest child, the one everyone leaned on, the one who was supposed to have it together, the one with no older sibling to turn to when life got hard. I was the person my family came to while quietly struggling on the inside. I know exactly what it feels like to be the strong one and to feel completely alone in that role. My life has not been without pain. I have experienced the grief of losing my brother to gun violence. I have navigated failed relationships and heartbreak. I have felt the weight of postpartum as a mother. I have known what it means to grow up with a father who was incarcerated and absent. These experiences shaped me into the therapist I am today. I never had a safe person to go to growing up. I never had someone who made me feel like my pain was valid, my voice mattered, and my struggles were worth addressing. And somewhere along
My ideal clients are people who look like they have it all together on the outside, but on the inside, they're exhausted, overwhelmed, and quietly struggling. They're the ones who keep showing up for everyone else while putting themselves last. The ones who are juggling work, relationships, motherhood, parenting, school, and responsibilities with a smile on their face while privately feeling drained, disconnected, and unseen. I work best with women, young adults, and adolescents who are navigating anxiety, burnout, life transitions, grief, self-esteem challenges, and emotional overwhelm. My clients are often high-functioning individuals who overthink everything, struggle to say no, and feel guilty the moment they try to prioritize themselves. They may be dealing with people-pleasing patterns, identity loss, perfectionism, or the constant pressure to have it all together all while feeling completely unsupported inside. I also work with individuals carrying deeper wounds, those who have experienced trauma, emotional neglect, unhealthy relationships, family conflict, abandonment, exposure to violence, or the pain of having a loved one incarcerated. I also support immigrants navigating fear, family separation, and uncertainty. Many of my clients have been pretending to be okay for so long that they've lost touch with who they really are. If you find yourself withdrawing from others, shutting down, struggling to trust, or feeling like no one truly sees what you're carrying, you are exactly who I created this space for. Therapy with me is not about just surviving. It's about finally exhaling, reconnecting with yourself, and building a life that actually feels good, not just one that looks good from the outside. Whether you're a first responder, a healthcare worker, a busy mom, a student, entreprenuer, or simply someone who has been strong for too long, you deserve a space that is entirely yours.
Other specialties
I identify as
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Have you ever noticed that the way you think about something affects how you feel and what you do? That's exactly what we work on together. I help you recognize thought patterns that may be keeping you stuck and we work on replacing them with healthier ways of thinking so you can feel better and move forward in your life.
Trauma Informed Care
If you've been through difficult or painful experiences, I want you to know that this is a safe space. I work at your pace, never pushing you to share more than you're ready for. Everything we do together is built around helping you feel safe, respected, and in control of your own healing journey.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
You are the expert on your own life, I'm just here to walk alongside you. In our sessions, I follow your lead. There's no judgment here, no agenda. Just a space where you can talk openly, feel genuinely heard, and figure out what you truly want for yourself.
Strength-Based
Sometimes life gets hard and we forget how capable we actually are. I help you rediscover and use the strengths you already have inside you. Instead of focusing only on what's wrong, we also look at what's working and build from there.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
Life can feel overwhelming sometimes, especially when emotions run high. I teach practical skills to help you manage those big feelings, communicate better in relationships, and handle stressful situations without feeling like everything is falling apart.