Dr. Paula Ehrmantraut, LCPC, LPC, LPC-MH

Dr. Paula Ehrmantraut helps people facing stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship strain, sexual dysfunction, and depression. She draws on 17 years of clinical experience and aims to help clients find small, practical steps that ease daily life. Her style is warm and direct, with a focus on understanding each person's situation without judgment.

In sessions she listens closely and works with clients to build useful skills. She uses approaches that include client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), emotionally-focused therapy (EFT), and existential therapy. Treatment plans are tailored to what each person needs and wants to achieve.

Her background includes long experience in community practice and work with many life challenges such as adoption and foster care concerns, aging and geriatric issues, attachment struggles, autism spectrum concerns, body image, chronic pain or illness, and issues tied to codependency and control. She also addresses substance use and domestic violence related problems.

Dr. Ehrmantraut emphasizes practical tools like coping strategies, communication skills, and emotion regulation techniques. She encourages gentle self-kindness and daily habits that build resilience. Progress is approached step by step, with attention to the goals the client sets.

Clients who want to get started follow a simple intake process to match with her, complete a short questionnaire, and schedule sessions based on availability. She offers services from South Dakota and works with English-speaking and international clients.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and reflecting what matters to the person. Online sessions using this approach often center on understanding goals and pacing work to what feels doable. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors and teaches practical tools like activity scheduling and thought records to reduce anxiety and improve mood. Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, teaches specific skills for managing intense emotions and improving relationships, such as distress tolerance and emotion regulation.

Choosing the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work together with each client to figure out which method or combination fits best, based on the client’s needs, goals, and preferences. This is a collaborative decision and can be adjusted as work progresses.

Practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into a busy life and keeping momentum between visits. Online work can make it easier to schedule shorter check-ins, avoid travel time, or meet when work or caregiving limits in-person options. Because session formats are not specified here, confirm the available options before booking to make sure they match your needs.