Fear of falling in bouldering vs roped climbing?

Here is the clinical description. A female boulderer who can comfortably send V5s outside gets shut down while trying to lead trad or sport routes with much easier moves (sometimes as easy as 5.8). It seems like this is especially so on anything where the holds are less secure or, in case of onsighting, where it's hard to evaluate the hold from below.

It' pretty obvious that it's the fear of falling. On top-rope she floats up the very same routes. Her technique deteriorates and she is not willing to make the moves that are chancy or dynamic. Oddly enough, she is ok bouldering the same moves at the same height over a stack of pads.

What sort of tricks/drills people do to work on fear of falling?

Start by taking practice falls in a safe environment.

She could read rock warriors way
It might help

Has she tried soloing? Sounds like the rope is wigging her out... For trad climbs, confidence breeds success; could try having her hang out on some gear down low with a pad under her (just body weight) to demonstrate how the gear holds etc. It is a bit of an abstract thing to show someone a cam and tell them to trust it with their life... For the sport stuff go to the gym and fall on their ropes a bunch. Lead to the top, skip a clip and let go. Once she is comfortable it is important to point out the nuances of falling on lead outside (bolt look ok?, ledges, gear is a whole different subject, etc). I have had my share of sketchy situations, but in my experience bouldering has caused the most injury- even in the gym. Tendons and ankles don't like it so much. Good luck.

It's all relative. I'm exactly the inverse. I fall all the time on a rope, but never boulder and am terrified of breaking my ankles. (so during the few times I am bouldering outside, I don't try nearly as hard) Unsurprisingly it's not a problem in the gym.

I think practice falls (as suggested) are certainly helpful and reading the Rock Warrior's Way is a very popular solution for dealing with the mental side of climbing. In addition, I'd try to onsight as much as possible on grades that are 50/50 for you. It sounds like you get gripped on 5.8. I'd say don't climb grades that are way below your limit. You say that you're strong enough to get on steeper terrain, so I'd do so. As you probably already know, it's a way better option for trying to embrace falling.

Mentally, the only specific thing I can identify that allows me to ignore my emotional reaction to falling is being entirely present in the sequence. If all I can think about is trying as hard as I can to reach the next hold, there's not a lot of room to think about falling off. To put it differently, ID terrain that's appropriate to fall on way ahead of time (before you're scared) and then when you're scared, focus all of your mental energy on trying hard not to fall off. If you're picking routes that spit you off, then falling is just going to happen. This way you're building two good habits at once as opposed to jumping off at random points. (which really isn't that great a process to wire into your head)

For myself I notice a distinct difference between being willing to fall in known terrain on a project and on varied terrain that I haven't seen before. Being able to assess new terrain as okay (or not) to fall off of and then committing (or not) to doing so is a much more valuable skill than simply jumping off by choice. (granted one is a stepping stone to the next)

Also, find partners who motivate you to push it. You know you'll probably make excuses, so tell your partners ahead of time not to put up with them when they start. In the end, it's all about volume. You probably spent a long time building trust in the protection system you're comfortable with. (spotters/pads) I bet if you do a similar volume of roped climbing, you'll build a similar level of trust. The above drills can help short-cut that process, but it'll still take time.

Not what you are looking for, but has the climber asked for your help? She sounds pretty darn good to me, probably very aware of her strengths and weaknesses, and might want to flail through this without beta.

That being said, if you ask if she would like your help, I bet she can also tell you how to help her. It might be something you haven't thought of at all, or you may be spot on. Either way, if she is going to lead, she has to trust her judgement, not ours! You sound like an excellent partner, by the way; hope you guys have fun working this out. : )

Hello there, do you use a pad under the boulder you climb? If so just learn how to fall and all well be good, plus do it with a partner that can hold you on the fall, if you are not using a pad like me than you definitely need to learn how to fall nicely with your legs flex... Let me know if ti help...