I am a licensed clinical
psychologist, with a PhD and many years experience. I call what I do “solution focused”
because my aim is to help you to move toward the life and relationships you
want as rapidly as possible. Some of
our habits of perception and reaction were formed long ago when we didn’t know
the options. However, I am not
interested in endless wandering through the pains of the past except as they
are relevant to how you are experiencing your present situation.
I am a good listener but I will also
engage with you fully and be your ally.
Together we will find the best strategies to get where you want to go. My professional tool bag includes
psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), emotional
intelligence, mindfulness practice, emotion-focused therapy, and brief therapies
such as hypnosis, EMDR and NLP. I trained for six months with
Martin Seligman, noted researcher and author, to apply the latest research in
Positive Psychology. (Positive Psychology is the study of what makes people
happy, strong, resilient, and good.) I
have always been interested in what is effective, regardless of theoretical
underpinnings.
Most recently, in 2015, I was trained by Laney Rosenszweig, LSW, in her new therapy method, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, or A.R.T. (see acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com) My clients saw thrilling immediate changes! This method increased my satisfaction with my work so I became a trainer for other mental health professionals to be able to use this extraordinary approach. Although there is now good research showing rapid improvement with A.R.T., most people have not heard of it.. Most A.R.T. sessions completely resolve an issue, even a complex childhood trauma, in a single session. This dovetails with research in memory that has been validated in many species and now in us. For humans, if a fear reaction is triggered and then images and or feelings are changed within a brief time-window, the memory will be put away differently. It will seem to be just something that happened in the past. The facts will be remembered but the images and feelings no longer come up. Any upsetting feelings, or dysfunctional, limiting behaviors which used to follow reminders of this issue, are just gone! Best of all, the creativity and the resources come from within a person without dependency on someone else. Also, the goals can be big, but the time required is short.
Personally, I have been married for
over 40 years and am the mother of two grown children. I divide my time between
Silver Spring and the Virginia mountains.
I enjoy hiking, dancing, yoga, gardening, singing, improvisation, and,
especially, the beauty of nature. I am interested in health, in prehistory, and
in ancient history. I love my work. I am
happy as long as I am learning and making a difference. So far, life keeps getting better!
For a more detailed account of my
training, professional activities, and professional affiliations, please see my
web site, http://psychologistsilverspring.com.
Dr. Nancy Montagna Reaches
Charlottesville VA
Clients throughout Maryland
Clients throughout Virginia