Susana Posada Montalvo, M.A., PsyD Candidate

My clinical training has been with children/adolescents/adults psychological improvement, the treatment of anxiety, depression, adjustment, behavior disorders, and trauma/PTSD. I’ve received clinical training that broadened my skills with yearly practicum placements, delivering assessment and therapy in multiple settings such as community-based clinics, private practices, and schools. These experiences included thorough recommendation post-assessment, family-member inclusion in treatment through family therapy, providing culturally-sensitive treatment and care to migrant children attending school settings, assisting family units in their integration/acculturation into the United States, along with short and long-term psychotherapy as a continuation of care and intervention. These diverse training opportunities encouraged me to have intervention approach flexibility, enabling me to implement core concepts of different models in an integrative manner in all areas of professional decision-making to better assist my client's needs. My pre-doctoral training employment at Children’s National Medical Center adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit provided me with unit acute short-term intervention implementation, de-escalation, and adequate engagement with young individuals with an array of mental illnesses. In these career opportunities, I’ve appreciated and fully grasped the importance of community for many patients and the vast need for clinicians willing to work with a clients needs beyond the therapeutic setting.

Why Susana Became a Therapist

My decision to become a clinician in an area often stigmatized by my community was derived from my strong interest in equal access to mental health resources for many, my unwavering passion for assisting in facilitating change to optimize individuals quality of life, and my lifelong interest in human emotions, thoughts, and behavior interplay. Personally and professionally, I’ve tailored my clinician identity to be consistent and aligned with my individual qualities, professional ethics, and values as a form of self-exploration. Furthermore, I've worked on developing a therapeutic style sensitive to diversity and individual differences to encompass my active cultural humility and awareness practice. My professional life has been consistently enriched by endless interactions with people, and I chose to become a psychologist aligned with my personal interest in connecting, helping, and assisting others!

How Susana Lives Authentically

I currently live authentically as I do my best to apply to my life, what I recommend to my clients.

I am actively practicing living presently with active awareness of the here-and-now.

I actively apply a mind-and-body connection approach to my life.

I endorse self-compassion when honoring my needs and boundaries.