Pedro Molteni
LPC | Licensed Professional Counselor
I believe that the main goal of therapy is to help us come to terms with our past and move on with our lives. Sometimes, events in our lives can be stressful. We may experience traumatic situations, and these situations may negatively impact the way we see ourselves, the way that we see others, the way that we see the world, and the way that we see our future. We may have developed survival mechanisms that were necessary in our past, but they are now preventing us from reaching our goals or getting along with others. What helped us adapt to our environment before, may be maladaptive now. The good news is that with courage, curiosity and introspection we can change even the most deep-seated negative beliefs about ourselves and others; we can become aware of and change the way we react.
I have been trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I use concepts and ideas from all these modalities in my practice. From the use of EMDR I have learned about the power of neuroplasticity. I find EMDR to be helpful in changing negative beliefs about ourselves into more regenerative beliefs. It can also help make memories of stressful events less disturbing. DBT was the first modality of psychotherapy to incorporate mindfulness and thus can help us regulate emotions, increase our tolerance to distress and be more effective in communicating our needs and emotions. CBT is based on the idea that a negative interpretation of an event can influence emotions and behaviors. CBT can help by planting a seed of doubt that maybe that negative interpretation is not the only interpretation. By doing this, the vicious cycle gets interrupted and our behaviors do not become a reaction, but a more conscious choice. Other theories that I learned and have influenced me are Internal Family Systems and the idea that our mind is formed by many subpersonalities and that these different parts try desperately to help us. From Existential therapy I learned about the importance of exercising our freedom and the responsibility we have in finding out for ourselves what is meaningful to us in our lives.
A famous psychiatrist once compared the therapeutic relationship with the relationship between two fellow travelers, and that idea really resonates with me. I don't think that any person is immune to suffering, and that we are all together in trying to find out what is meaningful and how to cope with difficulties. I see my role as a therapist as one that creates a learning environment that is based on compassion and that can create the conditions necessary for introspection, self acceptance and healing. I also believe that our need for emotional and physical safety in therapy can vary based on our lived experiences.
I am fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
I work with adults, couples and families struggling with:
Anxiety
Coping Skills
Depression
Grief
Emotion Regulation
Bicultural Identity
Abandonment
Racial Trauma
Relationship Issues
Self Esteem
Sexual Violence
Childhood Trauma
Personality Disorders
Transitioning
Self-harm
Mindlessness/Rumination
I accept Aetna, Cigna, United/Optum, and Highmark Insurances.
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