Tampa Bay Evidence-Based Therapy

Our Team: Adina Aldea, Ph.D.; Vicki Tangney, LCSW; Rafael Harris, Psy.D. Scroll down for information on each clinician. ___________________________________ MIRELA (ADINA) ALDEA, Ph.D. Dr. Aldea is licensed in Florida and a member of PsyPact, accepting clients from all 36 PsyPact states (https://psypact.org/mpage/psypactmap). EDUCATION AND CAREER BACKGROUND Dr Aldea received a master’s degree in clinical psychology and then a Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 2007. She completed a pre-doctoral internship at the University Counseling Center at Florida State University and a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of Florida, Obsessive-Compulsive Program. She continued as an assistant professor at the University of South Florida, Department of Pediatrics, Rothman Center of Neuropsychiatry where she conducted clinical research and individual and family evidence-based therapy with adults, adolescents, and children suffering from obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, and other conditions. During her tenure at the Bay Pines VA Medical Center, Dr. Aldea founded and managed a program focused on the assessment and treatment of OCD, anxiety disorders, and comorbid conditions in veterans. She served as the Chief of the Collaborative Addictions Recovery Services (CARS) at Providence VA and Clinical Director at Rogers Behavioral Health, where she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the clinical operations, including patient care, staff supervision and training, and quality insurance. In addition to direct clinical services, Dr. Aldea is passionate about clinical research, and training and supervision of peers and younger colleagues in evidence-based treatments. She served in various consultant and subject matter expert roles, including for the Veterans Health Administration National Evidence Based Psychotherapy Program and the VA Center of Innovation. Dr. Aldea has a strong background in academic research and scholarly writing, including contributions to professional books, peer-reviewed journal publications, presentations, invited talks, and conference proceeding. CLINICAL EXPERIENCE AND APPROACH With close to 20 years of experience, Dr. Aldea is trained and well-versed in a range of evidence-based psychotherapies and interventions for different mental health concerns and developmental impasses across the lifespan. She specializes in the evaluation and evidence-based treatment of OCD, anxiety-related disorders, trichotillomania, excoriation disorder, trauma, pain, and co-occurring conditions in adults, children and adolescents. The evidence-based interventions she offers include exposure and response prevention, prolonged exposure, general and specialized cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT; e.g., CBT-Pain, CBT-Insomnia, CBT-Depression), habit reversal training (HRT), cognitive processing therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Dr. Aldea provides highly individualized evidence-based treatment to meet the unique needs and specific presenting concerns of each person she works with. Dr. Aldea has a strong background in outcome-informed treatment. Throughout the course of treatment, she elicits feedback from clients and utilizes standardized measures to monitor each client’s treatment response; this feedback loop informs clinical decisions and allows to tailor and optimize practice approaches and treatment planning to the individual needs of each client. _____________________________________ VICKI TANGNEY, LCSW EDUCATION AND CAREER BACKGROUND Vicki Tangney is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience in mental health and social services. She earned her Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of South Florida. Her career began in human services, including children and family court ordered intervention programs and victim advocacy. Shortly after, the trajectory of her career brought her into the health field and she served in several different roles within a large VA medical center, including case management for returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. Vicki’s experience with the men and women who suffered from the wounds of trauma motivated a deeper desire to learn about trauma and provide holistic approaches towards healing. CLINICAL EXPERIENCE AND APPROACH For the past 11 years Vicki has had the opportunity to work as a mental health counselor, addressing a wide range of mental health concerns and taking advantage of every learning opportunity to expand and enhance her therapeutic skills and deepen her understanding of individuals (people) and their (our)healing processes. She has had the opportunity and honor to share in the recovery journeys of many coping with life altering experiences including assault, war, health struggles, relationship difficulties, and basically any occurrence that challenges us to live with an unforeseen change we never would have chosen for ourselves. Vicki is certified and specializes in evidenced-based therapies, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for sleep, pain and depression, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and trauma informed therapies (Cognitive Processing Therapy - CPT and Prolonged Exposure - PE). As one size does not fit all, Vicki believes in a holistic approach to mental health, integrating evidence-based practices for individualized care and treatment planning. She is dedicated to creating a safe, supportive environment for her clients, empowering them to achieve their mental health goals. __________________________________ RAFAEL HARRIS, Psy.D. EDUCATION AND CAREER BACKGROUND Rafael’s graduate school education began with a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. After a 2nd master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology, he received a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree also from Florida Institute of Technology in 1999. Rafael worked for about 10 years in 3 different university counseling centers, focusing on working with students’ mental health issues in order to increase academic success and personal development for his clients. For the past 16 years, he has worked with veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs as a clinical psychologist and has been the Evidence-Based Treatment Coordinator for Mental Health Services. CLINICAL EXPERIENCE AND APPROACH Rafael’s clinical experience over the past 29 years has included broad areas of mental health – depression, adjustment, anxiety, trauma, interpersonal issues, etc.; there are two areas that have been of particular focus: 1) couples/families and 2) substance abuse treatment He conceptualizes mental health consumers from an existential/humanistic framework, keen on identifying for each individual what in life can bring about meaning and purpose, and how to activate it. It is the absence of this that very often explains mental health symptoms. Rafael tends to have a problem-solving approach based on an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of behaving a certain way and working with clients on which “poison” would be more acceptable to live with in order to maximize quality of life. __________________________ WHAT WE OFFER All services are telehealth, via a secure video platform. We provide initial evaluations and individual therapy (once/week), as well as semi-intensive and intensive outpatient therapy (multiple sessions/week), depending on the severity of the presenting concerns and client’s time-frame for treatment engagement. SPECIALTIES Dr. Aldea specializes in the treatment of adults, adolescents, and children • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - OCD (all OCD presentations) • Health Anxiety • Panic Disorder • Social Anxiety • Phobias • Hair Pulling • Skin Picking • Generalized Anxiety Disorder • Trauma Vicki specializes in the treatment of • Depression • Anxiety • Trauma • Insomnia • Pain management • Anger • Adjustment disorders Dr. Harris specializes in the treatment of • Couples • Families • Substance Abuse • Adjustment Disorders Note: We do not participate in any insurance networks, including Medicare or Medicaid; however, many insurance policies provide out-of-network reimbursement for licensed clinicians. While we do not bill insurance directly, we will provide you with a statement (superbill) that includes all the required information that can be submitted for reimbursement. If you would like to use your insurance, we recommend that you verify out-of-network mental health benefits before submitting a claim. By choosing not to contract with any insurance companies, including Medicare, we have the freedom to make optimal treatment decisions regarding length and type of therapy without the limitations imposed by third party payers. Extended, more frequent, or intensive treatment team services may be more cost-effective in the long run, though insurance may not reimburse for such services. We are committed to providing you with the best, most effective treatment available without having to fit into generic constraints often imposed by insurance companies. Although our initial fee may be higher, ultimately, we believe that our method of cost-effective, results-oriented therapy will result in shorter treatment cycles and lower out-of-pocket costs for you.