My goal as therapist is to help my clients achieve their utmost potential by activating their inner strengths to overcome the difficulties that hinder their healing.
I offer integrative psychological interventions to address the client’s mental, emotional, physical and spiritual levels to facilitate healing. As a licensed clinical psychologist, I use traditional psychological interventions and holistic mind-body approaches.
I have been trained in cognitive-behavioral and dialectic behavior therapies, stress management techniques, clinical hypnosis, EMDR, EFT, Body Talk and other energy psychology techniques to more efficiently address my patient's conditions.
I also incorporate in my treatment resilience principles to help my clients “bounce back” from difficult experiences. These are specific strategies that allow people to adapt in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or other stressors such as economical distress. In addition, I am a native Spanish speaker and I have a great deal of expertise on Latin-American and cross-cultural issues.
Areas of Expertise:
- Depression
- Self-esteem problems
- Relationship issues
- Grief and bereavement
- Anxiety problems
- Traumatic Events
- PTSD
- Fears and phobias
- Performance anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Stress Management
- Life Transitions
- Adjustment to medical illnesses
- Death and dying issues
Honors/Awards:
- PsyD Psychology: Distinction (1997)
- MS Psychology: Distinction (1993)
- Carlos Albizu University, Alumni Association: Distinguished Alumni Award in Recognition for Professional Accomplishments (2007)
Publications:
- Illa L., Brickman A, Saint-Jean G, Echenique M, Metsch L, Eisdorfer C, Bustamante-Avellaneda V, Sanchez M (2008) Sexual Risk Behaviors in Late Middle Age and Older HIV Seropositive Adults. Aids and Behavior 12 (6) 935-942
- Mellman T., Bustamante V., David, D (2002) Hypnotic Medication in the Aftermath of Trauma. Jounal of Clinical Psychiatry 63(12) 1183-84
- Mellman T., Bustamante V., Fins AI, Pigeon WR, Nolan B.(2002) REM Sleep and the Early Development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 159(10):1696-701
- Bustamante, V. Mellman, T., David, D.,Fins, A.(2001) Cognitive Functioning and the Early Development of PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress 14(4): 791-797
- Mellman, T, David, D, Bustamante, V, Fins, A. Esposito, K ( 2001) Predictors of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Following Severe Injury. Depression and Anxiety. 14: 226-231
- Young, S., Jacobs, C., Bustamante, V., Brickman, A. (1998) Psychosocial and biomedical predictors of attention and memory in end estate renal disease patients. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. Vol 5. No 4.
