Digital Media Mental Health Writer at Examiner.com
March 2010 - Present | Oakland, CA
Dr. Villarreal produces digital articles, televised and print/digital/televised interviews on current issues in mental health and tech culture. She offers consultation and early growth development to start up founders and employees in the health tech community. She has been a featured mental health expert and consultant for a variety of international publications and television news networks including The Wall Street Journal, Techcrunch.com, The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, The Oxygen Channel, The Lifetime Channel, Scholastic Scope Magazine, Topix Media Lab, and La Tercera, Chile’s national news publication. Her professional writing has been cited in textbooks produced by Princeton University’s Clinical Psychology department. She is the mental health writer in Oakland, CA for Examiner.com
Professor of Psychology at Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Campus
September 2006 - Present | Alameda, CA
Instructor of Cognitive, Personality and Forensic Assessment & Consultation, Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine.
Clinical Psychology Pre-Doctoral Intern at Kaiser Permanente
August 2004 - Present | Oakland, CA
psychotherapist for a wide range of culturally diverse and medically complex adults using a brief CBT treatment model, sole psychologist on an inter-disciplinarian team consisting of the Chief of Neurology, a Physical Therapist, and an NP/Case Manager which worked to assess and develop a comprehensive treatment plan for medically complex chronic pain patients, psychoeducational instructor for the department's Chronic Pain Overview class (typically a group of 25+ patients), Orientation to Bariatric Surgery: Its Role in Obesity Management, co-facilitator in three psychoeducational group classes: Overcoming Anxiety, Coping with Chronic Illness, Mastering Chronic Pain, and chronic pain follow-up care, team diagnostician in the Adult Attention Deficit Program (responsibilities included administering and interpreting cognitive and psychodiagnostic instruments, treatment planning, and providing feedback to patients), sole psychologist in the Chief of Neurology's weekly DIGMA (drop-in medical appointment group for up to 15 patients)- responsibilities included providing comprehensive information about psychotherapy resources in the dept. of Behavioral Medicine, co-led discussions of healthy coping strategies for living with chronic illness and mood-related issues, Four clinical intakes a week, which included one weekly evaluation for Gastric Bypass Surgery (received continuing education certificate in the Bariatric Surgery Program at Kaiser Permanente), participation in two weekly didactic training seminars: Neurobehavioral Case Conference, Cultural Diversity Seminar and Case Conference, weekly individual supervision from psychologists specializing in treating medically complex patients, chronic pain, and neuropsychology.
Post-Doctoral Resident in Clinical Psychology at UCSF, San Francisco General Hospital
July 2003 - Present | San Francisco, CA
individual psychotherapist for a wide range of culturally diverse and medically indigent adults using a brief, 16 week CBT model, co-facilitator in two psychotherapy groups: A manualized CBT-Depression group developed for ethnically diverse patients, and a Pain Management group with the geriatric population at Laguna Honda Hospital. Three clinical intakes a week (history of presenting problem, clinical assessment, differential diagnosis, clinical/cultural formulation and treatment plan, report writing). Participation in a weekly inter-disciplinarian intake team, participation in four weekly didactic training seminars: Neuropsychological Assessment & Case Conference, Cognitive Behavioral Theory, Behavorial Medicine, and DSM-IV Diagnoses, participation in bi-monthly seminars and grand rounds in Cultural Competency, Psychopharmacology, and Hospital-Based Trauma Care, weekly individual supervision in CBT with diverse populations, Chemical Dependency, and Trauma
Clinical Psychologist at Private Practice
July 2006 - January 2015 | Oakland, CA
Individual psychotherapy for adults, adolescents and families. Forensic assessment and consultation.
Psychological Assessment Provider at Department of Public Health, City and County of San Francisco
January 2008 - January 2012
Community Behavioral Health Services, City and County of San Francisco
Psychological Assessment Provider at Department of Public Health, City and County of San Francisco
2008 - 2012
Community Behavioral Health Services, City and County of San Francisco
Clinical Psychologist at Kaiser Permanente
2004 - 2005
o psychotherapist for a wide range of culturally diverse and medically complex adults using a brief CBT treatment model
o sole psychologist on an inter-disciplinarian team consisting of the Chief of Neurology, a Physical Therapist, and an NP/Case Manager which worked to assess and develop a comprehensive treatment plan for medically complex chronic pain patients
o psychoeducational instructor for the department's Chronic Pain Overview class (typically a group of 25+ patients), Orientation to Bariatric Surgery: Its Role in Obesity Management
o co-facilitator in three psychoeducational group classes: Overcoming Anxiety, Coping with Chronic Illness, Mastering Chronic Pain, and chronic pain follow-up care
o team diagnostician in the Adult Attention Deficit Program (responsibilities included administering and interpreting cognitive and psychodiagnostic instruments, treatment planning, and providing feedback to patients)
o sole psychologist in the Chief of Neurology's weekly DIGMA (drop-in medical appointment group for up to 15 patients)- responsibilities included providing comprehensive information about psychotherapy resources in the dept. of Behavioral Medicine, co-led discussions of healthy coping strategies for living with chronic illness and mood-related issues
o Four clinical intakes a week, which included one weekly evaluation for Gastric Bypass Surgery (received continuing education certificate in the Bariatric Surgery Program at Kaiser Permanente)
o participation in two weekly didactic training seminars: Neurobehavioral Case Conference, Cultural Diversity Seminar and Case Conference
o weekly individual supervision from psychologists specializing in treating medically complex patients, chronic pain, and neuropsychology.
Psychology Resident at San Francisco General Hospital
2003 - 2004
o individual psychotherapist for a wide range of culturally diverse and medically indigent adults using a brief, 16 week CBT model
o co-facilitator in two psychoeducational/psychotherapy groups: A manualized CBT-Depression group developed for ethnically diverse patients, and a Pain Management group with the geriatric population at Laguna Honda Hospital
o Three clinical intakes a week (history of presenting problem, clinical assessment, differential diagnosis, clinical/cultural formulation and treatment plan, report writing)
o participation in a weekly inter-disciplinarian intake team
o participation in four weekly didactic training seminars: Neuropsychological Assessment & Case Conference, Cognitive Behavioral Theory, Behavorial Medicine, and DSM-IV Diagnoses
o participation in bi-monthly seminars and grand rounds in Cultural Competency, Psychopharmacology, and Hospital-Based Trauma Care
o weekly individual supervision in CBT with diverse populations, Chemical Dependency, and Trauma
Doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), Alliant International University
August 1998 - June 2003 | San Francisco Bay, CA
graduate student at Alliant International University
1998 - 2003
Intern at San Francisco VA Hospital
1999 - 2000
Dr. Villarreal treated veterans with a wide range of mental health issues, including chronic pain, weight management, smoking cessation in both individual and group psychotherapy format.
Intern at San Francisco VA Hospital
1999 - 2000
Dr. Villarreal treated veterans with a wide range of mental health issues, including chronic pain, weight management, smoking cessation in both individual and group psychotherapy format.
Mental Health Writer/Media Expert at Examiner.com
March 2010
Dr. Villarreal produces web articles on current issues in mental health and pop culture. She has been a featured psychologist in news articles in a variety of international publications including The Wall Street Journal, Scholastic Magazine, Topix Media Lab, and La Tercera (Chile's national news publication).
Clinical Psychologist at Private Practice
August 2007
Individual psychotherapy for adults, adolescents and families. Forensic assessment and consultation. Adjunct professor of Cognitive and Personality Assessment.
Professor of Clinical Psychology at Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Campus
September 2006
Instructor of Cognitive and Personality Assessment, Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
2003 – 2004
Doctoral Residency
Concentration: Clinical Psychology
Activities: individual and group psychotherapy, clinical assessment, crisis management
The California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), Alliant International University-San Francisco Bay
1998 – 2004
Ph.D.
Concentration: Clinical Psychology
Activities: Doctoral studies in clinical psychology with an emphasis in health psychology, women's sexual health, and working with diverse populations
University of San Francisco
1996 – 1998
M.A.
Concentration: Marriage and Family Therapy
Emory University
1992 – 1996
B.A.
Concentration: Psychology, minor in Sociology
Activities: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., University Chorus
College of Executive Coaching
Post Graduate Coursework & Training
Concentration: Executive Coaching, Personal Coaching
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