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Bob Montero is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in New York City and is currently seeing clients online, in Spanish and English, working with adults only. He came to this profession late in life, answering a lifelong passion to help people who find themselves stuck in patterns of behavior that leave them feeling depressed, anxious or subject to obsessive negative thinking. He brings not only his education and experience in therapy, but a history of working as a business owner in the music recording industry, a breadth of experience that has helped business professionals and artists feel better understood and validated.
Bob focuses on practical solutions to help his clients find peace and happiness. He and his clients often focus on the impact of trauma, especially during childhood, and how those experiences can shape behavior during adulthood. His lifelong practice of yoga and meditation in the Buddhist tradition forms a foundation of his sessions. But he also employs Internal Family Systems, EMDR, somatic work and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, helping his clients unlearn the behavior and thinking that creates unwanted results, and embrace healthier choices that help them live the lives they want to live.
Bob creates an environment that is safe and non-judgmental. His approach is to roll up the sleeves and work with his clients to find fixes to their problems, however they may manifest. He encourages clients to practice mindful awareness, and also employs it as a practitioner in order to be present and listen without judgment, to practice compassion, and approach situations with a beginner’s mind.
Years of Experience: 8 years
Trauma - Most of the trauma I treat arises from persistent childhood abuse (sexual, emotional, verbal) and neglect. Treatment aims to first create safety in the present and then find safety in the mind by easing chronic feelings of fear and hyper-vigilance, anger, and shame.
Depression - Often depression arises from early, learned beliefs that we are not seen, that we have to earn love and approval, or that we are somehow to blame for the neglect and abuse we have suffered. I provide support and promote healing by helping clients to connect to these wounded internal parts and give them the validation and support they are missing.
Anxiety - Anxiety arises from anticipation that something is going to happen, and somehow, we will not be equipped to handle it. Often the object of our anxiety may not even be real, but as far as our nervous system is concerned, it is all consuming and takes us out of being in the present moment. Simply speaking, it is a fear-based response. I work with clients on skills to manage worrying about the future by being focused in the present
Artists' mental health - As a lifelong musician who worked in the music industry, I have insight into the creative process and the emotional issues that create conflict and act as obstacles into realizing creative goals. I have seen personally, and in my work with other artists, how misplaced feelings such as needing to be perfect or feeling like an impostor can unnecessarily dilute and derail creative productivity.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) - So much of the obsessive/compulsive thinking I have seen results from a desperate need for control. It's as if we want a guarantee that life will always be alright and we can never be satisfied knowing otherwise. Often the solution is paradoxical - the more we let go of our need to control the less we suffer. I work with clients on ways to embody this approach.
Panic attacks / panic disorder - So much of panic disorder is based on a fear of fear - a fear that panic will happen at the worst possible moment. The truth is, we need the fear response in our lives to survive; we just need to manage it so that it works for us at the times that we need it.
Bob Montero is not in-network with any insurances.
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Frequency of sessions this provider offers to see clients once you are an established client.