Resume

 

Michael R. Mollura, Ph.D, MA, MFA

 PSY30873     Clinical PsychologIST  

Objective: 

Continuing ongoing training and the advancement of knowledge and experience to tend to pathology and concerns of patients.

Education History:

Wright Institute of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, Psychoanalytical therapist in training.  Post-Doc. 1800 Training hours completed.

Wright Institute of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, Psychodynamic therapist.          Internship Completed – June 2013

Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, California, Clinical Psychology with Emphasis Depth Psychology. Ph.D completed and posted July 2, 2013

University of Miami, Miami, Florida. Master of Fine Arts. MFA

Music/Creative Writing. 1995

New York University, New York, New York. Masters (MA). Interdisciplinary Masters:

Psychology – Music Therapy – Dream Analysis. 1991.

Qualifications:

  • Currently treating patients with depression, anxiety, schizo-affective disorders using a Depth Psychological lens as a Licensed Clinician PSY30873.

  • Completed Post-Doc internship at the Wright Institute in Los Angeles as an psychoanalytical therapist. Co-leader of Economic Crisis Program group.

  • Completed dissertation titled: “The music of images: contribution to dream work in Depth Psychology.” Chairman is Dr. Robert Romanyshyn. Defended May, 2013. Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, California.

  • Completed 500 hours of Practicum work at BHC, Alhambra Psych Hospital.

  • Clinical and professional experience working the elderly population at the Belmont

  • Completed 1,000 Practicum clinical work at California Family Counseling Center in Encino, CA.

  • Assisted living facility. Experience working with elderly as a group facilitator, music teacher, meditation teacher and therapist.

  • PhD in Clinical Psychology

  • 10 years experience writing professionally about music, consciousness, spiritual issues & humanities

  • Extensive reading list regarding psychology, spirituality, language, music as a therapeutic modality and research with a focus on addiction issues, anxiety, family systems and healthcare

  • Experience working with clients suffering from addictions, anxiety, depression, ADD, Bipolar and SchizoAffective disorders

  • Experience with Music Therapy as a composer/clinician using Depth Psychology lens

  • Extensive knowledge of 12-Step programs

  • Team player who works with struggling adults, families and elderly while remaining sensitive to social and work issues and behavior related to pathology

  • Raised in a family of physicians who act as support and inspiration including a brother who recently graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School and a father who has acted as Acting Residence Chairman at Flushing Hospital in Queens, New York for 50 years.

  • Can attend all scheduled clinical debriefings, staff meetings and team meetings in order to assist in assessing client’s needs, strengths, resources, and provide feedback regarding treatment planning.

  • Life Coaching services provided for individuals not seeking deep clinical psychological work. Coaching includes life decisions and dream work without addressing severe pathology like mood disorders, severe depression or hallucinations. LIfe Coaching is about support and discussion about day-to-day life challenges addressing relationships, work or direction with spiritual concerns such as meditation, yoga or nutrition.

Clinical and Research Experience:

PRESENT AND ONGOING:

2015-PRESENT - LICENSED PhD Clinical Psychologist in Private Practice and incorporated. Specializing in depression, anxiety, trauma, dreams, and primary psychological challenges.

2015 (Present and ongoing) Continuing to develop research and give public lectures and presentations on the importance of incorporating dream interpretation when working with patients. This work continues to explore the relationship between images and music and the importance of deepening our understanding of how images impact our psychological perspectives on both personal and collective unconscious levels. Recent lecture was given at the Jung Institute in Los Angeles (August-2013)

2015- PRESENT. Active teacher/instructor to post-doc trainees at the Wright Institute of Los Angeles. Specializing in how to work with dreams in treatment. This class ranges from 8-10 2 hour sessions including lectures, presentations and demonstrations of dream work using Jungian, Freudian, Self and Relational Psychology methodologies.

2015-PRESENT - Active Workshop Leader on a variety of subjects including dreams, trauma, anxiety and depression. Available for hire for workshops all over the world.

PAST TRAINING AND EXPERIENCES:

2012-2015  Ph.D Psychological Assistant. Currently treating patients in private practice under the supervision of Linda K. O’Dell, Ph.D in Beverly Hills, CA.

2015 Ph.D post doc hours were completed at the Wright Institute of Los Angeles. Work includes intervention and psychodynamic therapy with patients struggling with depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and schizo-affective disorders. Primary focus is on object relations, dream interpretation and addiction issues which are interfering with patients ability to function at full capacities in given living environments.

2013-2014 Continuing to teach and give presentations on the importance of incorporating Meditation and Mindful practices in the treatment of anxiety and age-related populations and disorders including Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Dementia.

2013 Ph. D. level Internship at the Wright Institute of Los Angeles. 1500 hours have been supervised under the tutelage of Dr. Valerie von Raffay, Dr. Sharon Bishop and Dr. Michele Gomes. Worked with patients struggling with depression, anxiety and schizo-affective disorder. Leader of Economic Crisis Group (ECP). The program focus of this institute is on psychoanalytical psychotherapeutic interventions using Self-Psychology, Object Relations and Ego psychology. Training has included facilitating psychodynamic individual therapy, leading intervention ECP groups, and attending and participating in case presentations and classes.

2013 Ph. D. level Dissertation. Completed and approved dissertation titled “The Music of Images: Contribution to Dream Work in Depth Psychology.” This was a qualitative study using participants who struggle with dream content and proposes an innovative approach to working with dream content by applying originally composed music to the participant’s dream report. Results have shown improvement in assisting participants in understanding the content of dreams as well as provoking new significant material and images that provide insights into the deeper wounds the participant is expressing through creativity and discussion. This work was Chaired by the distinguished writer, professor and Jungian Clinician Dr. Robert Romanyshyn, Ph.D.

2010-2013 Ph. D. level PRACTICUM at BHC Alhambra Hospital in Rosemead, CA. Hours were supervised under the tutelage of Dr. Joseph Dadourian, ED.D. Hours have accumulated in the partial hospitalization facility. The program focus of this unit has included the ability to provide a transition period between inpatient and outpatient treatment to assist patients in learning coping skills so as to prevent regression and/or relapse. The age range is from 18 and up. Patients in this facility have either experienced persistent mental illness with a recent history of declining functioning and/or exacerbation of symptoms or in transition from acute hospitalization. Training has included leading intervention groups, individual therapy and treatment planning. Training has also included working with chemical dependency issues in patients who struggle with a wide range of serious addictions.

2010  Facilitating group work and classes with elderly population at the Belmont Assisted Living facility in Encino, CA. Intervention work at this facility has included using meditation, music therapy and writing exercises to work with residents struggling with age-related depression, anxiety and physical ailments including Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, and Dementia.

2009-2010 Ph.D. level PRACTICUM/Internship at CAL FAM Counseling Center under the supervision of Dr. Ann Elkin. Using Psychoanalysis, Cognitive Behavioral, Music Therapy and Humanistic Psychology tools. Hours were accumulated in the clinical center of the community facility. The program focused on the assessment and individual treatment of adult patients from a diverse cultural background. Patients in this facility tended to suffer from severe depression and anxiety with suicidal ideation, in addition to trauma-based reactions to challenging life experiences. Training and experience was focused on one-on-one individual therapy with patients. Training also included training hours, in class seminars, group and individual supervision, as well as field work in the community.

2010 Ph.D level research work with Dr. Robert Romanyshyn, Ph.D using music compositions and images as an intervention approach. The title of this work is called “Antartica”.

2010 Completed training hours and certificate for sexual addictive behavior at the Del Amo Behavioral health System of Southern California. Training included hours in diagnosis and treatment for sexual addition issues. This work focused on the changing roles of partners in addictive systems. Work was presented by Dr. John Sealy, MD and Kirsten Rogoff, MFT.

2001-2010 Clinical work using music therapy in a variety of projects that ranged from music composition as an intervention technique to proposing music and active imagination work using cinematic images and music to support psychosocial and environmental conditions. Music in this category was composed for a number of feature-length film projects including: Climate Refugees (2010), Reconciliation (2010), Hot Coffee (2010), Antarctica (2010), and The Highest Pass (2010). All of these feature-length films are in service to a wide range of diverse cultural individuals seeking to learn more about their social and political environments and to contend with serious interpersonal conditions that are vital to any individual’s well being.

2008 [Present] Ph.D. level education in Clinical Psychology. Curriculum includes work with Clinical Assessments, Advanced Psychopathology, and comparative psychoanalysis theory including psychoanalysis, Cognitive Behavioral, Object Relations, Existential Humanist Psychology and Music Therapy orientation.

2008-2011   L.A Yoga Magazine. Writer of spirituality, music psychotherapy and psychological driven stories for monthly well-being magazine.

2007 [Present] Documentary Film Project: “A Portrait of the Depressed Artist”. Project Writer. Dealing with researching how an artist uses creativity to contend with clinical depression. Project Director: William Tyler Smith.

2003 Sex, Love and Alcohol Addiction Research, Alliant University, Los Angeles. Staff Research Associate in training. Research project on addictive habits in adults including drug abuse, projection, mirroring, and abuse in intimate relationships. Dr. William Wexler, Ph.D., [study now closed].

2002 Afghanistan Children Refugee project. Research and fund-raising project titled “Celebration Above the Clouds.” Producer and supervisor of the work.

1997  “Homeless Dreams” – Thesis project at New York University that included working with and interviewing homeless people and discussed their dream content and how it applied to Freud’s “Condensation” theory. How sound impacts dream content. This research work was documented on Video.

Teaching Experience:

2016-PRESenT Instructor of “Advanced Dream Interpretation” course given to Post Doctorates at the Wright Institute of Los Angeles. Ongoing.

2013 Private and Public Lectures on Dream Interpretation using Music. Jung Institute of Los Angeles. Produced by Wendy McGinty, Ph.D

2010 Private instructor for Meditation, Writing, and Music subjects at the Belmont Assisted Living facility in Encino, CA.

2008  Private Tutoring for Ph.D and Master’s Students in Psychology programs.

2005-Present        Meditation Instructor. Freelance. Los Angeles, CA. Meditation and Music Therapy workshops for adults.

Publications and Presentations:

2020-2023 - Variety locations give dream work presentations that sometimes includes music dream work.

2019 Dream Music presentation at the 2019 INSPIRATIONAL ESALEN FILM FESTIVAL. This event includes a live demonstration of working with dreams using music as well screenings of healing psychology film projects Mollura has worked on including HEAL, Antarctica and DENT: Featuring 30 minute documentary on Dr. Michael Mollura’s innovative work with dreams and music.

2015 Presentation at the CONSCIOUS LIFE EXPO in Los Angeles, CA. Screening of the feature film AWAKE: THE LIFE OF YOGANANDA and discussion regarding the importance of dream consciousness, meditation and music to add vitality to an individual’s life.

2014 Multiple Presentations in Los Angeles, CA Screening of the feature film AWAKE: THE LIFE OF YOGANANDA and Q&A discussions regarding the importance of dream consciousness, meditation and music to add vitality to an individual’s life.

2013 Presentation at the Jung Institute of Los Angeles on “The Music of Images: Contribution to Dream Work in Depth Psychology.” Demonstration and lecture on dream interpretation using Jungian theory and original music composing as a way of deepening the experience of dream images to access unconscious material.

2013 Ph.D. level Dissertation. Completed and published dissertation titled “The Music of Images: Contribution to Dream Work in Depth Psychology.” This is a qualitative study using participants who struggle with dream content and proposes an innovative approach to working with dream content by applying originally composed music to the participant’s dream report. Results have shown improvement in assisting participants in understanding the content of dreams as   well as provoking new significant material and images that provide insights into the deeper wounds the participant is expressing through creativity and discussion.  This work is being Chaired by the distinguished writer, professor and Jungian Clinician Dr. Robert Romanyshyn, Ph.D.

2011 Composer and presenter at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT Spoke to a paid audience about the importance of music and images as a therapeutic modality for higher learning, healing and recovery

2010 Composer and presenter at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT Spoke to a paid audience about the importance of music and images as a therapeutic modality for higher learning, healing and recovery

2010 Composer of original therapeutic music for feature length film projects including: Climate Refugees (2010), Reconciliation (2010), Hot Coffee (2010), Antarctica (2010), and The Highest Pass (2010)

2010 Narcissism and Intervention using Depth Psychology and Music Therapy. Cal Fam Counseling Center. March/2010

2010 Michael Mollura. Cultivating Peace For The Elderly. Belmont Village Assisted Living Facility in Encino. February/2010

2009 Michael Mollura. Psychological Assessment Power Point Presentation. For Dr. Gary

Groth Marnot. Pacifica Graduate Institute. July/2009

2009  Michael Mollura. Opening of the Heart and Its Applications to Psychological Well Being, LA Yoga Magazine. May/2009

2008  Michael Mollura. Sacred Music and its Therapeutic Applications. LA Yoga Magazine. January/2008

2008  Michael Mollura. Art Therapy: Painting, Music and Meditation for Everyone, LA Yoga Magazine. September/2008

Many others upon request.

Outreach and Volunteer Work:

2013-2014 – Group Leader of Economic Crisis Program at the Wright Institute of Los Angeles.

2009-2011 – CBT Meditation and Breathing Workshops for the Elderly. Belmont

Village Assisted Living Facility in Encino. Referral Kim Pisapia.

2001-Present – Siddha Yoga Meditation Center. Benefits of sacred music on adults.

2008  Obama Campaign for Presidency. Fundraising.

2007  Addiction Clinics in Los Angeles. Answering phones, helping out in whatever way         with clients suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Various Facilities.

2002  Afghanistan Children Refugees Fund, United States Government. Fundraising for the fund to help out children suffering from the impact of war in the region.

Professional Affiliations:

American Psychological Association [APA], Student Affiliate

Skills:

  • Counseling Skills (Psychodynamic, Depth Psychology, Self Psychology, Object Relations, Ego Psychology, Humanistic Psychology, CBT – Voice Therapy, Music Therapy)

  • Excellent Communication skills

  • Administration/scoring of psychological test batteries with adults, research interviewing, data collection, reporting, design and execution of focus groups, and human subject research protocol.

  • Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills with over 10 years of experience in the writing industry. In this capacity, I have the ability to comprehend complex material and apply it to subjects using excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills with excellent organizational skills

  • Ability to prioritize and manage multiple demands and meet deadlines

  • Excellent attention to detail and accuracy, proactive team player, willing to do what needs to be done to get any assignment accomplished with a high degree of success, ability to comprehend and write compelling content about a wide variety of subjects including psychological assessments.

  • Active meditation trainer and Music Therapy coach

  • Creative oriented and able to apply and relate to all challenges which effect individuals who suffer from performance anxieties.

  • Knowledge of 12-step programs

  • Administering and participating in clinical debriefings, staff meetings and team meetings in order to assist in assessing client’s needs, strengths, resources, and provide feedback regarding treatment planning.

  • Executive Life Coaching skills to advise clients with day to day challenges and life choices addressing career, relationships and spiritual concerns.

References:

Many references available upon request