About Me

General Information
Juan Carlos Silva, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist. He maintains a private practice in Herndon, VA. Dr. Silva has been in the mental health field since 1991 and has performed multiple functions as a frontline clinician, consultant, researcher, grass-roots activist, trainer, affiliate for employee assistance progams (EAP), and manager for large evaluation projects. He is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidence-based treatment technique designed to help clients resolve traumatic memories and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as well as other trauma, anxiety or mood disorders. For more information about EMDR visit www.emdr.org or www.emdria.org . He is a former director of the behavioral health division at Baltimore Medical System, the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in the state of Maryland. In 1994, he co-founded a private, non profit organization incorporated in Virginia, named The Youth Project, Inc, designed to assist at-risk youth and deter teenage pregnancy, school attrition, and juvenile criminal involvement.

Dr. Silva has written articles and made local and national presentations on the psychosocial development of boys and men as well as the emotional intelligence of adult males with difficulties expressing their emotions, acting out on them, and engaging in self-destructive behaviors. He is particularly interested in the correlation among mental health, public health, and public safety as well as the ecological impact of different forms of aggression in the private and public spheres. Since 1995 he has delivered trainings to highly diverse audiences such as physicians, licensed mental health clinicians, law enforcement, students, and parents. He has appeared on TV and radio several times as a guest speaker on topics such as substance abuse prevention, acculturation issues for immigrants, relationships, sex education, domestic violence, depression and PTSD, and effective prevention and management of self destructive behaviors in boys and adult men. He is fully bilingual in Spanish.

Education
Dr. Silva got a PhD in Clinical Psychology in 1999 from the Universidad de Belgrano, in Buenos Aires - Argentina. In 1991, he was awarded an MA/BA in psychology (licenciatura) by the Universidad Argentina John F. Kennedy. In 1986, he received a Diploma of General Studies from the Universidad Catolica del Peru. Throughout the years Dr. Silva has also taken various graduate-level courses in the master's program of school psychology and master's program of public health at George Mason University.

Licenses, Certifications & Awards
Dr. Silva is licensed as a clinical psychologist in the state of Virginia, license # 0810003949. He is certified in EMDR by the EMDR International Association and certified in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) interventions by the Montgomery County (MD) Police Department. Over the years, Dr. Silva has received special recognition for academic excellence on his doctoral thesis (theme: relationship between state anxiety and unemployment, by gender) and has been awarded an Immediate Recognition Award by Arlington County (VA) Government, two merit-based academic scholarships, and an Acknowledgment Plate for helping rebuild a community school in South America (Lima, Peru). His two licenses as a psychologist in the state of Maryland, license # 03932, and in the District of Columbia, license # PSY1000864, are currently inactive by choice.

Select Publications
- J. Carlos Silva (2007). " 'Missing the Elephant' On Suicide". Monitor on Psychology , Vol 38, No 2, February, Washington, DC.
- "Evaluation of the Parenting Matters Initiative. Annual Report for Year One." Publication for the Skillman Foundation. COSMOS Corporation . May 2000, Bethesda, MD [Principal Author].
- J. Carlos Silva (1999). "The Male/Juvenile Violence Link." Youth Today: The Newspaper on Youth Work. Vol 8, No 9, October, Washington, DC.
- "Personal Growth Class: Curriculum for Middle School Prevention Counselors. 6th - 8th Grades. Academic Years 1995-1997". Updated and Revised in October 2000. Youth Project, Inc. Arlington, VA [Principal Author].

Select Trainings Delivered to Professional Audiences
- Presenter: "Risk Management of the Behavioral Health Patient in Primary Care", Sponsored by Baltimore Medical System. Baltimore, MD April 7, 2010.
- Instructor: "Psychotherapy with Men: Challenging Self-Destructive Mandates from the Male Culture", sponsored by The Center for Continuous Learning, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County. Rockville, MD, May 15, 2008.
- Co-Instructor with Wilfried Busse, PhD: "EMDR: An Innovative Psychotherapy Comes of Age?", sponsored by the Center for Continuous Learning, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, May 1, 2008.
- Instructor: "Psychotherapy with Men: Challenging Self-Destructive Mandates from the Male Culture", sponsored by The Center for Continuous Learning, Montgomery County Department for Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, November 15, 2007.
- Instructor: "Mental Illness from a Cross-Cultural Perspective." Training provided to the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless. Rockville, MD, September 7, 2006.
- Instructor: "Self-Destructive Tendencies from a Gender Perspective." Training provided as part of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training in Montgomery County, MD. CIT members included police officers, fire and rescue staff, deputies from the Sheriff's Office, and clinical staff from the Montgomery County Crisis Center. Novermber 23, 2005.
- Regular Instructor from Sep. 2001 until Nov. 2007: "PTSD and Mental Illness from a cultural Perspective." Trainings were provided four times a year as part of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training schedule in Montgomery County, MD.
- Speaker: "Responses to Grief and Loss: A Developmental Perspective." The Josephina Magno Conference Series: The Human Face of Palliative Care. Falls Church, VA. October 30-31, 2003.

Select Presentations Delivered to Professional and Lay Audiences
- Plenary Speaker: "Healthy Parenting and the Art of Communication." First Annual Fatherhood Conference. Rockville, MD, Novermber 8, 2008.
- Panelist: "Holiday Blues, Winter Blues, Clinical Depression, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder." Montgomery Comments. Montgomery County Government TV Channel 6. Rockville, MD, December 6, 2006.
- Speaker: "Self-Destructive Tendencies from a Gender Perspective." Suicide in Culturally Diverse Populations Conference. Landover, MD, March 16, 2005.
- Presenter: "Alexithymia, Emotional Intelligence, and Attachment Difficulties in Men." 2005 National Conference on Men's Health. Atlanta, GA, October 6-8, 2005.
- Panelist: "Cultural Ethics: Is the Right Way Always the Right Way? Panel." The Josephina Magno Conference Series: The Human Face of Palliative Care. Falls Church, VA, October 30-31, 2003.
- Guest Speaker: "Anger Management." Annual Men's Health Fair, Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care, Washington, DC, October 2000 and October 2001.
- Guest Speaker: "Anger Management." Radio America, WACA 1540, Wheaton, MD, June 2000.
- Specialist: "On Domestic Violence Issues." Eyewitness News, Channel 9, Washington, DC, November 1996.
- Panelist: "Substance Abuse Prevention for Youth." Fairfax County Public Schools Cable Channel, Fairfax, VA, April 1996.
- Panelist: "Domestic Violence." George Mason University Cable Channel, Arlington, VA, September 1995.

Past and Current Professional Activities, Memberships, and Interests.
Dr. Silva is a full member of the EMDR International Association www.emdria.org . He is also a member of the American Psychological Association www.apa.org , its Division 51 - which focuses on the psychology of men, and the National Fatherhood Initiative www.fatherhood.org