Hi! I'm Jessika Talavera
Learn About My Work
In 2006, I obtained a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Carlos Albizu University (UCA), San Juan campus. My area of ​​expertise is in evidence-based psychotherapies, psychological trauma, chronic pain, and chronic mental health illnesses. I am formally trained to offer the following treatments: prolonged exposure therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, functional analytical psychotherapy, motivational interviewing therapy, social skills for schizophrenia, CBT for insomnia, cognitive processing therapy for trauma, cognitive rehabilitation therapy, and EMDR. In 2020, I was selected as a distinguished graduate of the doctoral program in philosophy in clinical psychology at Carlos Albizu University.
Throughout my career, I have worked in the mental health and physiatry programs at the Veterans Administration Hospital (VA) in San Juan, and in my private practice as a psychologist, consultant, and speaker. I have supervised students, interns, and residents in psychology, psychiatry, and neurology. I have also published articles and coordinated programs in the area of ​​evidence-based psychotherapy.
Together with my husband, Dr. Mario González, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, we created a line of products called Mental Health Bands that provides emotional effectiveness tools for children and adolescents.
I am passionate about teaching and offering workshops on psychotherapy. I believe that the greatest transformation occurs in the interaction and connection between our inner world and our relationship with others. In this way, we can show ourselves to the world in a genuine and transparent way.
You can listen to me on the podcast “Trends in Psychotherapy: A Modern Guide for Therapists.” Here you will learn about the methods and strategies that produce change in psychotherapy. You can get it through your favorite podcast platform.
My Vision
Enhance the value of psychotherapy by training on interventions that really work and drive change in people.
My Mission
Teaching the art of psychotherapy under a learning model based on clinical competencies, where the therapist can apply this knowledge in their daily practice.
Dra. Cristina González
“Dra. Talavera is distinguished, among her many talents, by offering cutting-edge workshops that have advanced the teaching of clinical psychology in Puerto Rico. Her innate ability to captivate an audience is combined with her ability to create a dynamic, creative, experiential, interactive and open learning space. It incorporates their expert knowledge of theory and evidence-based practice in a unique and sagacious way that enables their participants to have a comprehensive teaching experience.”
Dr. Marcos Reyes
During the past 10 years, Dra. Talavera has been dedicated to studying new therapeutic modalities in the United States and Europe, studies that have led her to distinguish herself as a pioneer in the expansion of contextual therapies in Puerto Rico. He has published articles on topics related to evidence-based psychotherapies and fidelity of psychological treatments. With its robust background in practices based on scientific evidence, it has managed to pragmatically integrate the areas of knowledge and application of competencies and fidelity of treatments in the field of clinical psychology among students and health professionals, thus promoting the highest degree of excellence in the practice of psychotherapy.
