Court Testimony
Dr. Pita is experienced in court testimony. Patients involved in divorce or child custody processes, as well as civil, criminal, or juvenile justice hearings, would benefit from the presence of an expert witness who can provide valuable support for their court case.
Allison Pita provides court testimony on behalf of child abuse, narcissistic and psychopathic abuse victims, and high-conflict family court matters.
Therapy
Around 75% of individuals who engage in psychotherapy experience some improvement.
Research shows overwhelmingly that mental health therapy, whether individual, group, family, marriage, or couples, does indeed benefit people of all ages, cultures, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, and abilities or disabilities with reported symptom relief and improved function in their lives. Psychotherapy has been shown to improve emotions and behaviors and is linked with positive changes in the brain and body. The benefits also include fewer sick days, less disability, fewer medical problems, and increased work satisfaction.
Psychotherapy, often known as talk therapy or counseling, is designed to alleviate emotional suffering and address mental health issues. Psychotherapy can effectively alleviate or manage distressing symptoms, enabling individuals to enhance their functioning and promote their overall well-being and recovery. Therapy entails examining and understanding the life choices and challenges individuals, couples, or families encounter. Psychotherapy can effectively address a wide range of issues, such as challenges in managing everyday life, the consequences of trauma and abuse, recovering from narcissistic abuse, preparing for marriage, dealing with medical conditions or grief, and treating particular mental diseases like depression or anxiety.
Therapy: Children, Teens & Adults
We offer individual therapy for adults and adolescents, play therapy for children, couple counseling, and court-ordered therapy for a wide range of issues. We also provide LSOTP treatment for adolescent sex offenders. We make use of EMDR, Play Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Insight-oriented Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
We engage clients with respect, honesty, and care. Clients find our space comfortable and conducive to discussing challenges in their lives. At Pita Psychological Services, we specialize in complicated therapeutic issues and treat them with the delicacy they deserve.
EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy strategy that has undergone extensive research conclusively resulting in positive outcomes in trauma treatment. Allison Rose Pita provides EMDR therapy for those who have complex trauma histories and single trauma incidents, such as vehicle accidents as well as phobic responses and other mental health issues. EMDR is used in conjunction with other therapeutic modalities and interventions. For additional information, including studies, frequently asked questions, and other resources, please visit http://www.EMDRIA.org.
Play Therapy
There is a misconception that children possess a high level of resilience, suggesting that traumatic experiences do not have an impact on them. Nevertheless, the research provides indisputable evidence that traumatic experiences profoundly impact children. The manifestation and actual harm may not be apparent for years and, at times, decades. Childhood trauma is associated with behavioral problems, mood disorders, personality disorders, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, suicide, illness, and reduced lifespan. Resilience is not inherently present; it must be cultivated through recognizing and handling traumatic experiences. Children communicate through various forms of play, such as toys, art, music, and movement.
Allison Pita provides play therapy services for children as young as five who have undergone traumatic experiences and require assistance in comprehending and recovering from the emotional and physical scars associated with them.
Psychological Assessments
A psychological evaluation is a thorough process of assessment and screening administered by a psychologist. Dr. John Pita offers Clinical and Forensic evaluations for children as young as ten, adolescents, and adults.
Clinical Evaluations
Psychological evaluations are powerful tools for assessing a variety of emotional and mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, psychosis, thought disorders and behavior disorders, narcissistic abuse, substance abuse disorders, social anxiety and avoidance, self-esteem issues, coping skill deficits, and adjustment disorders.
Forensic Evaluations
Forensic assessments are commonly ordered by the court in child custody and divorce proceedings, civil litigation, and juvenile court hearings. Testing and evaluations related to adolescent sex offenses are conducted in cases where the assessment and testimony of an LSOTP is an important consideration by the court. Dr. Pita is an LSOTP-S. He has treated, evaluated, and supervised the evaluation and treatment of more than two thousand in-patient and out-patient adolescent sex offenders.
Child Custody Evaluations
Child custody conflicts can be difficult for everyone involved: the parents, the children, and sometimes even the judge. When deciding which parent should be granted legal custody, Texas courts are required to consider the child’s best interest.
In Texas, a judge can appoint a child custody evaluator (or the parties can hire a private child custody evaluator) to conduct what is known as a Child Custody Evaluation. The evaluator is a neutral third party tasked with thoroughly assessing both parents, their home environment, and anyone involved in the child’s life, as well as the child’s emotional well-being and developmental needs. The goal is to give the judge an accurate and unbiased view of both parties to help him or her make informed decisions about child custody issues.
The family courts utilize mental health professionals with specialized training to assess the child’s best interest in current divorce cases or post-divorce cases. Often, the courts ask the Child Custody Evaluator to provide relevant information on matters, such as which parent should serve as the primary residential parent; in other instances, the evaluator is asked to recommend whether the parents have the capacity to make decisions jointly or whether one parent should have sole legal custody to make unilateral decisions regarding education, medical decisions, and/or extracurricular activities. The evaluator may also be asked to recommend a visitation schedule for the child or children or to assess whether supervised visitation is appropriate at times. Evaluators are also assigned the task of recommending whether the removal of the children to another state or county is in the children’s best interest.
Some of the duties of the custody evaluator are to observe parent-child interactions during home visits; review relevant documentation, including medical, school, and financial records; conduct background checks; conduct interviews with parents, children, and other parties in the child’s life; assess the mental and emotional health of all parties involved; evaluate the stability and safety of each parent’s home environment; complete reports for the court with their recommendations and findings; and testify about their findings.