Jennifer (Jen) Plumb Vilardaga
(She/Her/Hers)
Psychologist
I welcome the opportunity to learn with you and help you gain perspective, live with purpose, and see possibility in each moment.
I look forward to getting to know you, your inner experience, and your personal goals to help you overcome challenges you face in living a meaningful life - as you define it. I have been in practice for over 10 years treating adults across the lifespan, previously providing outpatient psychotherapy in academic hospitals (veteran's hospitals and Duke clinics). My approach is strengths-based and skills-oriented, and I draw from evidence-based practices like mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, exposure therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. I am a life-long LGBTQIA+ ally and my family is multi-cultural and bilingual. Clients with all identities, cultures, faiths, and backgrounds are welcome in my practice. I strive to really listen and understand your experience - as a whole, complex human - and how features of your experience or identity may play a role in your current stressors.
Practice hours (EST)
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
- Aging
- Anxiety
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism
- Burnout
- Career
- Chronic Illness/Pain
- Disability
- End of Life
- Family Caregiving Stress
- Gender Identity
- Grief and Loss
- Immigration/Acculturation
- Life Transitions
- Loneliness/Isolation
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Parenting Concerns
- Peer Difficulties
- Perfectionism
- Performance Anxiety
- Personal Growth
- Phobia
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Pregnancy/Loss of Pregnancy
- Racial/Cultural Oppression or Trauma
- Relationship(s) with Friends/Roommates
- Relationship(s) with Parents/Children/Family
- Relationship(s) with Partner/Husband/Wife
- Sexual Identity
- Social Anxiety
- Trauma
- Women's Issues
- Work/Life Balance
Age groups
- Young adults (18-30)
- Adults (31-64)
- Seniors (65 or older)
Special groups
- Active duty military
- Adult children of alcoholics
- Body positivity
- Immigrants
- Neurodivergent people
- People of color
- People who are bisexual
- People who identify as gay
- People who identify as lesbian
- People who identify as non-binary
- People who identify as queer
- People with disabilities
- People with HIV or AIDS
- Professional Healthcare Providers
- Transgender
- Veterans
Treatment specialties
Therapeutic modalities
- Individual Therapy
Treatments
- Behavior Therapy
- Mindfulness Training
- Exposure Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Location
Accommodations
Entering the practice
- Wide doorway
- Well-lit path to entrance
- Door can be opened easily
- Step-free entry
- Flat path to the front door
- Service animals allowed
- Disabled parking spot (8ft / 2.4m)
Getting around
- Wide hallways (36” or 90cm)
Settling in
- Wide entry to clinician space
- Storage for mobility aids (e.g. wheelchair, scooter)
Remote options
- Voice
- Video
Payment options
$175 — $225per session
- Out-of-pocket
- Documentation provided for patient filling
- Out-of-network insurance
- Sliding scale
- I offer a free consultation
Payment methods
- Credit Card
- Debit Card
- Flexible Spending Account
- Health Savings Account
Credentials
Licenses
PSYPACT Provider
Mobility number: 11369
Psychologist
North Carolina Psychology Board
5044, North Carolina
Certificates
Peer-Reviewed Trainer in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
This is not a certification, but a notice that I have undergone peer review of my trainings teaching others how to perform acceptance and commitment therapy.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy
Veteran's Affairs
I underwent specialty training within the Department of Veteran's Affairs to perform prolonged exposure therapy for trauma-related concerns.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
University of Nevada - Reno
As part of my education and training, I experienced a 14-week course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction from an MBSR-trained leader, to assist me in utilizing mindfulness-based techniques.
Education
University of Nevada - Reno
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), 2012
Clinical Psychology
Publications
The efficacy of Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in VA primary care
2016, Psychological Services, 10.1037/ser0000062
Notable improvements in well-being, depression, anxiety, stress, psychological flexibility, and perceptions of physical/ mental health function.
See publicationAcceptance and commitment therapy and contextual behavioral science: examining the progress of a distinctive model of behavioral and cognitive therapy
2013, Behavior Therapy, 10.1016/j.beth.2009.08.002
This is a paper describing how acceptance and commitment therapy was developed, and its promise for treating a range of conditions along the lifespan.
See publicationBuilding a More Diverse and Inclusive Science: Mindfulness-Based Approaches for Latinx Individuals
2022, Mindfulness, 10.1007/s12671-022-01846-2
Recommendations for those who use mindfulness-based therapeutic strategies to be inclusive and supportive of the Latinx population to improve wellbeing.
See publicationImproving Symptom Management for Survivors of Young Adult Cancer: Development of a Novel Intervention
2023, Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, 10.1089/jayao.2022.0100
Patient and provider interviews provide data to inform a tailored behavioral program to improve symptom management for young adult cancer survivors.
See publicationPain, depressive symptoms, and self-efficacy for pain management: examination in African-American women with breast cancer
2022, Supportive Care in Cancer, 2022
Explored specifics of disparate experiences of pain and depression in Black women with breast cancer, and recommendations for treatment improvement.
See publicationCoping Skills Training and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Symptom Management: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Brief Telephone-Delivered Protocol for Patients With Advanced Cancer
2020, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.09.005
A novel behavioral intervention to improve coping with the high symptom burden of advanced cancer was developed and piloted, with promising results.
See publicationLinking Physical Activity to Personal Values: Feasibility and Acceptability Randomized Pilot of a Behavioral Intervention for Older Adults with Osteoarthritis Pain
2022, Pilot and Feasibility Studies , 10.1186/s40814-022-01121-0
Promise found for novel behavioral intervention to link personal values to increase physical activity (steps) to reduce pain and improve wellbeing.
See publication