Angela Vigna, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist with experience in the assessment and treatment of chronic mental illness particularly depression, anxiety, and psychosis. An additional focus of her career has been providing psychological and behavioral assessments and interventions to those individuals dually diagnosed with developmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability and chronic mental illness. Her forte’ and main area of interest within the practice of psychology is assessment/psychological evaluation and Dr. Vigna is well trained and experienced in many assessment instruments used to evaluate functioning of cognition, emotion, development, behavior, and social interaction.
Dr. Vigna received a master’s in counseling psychology from Boston College and went on to pursue her doctorate in clinical psychology from Argosy University in Tampa, Florida. She has research experience in the areas of the impact of psychological trauma on pain tolerance; the clinical and neuropsychological features of obsessive compulsive disorder; pain management in children with cancer; and high functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome. During Dr. Vigna’s training, she worked at a medical hospital in Boston, Massachusetts providing therapy for patients undergoing medical treatment. Furthermore, she trained at several community mental health centers in Florida, Arkansas, and Louisiana where she provided assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for both adults and children who were coping with severe psychological disorders and/or emotional/behavioral disturbances. In particular, she gained valuable knowledge needed to work with individuals who had experienced sexual abuse and the subsequent development of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Moreover, she became adept at understanding and managing forensic clients who were prone to frequent displays of aggressive behavior.
Upon receiving her doctorate, Dr. Vigna became licensed in Louisiana and began her career as the Clinical Director and Director of Psychology for a state funded residential developmental center. The facility provided intermediate care and an array of services for individuals dually diagnosed with developmental disabilities and psychiatric illness. Psychiatric diagnoses and levels of functioning varied, however a majority of the individuals supported were coping with chronic mental illness and behavior that was potentially harmful to them and others around them. As Clinical Director, Dr. Vigna was dedicated to promoting behavioral and psychological services that emphasized supports tailored to accommodate individual strengths and needs within and enriching and caring environment.
Dr. Vigna also served as director of a state governed community support team that provided mental health services and behavioral interventions to both children and adults with developmental disabilities and behavioral/psychiatric needs who were living in the community. The team provided assessment, treatment planning, behavioral interventions, medication management, psychotherapy and skills training, crisis intervention, and facilitation of access to community resources such as vocational opportunities. As the director of the team, Dr. Vigna additionally provided training and community education regarding developmental disabilities and mental illness; and consultation and testimony regarding various issues such as competency, appropriateness of state custody, placement, and efficacy of treatment.
Dr. Vigna has also maintained an individual private practice in which she provided psychological evaluations for children and adolescents assessing for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), learning disorders, autism spectrum disorders, psychotic disorders and emotional/behavioral disorders (depression, anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder).
If you ask Dr. Vigna why she became a psychologist, she will tell you that prior to getting married and having her children, psychology was the main thing that she has always been really passionate about. For this reason, Dr. Vigna has never viewed her work as a psychologist as a job but as an interest. Her passion coupled with her excellent training and experience, has afforded her the opportunity to provide highly individualized care and a unique ability to meet her clients where they are in life with a combination of empathy and keen understanding of each person’s personality and style of coping with the world. Dr. Vigna continues to experience enthusiasm for her chosen field and has now parlayed that conviction into providing comprehensive psychological evaluations for the purpose of life care planning.