Renata Cerqueira Fire, Ph.D.
I am licensed by the Board of Psychology in both Maryland and Virginia. I am also approved by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board to practice telepsychology in all stated that have enacted PSYPACT participating states (https://psypact.site-ym.com/page/psypactmap), including the District of Columbia.
I received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. in 2006.
In addition to my doctoral training, I have completed training in numerous modalities of treatment, most recently Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), which is based on attachment science and helpful in treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I am also trained in providing trauma-informed therapy and find that essential in working with clients who have a history of trauma. I have significant training and experience in using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in individual and group therapy. ACT is a mindfulness-based approach with hundreds of scientific studies supporting its efficacy in treating a myriad of psychological difficulties and disorders. I am also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) through the Beck Institute. With a significant body of scientific literature supporting its efficacy, CBT is a skills-based approach that teaches strategies to enhance well-being. I also have advanced training in the use of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a form of CBT, for the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) through the Behavioral Therapy Training Institute. My knowledge of these and many other therapeutic theories and techniques allows me to tailor treatment to each client’s unique needs and goals.
I also have considerable training in multicultural psychology and acculturation issues. In addition, I bring to my work the experience of having grown up in four different countries, including the United States. I have worked extensively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and have a special interest in working with immigrants, those raised in cultures different from that of their parents and/or birth country, and those who have lived/worked abroad as part of their adult life, including those in the military. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, I provide psychological services in all three of these languages.
I have taught psychology as an Adjunct Professor at Catholic University and Trinity University in Washington, D.C. I have also provided training to graduate students and social services staff on numerous psychological topics, including trauma and family violence. Most of my career, however, has been focused on providing direct psychological treatment to children, adolescents, and adults. I have been in private practice since 2011, initially in Falls Church City, Virginia and since 2019 in Rockville, Maryland.
Prior to entering private practice, I worked as a Staff Psychologist at Loudoun County Mental Health in Leesburg, VA. In that capacity, I provided psychological services, including individual, family, and group therapy as well as psychological testing, to children, adolescents, and adults. I supervised pre-doctoral interns and post-doctoral fellows and frequently testified as an expert witness in Loudoun County's Juvenile Relations Court in cases involving trauma and abuse.
My predoctoral clinical internship training was at Cambridge Hospital through Harvard Medical School. My internship experience included specialized training in working with adults, children, adolescents, and their families in an outpatient setting, as well as with adults in an acute inpatient setting. This training experience had a strong focus on multicultural and cross-cultural psychology, as well as on psychodynamic theory.
My doctoral dissertation looked at coping strategies using the Transtheoretical Model of Change in a sample of women, with a history of intimate partner violence, seeking services in local emergency rooms and was part of a large-scale study completed through Georgetown University. I received the distinction of Highest Honors for this work. My Master's thesis extended Dr. John Gottman's research on factors related to relationship stability and satisfaction to same-sex couples. This work was published in the Journal of Personal and Social Relationships and in the Journal of Memory in 2007.
My undergraduate degree is from the University of Florida, where I graduated summa cum laude with a major in psychology and minor in French. Prior to entering graduate school, I worked at a domestic violence shelter in Dallas, Texas and at the Family Violence Unit at the Baltimore County Department of Social Services.