Author
Michael Pica, PsyD
5 articles
Beyond Symptom Management: Existential/Humanistic Treatment for Combat Veterans
One observation of military veterans who served in Beirut, Afghanistan, and Iraq is their presentation and experience of persistent hypervigilance, avoidance, emotional constriction, and transitional forms of disillusionment. These symptoms may be part of a larger trauma response and mask unresolved affective states that should be addressed as a regular component of treatment. The recommended […]
Michael Pica, PsyD
May 8, 2026
The Projective Assessment Integration System (PAIS): A Guide for Student Clinicians in Training
When administered, scored, and interpreted correctly, projective assessments remain pivotal in assessing emotional functioning, problem-solving, interpersonal style, and linearity of thought. Critics of projective testing point to problems with validity, inter-rater reliability, and subjective preconceptions that may limit the generalizability of the results (Lilienfeld et al., 2000). However, there are a plethora of valid and […]
Michael Pica, PsyD
May 8, 2026
The Maintenance of Self-Preservation in Narcissistic Personalities: Suggestions for Partners, Family Members, and Friends
Abstract This paper examines narcissistic personality disorder as a psychological reaction against internal fragmentation brought on by the activation of unresolved core maladaptive emotional states that shape a foundational sense of self. The goal for the individual exhibiting narcissistic behavior is to maintain self-preservation. Restorative regression can cause interpersonal damage that may leave partners, family […]
Michael Pica, PsyD
October 20, 2025
A Primer on Educative-Experiential Psychotherapy
The Educative Aspect of the Educative-Experiential Model The educative-experiential (EE) model is educative in that the knowledge of human behavior embedded in the fundamental disciplines of this approach is thoughtfully and thoroughly explained to clients within an experiential framework. For instance, to normalize teen behaviors, clinicians might introduce the work of Erikson (1950), Marcia (1966), […]
Michael Pica, PsyD
September 10, 2025
Entering the World of Private Practice: What Graduate School Did Not Teach You
Abstract Young psychologists entering the world of private practice often find themselves holding naïve concepts about this area of psychotherapy and may be ill-prepared to work for a group private practice and/or start their own practices. This may be related to various obstacles surrounding credentialling and billing, insurance operations and processes, restrictive covenants, marketing tasks, […]
Michael Pica, PsyD
August 10, 2025