Our Doctors
DR. JESSICA HARPER
Dr. Harper is a clinical psychologist with a specialized focus and passion for treating individuals who have survived longstanding childhood abuse, accidents, combat, sexual assault, domestic violence, emotional abuse, infidelity, loss of loved ones, and many other types of events that can dramatically affect individuals throughout their lifetime. Effective research-based practices are used to help people who are suffering the residual effects of physical and/or emotional trauma including those who have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The formal treatment protocols that are used include Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Dr. Harper co-founded the Hawaii Anxiety and Trauma Care clinic with the hope of helping to disseminate assistance for these types of difficulties in our community.
Dr. Harper also practices protocols for the effective treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders that can dramatically affect people’s quality of life to include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), specific phobias, social anxiety, panic disorder, generalized anxiety, major depressive disorder, and others. Some of these treatment protocols include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and exposure therapy with response prevention.
Finally, Dr. Harper has specialty training in the area of health psychology, thus promotes wellness through interventions to include weight loss, pain management, smoking cessation, insomnia, and relaxation techniques, guided self-hypnosis, and coping with chronic medical problems.
Dr. Harper received her M.A and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State University in the Health Psychology track. She then completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Phoenix VA in 2009 and moved to Hawaii to complete post-doctoral training in a specialized fellowship at the Pacific Islands Healthcare VA in Honolulu. Here, she honed her skills in treating trauma and also working with those with chronic medical problems in the ambulatory primary care department. After her fellowship, Dr. Harper chose to stay on island and contracted for the department of defense at Tripler Army Medical Center for 5 years. During this time, she worked with active duty service members and their dependents as well as veterans. Dr. Harper has also built her private practice in Kailua since 2011 before transitioning into full time practice at the Hawaii Anxiety and Trauma Care in April 2016.
Please call Jessica to schedule an appointment: (808) 546-0845
DR. MAUREEN MENCH
Dr. Maureen Mench is a Hawaii licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder of Hawaii Anxiety and Trauma Care. Utilizing research supported Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), she treats the full spectrum of anxiety and related disorders. As a former DOD psychologist, Dr. Mench specializes in empirically supported Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma survivors with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dr. Mench’s treatments are collaboratively adjusted to each individual patient’s goals, stage of change and severity of symptoms. Dr. Mench is passionate about helping her patients to live life to the highest quality possible. She provides a positive approach to therapy that is inviting, engaging, and non-judgmental so patients can work toward their own goals to increase their functioning and overall life satisfaction. She also has experience in the treatment of panic/anxiety, OCD, trichotillomania, excoriation (skin-picking) disorder, insomnia, phobias, depression, eating disorders, and women’s issues including postpartum depression/anxiety.
Dr. Mench has been practicing as a psychologist for over ten years in Hawaii. Upon graduating from the doctoral program at Argosy University in 2006, she spent 5 years working for the State of Hawaii’s Adult Mental Health Division (AMHD) as both a forensic coordinator and court consultant. Her work at AMHD was focused on helping people with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) who were involved in the judicial system. From 2011-2016, Dr. Mench worked for the DOD as a Clinical Psychologist in the Telebehavioral Health Department at Tripler Army Medical Center. Here she provided individual therapy to active duty service members, dependents, and veterans. Dr. Mench has been in private practice in Kailua since 2014, initially on a part-time basis and as of April 2016 on a full-time basis.
Please call Maureen to schedule an appointment: (808) 394-7830
DR. MELISSA VARGO
Dr. Melissa Vargo is a licensed clinical psychologist offering therapy for children, adults and families utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other empirically supported treatments to challenge unhealthy ways of thinking, improve emotional regulation, and ultimately work towards changing how you feel.
There are times when personal crises, grief or relational issues appear to be insurmountable. Although it is not possible to change difficult situations in the past, Dr. Vargo can work with you to resolve challenges in your life. She can offer you skilled guidance and set goals with you to experience a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
Today you are one step closer on a positive path towards growth, empowerment and well-being.
Specialty Treatment Areas Include:
- Trauma, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Grief
- Cross Cultural Psychology
- Parenting Issues
- Child and Adolescent Developmental Consultation
- Assessment (e.g., Legal Fitness, Penal Responsibility and Violence Risk)
- Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy
- Relationship issues
- LGBTQ Issues
Dr. Vargo believes that the relationship between the client and therapist is fundamental in successful psychotherapy. As such, she creates a safe and trusting professional relationship with her clients, helping them to figure out where they are, where they want to be, and what’s impeding them from change. She believes that through personal exploration, clients come into a place of greater understanding, self-compassion, and ultimately personal growth. Services are provided within a comfortable, supportive atmosphere.
Dr. Vargo has been providing therapy for over fifteen years. She graduated from Pacific University in Forest Grove Oregon where she earned her Masters and Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology. For five years, she was the Mental Health Coordinator at St. Mary’s Home for Boys where she was responsible for the management of mental health services for at risk youth, individual and family therapy, crisis management, coordination of individualized education plans, school and psychiatric services. Additionally, she worked extensively with Hospice and Project Quest where she was a bereavement counselor and where she provided services to individuals diagnosed with advanced stages HIV/AIDS, and chronic life challenging illnesses. After completion of her Doctorate degree, she went on to complete her internship at the Center for Multicultural Human Services outside of Washington D.C. There, she was responsible for writing asylum evaluations, providing trauma therapy and expert witness testimonies within the Federal Court System for asylum seekers who had experienced politically motivated torture and trauma.
Many of Dr. Vargo’s clinical experiences have been related to trauma, human rights advocacy and the multifaceted concept of diversity. After her internship she spent three years living and working in an impoverished area in Brazil where she provided individual therapy, parental skills training, completed research and program development and conducted trauma trainings. Additionally, Dr. Vargo collaborated with local non-profit organizations and designed and implemented a program for the community focused on an ecological approach to sexual education. Her research has received international awards and recognition, including publication and sponsorship at the 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria.
In addition to her work as a therapist, Dr. Vargo is a Certified Forensic Examiner for the State of Hawaii and Chair of the Trauma Informed Model of Care at Hawaii State Hospital.
Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Please call Melissa to schedule an appointment: (808) 626-5006
Our Office
The Hawaii Anxiety and Trauma Care office is conveniently located in Kailua, Hawaii.
Hawaii Anxiety and Trauma Care 