Monica Pignotti, Ph.D., received her Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Fordham
University and her Ph.D. in Social Work at Florida State
University. She has been working with people in cults and their loved ones since
1989 and has an interest in both clinical practice and research. Additionally,
she has worked on research teams at Saint Vincents Hospital and the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society in New York City and has clinical experience working
with adults and children with anxiety disorders, PTSD, and learning and
developmental disabilities. She also has a strong interest in critical thinking
and analysis of claims made by proponents of novel unvalidated therapies and the
authoritarian, cult-like structure of some of their organizations. She has
numerous publications on such therapies, including a controlled study on a
therapy, Thought Field Therapy.
