Monica Pignotti

Monica Pignotti received her Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Fordham University and is currently working on 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.