Trauma · 4 min read
How Long Does Trauma Therapy Take? Understanding the Path to Recovery
Most trauma therapy runs 8 to 16 sessions across three to four months, but your timeline depends on more. Learn what shapes recovery and how to start healing.
Carlos X. Montaño Jr., PsyD
CEO and Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PSY27861)
CEO and Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Biography
Dr. Carlos is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked in the counseling and treatment field since 2003. He has worked in both operations and clinical positions, and now leads the Wings teams.
Dr. Carlos specializes in co-occurring disorders and substance use disorders. His Family Systems orientation helps clients understand family dynamics and generational trauma, and how to stop family-of-origin patterns from continuing. He treats trauma with trauma-focused CBT and Brainspotting.
He continues to run groups because of his passion for clinical work and to hear the client’s perspective on Wings’ services. In his free time, he enjoys time with his family and riding bikes with friends.
Articles by Carlos X. Montaño Jr.
- Trauma · 5 min read
Anxiety and Complex Trauma: When They Occur Together
Anxiety and complex trauma can look identical but stem from different roots. Learn to tell them apart and find trauma care that treats both at once.
- Trauma · 4 min read
Brainspotting vs. EMDR: Which Trauma Therapy Is Right for You?
Brainspotting and EMDR both reprocess trauma through eye positioning but differ in structure. Learn how they compare and how Wings Recovery can help.
- Depression & Anxiety · 5 min read
Bipolar Disorder vs. BPD: Why the Distinction Changes Everything About Treatment
Bipolar disorder and BPD share symptoms like mood shifts but need different care. Learn the clearest differences, why timing matters, and if both can occur.
- Treatment & Recovery · 4 min read
Signs You May Need Residential Mental Health Treatment
Signs you may need residential mental health treatment: when weekly therapy is no longer enough, slipping daily functioning, safety concerns and complex trauma.
- Trauma · 4 min read
What Is Dissociation? Understanding the Trauma Response Behind It
Dissociation is a protective trauma response, not a character flaw. Learn the types, why it's misdiagnosed as BPD, and how Wings Recovery treats it.
- Men's Mental Health · 5 min read
Men and Trauma: Why PTSD Looks Different in Men
PTSD in men often shows up as anger, substance use, or silence — not fear. Learn the signs and how gender-specific trauma care at Wings Recovery helps.
- Trauma · 5 min read
What Is IFS Therapy and How Does It Treat Trauma?
IFS therapy treats trauma by working with your inner "parts" instead of silencing them. Learn how it heals PTSD and complex trauma at Wings Recovery.
- Trauma · 4 min read
What Does Trauma Therapy Actually Feel Like?
Wondering what trauma therapy actually feels like? Discover how sessions work, why it can feel harder before it feels lighter, and how proven methods help.
- Trauma · 3 min read
Nervous System Dysregulation: Signs, Causes, and What Recovery Actually Looks Like
Learn the signs of nervous system dysregulation, how it differs from anxiety, and what trauma-informed recovery looks like at Wings Recovery in San Diego.
- Trauma · 4 min read
What Is C-PTSD? How Complex Trauma Differs from PTSD
Learn how Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) differs from PTSD, its core symptoms, and effective trauma-informed treatments available at Wings Recovery.
- Treatment & Recovery · 5 min read
What to Expect During Your First Week in Residential Treatment
Wondering what happens during your first week of residential treatment? Learn about intake, therapy, and what to pack. Call Wings Recovery!
- Treatment & Recovery · 5 min read
Mental Health Care for Professionals in San Diego
Mental health care for professionals in San Diego: common conditions, treatment formats, how residential care fits a demanding career, and confidentiality.
- Treatment & Recovery · 5 min read
How Long Does Residential Mental Health Treatment Last?
Learn how long Residential Mental Health Treatment lasts. Understand care levels and timelines. Need support? Contact our team today!
- Depression & Anxiety · 5 min read
Anxiety vs. Bipolar Disorder: How to Know What Level of Care You Need
Understand Anxiety vs. Bipolar Disorder symptoms and find the right level of care. Get expert help and start your recovery today!
- Treatment & Recovery · 3 min read
How to Choose the Right Mental Health Program in North County
How to choose a mental health program in North County San Diego: assess your needs, compare levels of care, and check therapies, insurance and credentials.
- Treatment & Recovery · 3 min read
What Is Moral Reconation Therapy—and Why Does It Work for Mental Health Recovery?
What is Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) and why it works for behavior change & mental health recovery. Explained by Wings Recovery, Carlsbad.
- Men's Mental Health · 6 min read
PTSD and Complex Trauma in Men: Why Gender-Specific Treatment Improves Outcomes
How PTSD and complex trauma show up in men, from anger to withdrawal, how masculinity norms create a treatment gap, and why gender-specific care can help.
- Treatment & Recovery · 5 min read
Signs a PHP May Be the Best Fit in San Diego
Discover how a Partial Hospitalization Program offers intensive care while you live at home. Learn more and start your recovery today.
- Treatment & Recovery · 4 min read
What Does Admissions Actually Look Like? – A Conversation with Hanna Glasheen, RADT
Meet Hanna Glasheen, RADT, head of admissions at Wings Recovery, on reviewing each person who reaches out, her own recovery, and why she does this work.
- Men's Mental Health · 4 min read
PTSD in Men vs. Women: Key Differences in Treatment
Compare how PTSD symptoms and treatment outcomes differ between men and women. Learn about gender-sensitive care and find specialized recovery paths today.
- Treatment & Recovery · 3 min read
Meet Our Team: A Q&A with Gulalai Suliman, MA, LMFT, Trauma Supervisor
Meet Gulalai Suliman, MA, LMFT, Trauma Supervisor at Wings Recovery, on her work with complex trauma, EMDR and nervous system regulation, and why she does it.
- Treatment & Recovery · 2 min read
Get to Know Sherry Hoeckendorf and Her Role in Recovery
Meet Sherry Hoeckendorf, Director of Administrative Services at Wings Recovery, on creating safe, comfortable spaces and balancing compassion with structure.
- Men's Mental Health · 3 min read
How PTSD Shows Up Differently in Men
PTSD in men often hides as anger, silence or substance use. Learn the hidden signs & how gender-specific trauma care at Wings Recovery helps.
- Men's Mental Health · 3 min read
What Men Get Wrong About Mental Health (and the Truth)
Common men's mental health myths vs facts: why asking for help is strength, how symptoms like anger and numbness can show up in men, and where to find support.
- Women's Mental Health · 3 min read
Postpartum Depression: Recognizing the Signs and Finding Your Way Back to Yourself
Signs of postpartum depression, how it differs from the baby blues, why many mothers feel shame or isolation, and practical ways to get support and heal.
- Women's Mental Health · 3 min read
Why Women Supporting Women Improves Mental Health
How peer connection and women supporting women strengthens mental health recovery. Insights from Wings Recovery in Carlsbad, CA.
- Men's Mental Health · 3 min read
Is Residential Mental Health Treatment the Right Step for You? A Guide for Men
Signs a man may need residential mental health treatment, what men's residential care offers, how trauma shapes recovery, and how stepping down to PHP works.
- Women's Mental Health · 3 min read
Why High-Achieving Women Struggle with Anxiety – And How to Finally Break Free
Why high-achieving women often get caught in anxiety and perfectionism, how trauma can sit beneath both, and therapies that help women break the cycle.
- Depression & Anxiety · 5 min read
How to Tell If You’re Experiencing Grief or Depression
Grief vs depression: compare cause, emotions, self-worth and response to support, see when grief becomes depression or complicated grief, and when to get help.
- Depression & Anxiety · 5 min read
When Mood Swings May Be More Than Normal Emotional Changes
Mood swings vs. bipolar disorder: how to tell the difference and when to seek support. Trauma-informed guidance from Wings Recovery, Carlsbad.
- Depression & Anxiety · 5 min read
Anxiety and Depression: Signs, Overlap, and Help
Can you have anxiety and depression at the same time? Learn how they overlap, common emotional and physical symptoms, what causes both, and first steps.
- Depression & Anxiety · 4 min read
Can Meditation Actually Help with Anxiety? What the Research Says
Can meditation help anxiety? Learn how it calms the nervous system and eases rumination, when it is not enough on its own, and how Wings uses mindfulness.
- Depression & Anxiety · 5 min read
OCD vs Perfectionism: Key Differences and Healing
Not sure if it's OCD, perfectionism, or both? Learn the key differences and what trauma-informed treatment in Carlsbad, CA, can do for you.
- Depression & Anxiety · 6 min read
How to Know If You’re Burned Out or Clinically Depressed
Depression vs. burnout: how to tell the difference, when it is more than stress & how to get help. Mental health guidance from Wings Recovery.
- Depression & Anxiety · 5 min read
Key Differences Between Histrionic and Narcissistic Traits
Histrionic vs. narcissistic personality disorders: key differences, overlaps & how treatment helps. Trauma-informed insight from Wings Recovery.
- For Families · 6 min read
Best Ways to Support Someone Living with BPD
How to support someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD): what to say, what to avoid & when to seek treatment. Guidance from Wings Recovery.
- Depression & Anxiety · 3 min read
Panic Attack vs Anxiety Attack: Key Differences
Panic attack vs anxiety attack: how they differ in onset and triggers, the symptoms they share, common causes, coping techniques for each, and when to get help.
- Trauma · 4 min read
Which Trauma Therapy Is Most Effective for Recovery?
Compare the most effective trauma therapies — EMDR, Brainspotting, IFS & CBT — and how each supports healing. From Wings Recovery, Carlsbad, CA.
- Trauma · 4 min read
How Trauma Affects the Nervous System and How to Heal It
Learn how to heal a dysregulated nervous system after trauma: signs, timelines & evidence-based steps. Trauma-informed care at Wings Recovery.
- Depression & Anxiety · 4 min read
Who Benefits Most from IOP for Depression Treatment
Learn how effective intensive outpatient programs (IOP) are for depression and who benefits most from this level of care.
- Trauma · 3 min read
How to Manage PTSD – 4 Tips
Four practical ways to manage PTSD symptoms day to day: build a gentle routine, try mindfulness, move your body and create a support network, and get help.
- Trauma · 2 min read
The Physical Effects of Trauma
Struggling with chronic pain, fatigue, tension, or insomnia? Wings Recovery in Carlsbad, CA explores how trauma affects the body and how therapy supports healing.
- Trauma · 2 min read
Healing Your Relationship with Your Body After Sexual Trauma
How sexual trauma can affect intimacy and your relationship with your body, therapies that help, such as EMDR and somatic work, and steps to rebuild safety.
- Depression & Anxiety · 6 min read
National Stress Awareness Month: What You Can Do About It
For National Stress Awareness Month: the physical and mental effects of chronic stress, signs it needs professional help, and ways to keep stress manageable.
- Women's Mental Health · 4 min read
Honoring the Women Who Changed Mental Health Care Forever
For Women's History Month, meet Dr. Hilde Bruch, Dr. Mary Ainsworth and Dr. Karen Horney, whose work shaped mental health care, and why women's programs matter.
- For Families · 6 min read
How I Statements Improve Communication in Conflict
Learn how "I" statements reduce conflict and improve communication. Practical examples and mental health guidance from Wings Recovery.
- For Families · 5 min read
How to Manage Emotional Triggers During the Holidays
Why the holidays can trigger stress and emotional pain, ways to manage triggers and seasonal stress, and how friends and family can support someone in recovery.
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