Bianca Islas, BS
Advanced Doctoral
Psychology Trainee

Bianca Islas (she/her/hers) is a Chicana-American, U.S. NAVY veteran, and mother of three. She is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She works under Dr. Jordan Soper's supervision at the Center for Sexual Health and Wellness (CSHAW). Before coming to the CSHAW, Bianca was a neuropsychological trainee in the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHCS) Neurology clinic. Because of this experience, Bianca is able to provide services across the lifespan and has worked with other mental health professionals to help older adults (60+) understand neurocognitive and later-in-life difficulties.

Bianca leans heavily towards the neuroscience of clinical practice and specializes in treating anxiety, mood disorders, lifetime trauma, addictive disorders, insomnia, grief, and moral injury. Thus, her therapy approach emphasizes teaching skills tailored to empowering her clients toward change in all matters of their lives. Bianca is trained to use cognitive behavioral therapy and CBT for insomnia (CBT/CBT-I), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure therapy (PET), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT) both in individual and group therapy settings. Bianca also appreciates insight therapies and is confident about helping her clients explore their lives and experiences through social skills training, interpersonal process therapy, and schema therapy. She has had success with helping her patients achieve a healthy sense of confidence, voice, and identity (e.g., professional, cultural, spiritual, gender, sexual orientation).

For couples, Bianca is patient and willing to help her patients build trust and communicate effectively about complex personal thoughts, feelings, emotions, and sexuality with their romantic partners. Each patient within the relationship is given space to respectfully explore issues that impact their romantic partnerships, such as parenting, intimacy concerns, sexual dysfunction, communication barriers, and difficult relationship dynamics that may or may not include power dynamics and control.

Bianca, a Las Vegas-born native, is a nationally recognized Student Veterans of America and Raytheon SPY-6 Scholar and dedicated community servant. She has spent countless hours contributing to community service efforts, particularly those to support local veterans. Her academic pursuits at CSN, NSU, and UNLV have been in researching addictions, post-traumatic stress disorder, and moral injury. She is currently working with the National Center for PTSD, reflecting her deep commitment to understanding and addressing these critical issues.