Dr. Michael Freda, PhD brings vast expertise to the Reno office of Nugent Family Counseling. Dr. Freda possesses a Doctorate degree from UNR in Counseling and Educational Psychology; a Masters degree from UNR in Counseling and Educational Psychology; Bachelor’s degree in Business administration with a major in Accounting, minors in Finance and Informational technology; as well as an Associate’s degree from the Panama Canal Zone College in Medical Technology. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, was a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor, a School Psychologist and a National Certified Counselor. He has been practicing his craft since 1996 when he was in Private Practice with his wife Karen Goodwill-Freda until her death in 2016. Dr. Freda retired in 2018 and he did not like retirement so he decided to go back to work part-time because he loves what he does.
Dr. Freda was born and raised in South Jersey until he enlisted into the U.S. Army in 1969. He did his advanced individual training at Fort Gordon in Georgia. After Fort Gordon he was deployed to Vietnam where he worked as a Combat Engineer Demolition Specialist and Tunnel Rat. Dr. Freda spent eight years in the Army. After Vietnam he was stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey as a Drill Sergeant. Three years later he was deployed to the Panama Canal Zone for four years. Before being deployed to Panama he married his first wife and his son was born in the Panama Canal Zone. He separated from the Army in 1977 and he moved with his family to Reno, NV where his daughter was born. After a divorce in 1993, he met the love of his life, and married Karen Goodwill whose family moved to Smith Valley from Missouri in the 1860s.
Dr. Freda specializes in individual, couple and family therapy. He is an addiction counselor as well as a Domestic Violence counselor for both perpetrators and victims. He is also a trained EMDR therapist and a trauma specialist who has performed well over 6,000 hours of EMDR. His theoretical orientation is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) however, he does employ other theories as well when needed by the client. Besides his private practice he has worked for an organization where he conducted an Intensive Outpatient Program. He then went to work for a temp agency that placed him at Lakes Crossing Center (LCC) as an evaluator for people incarcerated and then as an assessor for the in-patient program at LCC. He as also volunteered to be a group therapist at a women’s half-way house where he does Domestic Violence Groups for victims. He still does substance abuse evaluations for a few attorneys in town for their clients.
Dr. Michael Freda is a very collaborative colleague who loves helping anyone who asks for it.