---
title: Ernest Massalla, PMHNP
date: 2025-04-28T19:45:09Z
modified: 2026-10-16T01:31:04Z
permalink: "https://www.columbiapsychiatry-dc.com/team/ernest-massalla-pmhnp/"
type: team
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 4306
specialty:
  - Psychiatry
office:
  - Columbia Psychiatry
  - Silver Spring, MD
modality_areas:
  - Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
  - Art Therapy
  - Bariatric Counseling
  - Behavior Modification Therapy
  - Brief Therapy
  - Child Therapy
  - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  - Critical Incident Stress Management
  - Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  - Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
  - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
  - Family Systems
  - Group Therapy
  - Individual Counseling
  - Psychopharmacology
  - Psychotherapy
  - Solution Focused Therapy
  - Spravato
  - Testing and Assessment
  - Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
conditions:
  - Addiction & Substance Use
  - ADHD
  - Affective Disorders
  - Agoraphobia
  - Anger Management & Impulse Disorders
  - Anxiety Disorders
  - Asperger’s Syndrome
  - Autism Spectrum Disorders
  - Behavioral Issues
  - Bipolar Disorder
  - Body Dysmorphia
  - Borderline Personality Disorder
  - Career Issues
  - Chronic Illness & Chronic Pain
  - Cultural (racial, ethnic) Identity Issues
  - Death, Dying, & Terminal Illness
  - Delusional Disorders
  - "Dementia & Alzheimer's"
  - Depression
  - Developmental Disorders
  - Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
  - Domestic Violence
  - Eating Disorders
  - Eating/Food Insecurities
  - Gambling Addiction
  - Gender Dysphoria
  - Grief and Bereavement
  - Hoarding
  - Homelessness
  - Intellectual Disabilities
  - Learning Disabilities
  - "Men's Issues"
  - Mood Disorders
  - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  - Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
  - Panic/Phobias
  - Parenting Issues
  - Personality Disorders
  - Physical Abuse Victims
  - Post-Partum/Pre-Partum
  - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  - Psychotic Disorders
  - Schizophrenic Disorders
  - School Related Problems
  - Self-Harming Behaviors
  - Severe & Persistent Mental Illness
  - Sex Abuse Victims
  - Sexual Addictions
  - Sexual Disorders
  - Sexual Dysfunction
  - Sleep Disorders
  - Social Anxiety
  - Stress Management
  - Suicidality
  - Transition to Adulthood
  - Traumatic Brain Injury
special_populations:
  - Co-Occurring Disorders
  - Geriatric
language:
  - French
featured_image: "https://www.columbiapsychiatry-dc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Ernest_Massalla_1.jpg"
timestamp: 2026-10-16T01:31:04Z
tags:
  - Psychiatry
  - Columbia Psychiatry
  - Silver Spring, MD
  - Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
  - Art Therapy
  - Bariatric Counseling
  - Behavior Modification Therapy
  - Brief Therapy
  - Child Therapy
  - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  - Critical Incident Stress Management
  - Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  - Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
  - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
  - Family Systems
  - Group Therapy
  - Individual Counseling
  - Psychopharmacology
  - Psychotherapy
  - Solution Focused Therapy
  - Spravato
  - Testing and Assessment
  - Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
  - Addiction & Substance Use
  - ADHD
  - Affective Disorders
  - Agoraphobia
  - Anger Management & Impulse Disorders
  - Anxiety Disorders
  - Asperger’s Syndrome
  - Autism Spectrum Disorders
  - Behavioral Issues
  - Bipolar Disorder
  - Body Dysmorphia
  - Borderline Personality Disorder
  - Career Issues
  - Chronic Illness & Chronic Pain
  - Cultural (racial, ethnic) Identity Issues
  - Death, Dying, & Terminal Illness
  - Delusional Disorders
  - "Dementia & Alzheimer's"
  - Depression
  - Developmental Disorders
  - Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
  - Domestic Violence
  - Eating Disorders
  - Eating/Food Insecurities
  - Gambling Addiction
  - Gender Dysphoria
  - Grief and Bereavement
  - Hoarding
  - Homelessness
  - Intellectual Disabilities
  - Learning Disabilities
  - "Men's Issues"
  - Mood Disorders
  - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  - Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
  - Panic/Phobias
  - Parenting Issues
  - Personality Disorders
  - Physical Abuse Victims
  - Post-Partum/Pre-Partum
  - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  - Psychotic Disorders
  - Schizophrenic Disorders
  - School Related Problems
  - Self-Harming Behaviors
  - Severe & Persistent Mental Illness
  - Sex Abuse Victims
  - Sexual Addictions
  - Sexual Disorders
  - Sexual Dysfunction
  - Sleep Disorders
  - Social Anxiety
  - Stress Management
  - Suicidality
  - Transition to Adulthood
  - Traumatic Brain Injury
  - Co-Occurring Disorders
  - Geriatric
  - French
---

### Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

### ![](https://www.columbiapsychiatry-dc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Ernest_Massalla_1.jpg)

I am a provider at our [Silver Spring](https://www.columbiapsychiatry-dc.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/location/silver-spring-md.md) clinic who offers [psychiatric](https://www.columbiapsychiatry-dc.com/psychiatric-care/psychiatry-and-medication/) services!

My ideal client is an 18-year-old African American male diagnosed with depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use, schizoaffective disorder, and ADHD. Their primary needs include validation, empathy, personalized treatment plans, psychoeducation, coping skills, holistic care, and collaborative support. Their goals are to achieve symptom relief, improve daily functioning, gain independence, foster self-discovery, and experience recovery and personal growth. They express a strong desire to feel “normal” and develop self-acceptance. Underlying challenges include stigma, shame, and barriers to accessing consistent and effective treatment.

I can help by conducting thorough assessments, thoughtfully prescribing appropriate interventions, engaging in meaningful therapeutic work, and advocating strongly for the client’s needs and well-being.

I listen without judgment, as your well-being is my top priority. I believe in providing collaborative and personalized care while fostering honest and open conversations with my clients. It is always okay to reach out to me, and in some cases, I am open to including family members as part of the support process.