Dr. Porto specializes in treating patients who have a history of trauma, mood and affective disorders, pain, and life-threatening illness. She is a trained first responder for the RI Disaster Response Team. She is a level two trained Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) clinician (www.emdr.com).

She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology since l991 from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in Boston. She completed a pre-doctoral program internship and a postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology with the Roger William's Medical Center and the Brown University Consortium in l992.

Dr. Porto completed a Master of Science degree in Psychiatic Rehabilitation Counseling in 1983 from Boston University's Sargent College of Allied Health Professions in Boston, Massachusetts. As an undergraduate, Dr. Porto earned a BFA degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dr. Porto has served on the RI Psychological Association board.  She served as chairperson the RI Chapter of American Heart Association (AHA) Stroke Committee in the past. She has received multiple awards and recognition for her volunteer services as a frequent speaker for stroke support groups for the AHA RI Chapter Mended Hearts groups. She has also appointed to and served as committee member for the RI Governor's Commission on Disabilities for a three year term where she served on numerous advocate committees.

Over the years she has facilitated many support groups including bereavement, AIDS Caregivers and survivor support groups, stroke caregiver and stroke survivor education support groups while employed at St. Joseph's Health Center in Providence and in her group practice. Dr. Porto has been interviewed on Rhode Island radio and television discussion shows educating the public on domestic violence, stroke education and prevention, and caregiver burnout prevention.