People come to me who are struggling with anxiety, depression, insomnia, attention/concentration problems, substance use disorders, relationship difficulties, and body image concerns to achieve a happier and healthier mind, body and spirit. After a thorough evaluation, my recommendations may involve therapy, conventional psychiatric medications, alternative treatments (herbs/supplements, meditation, nutritional counseling, exercise, breathing techniques, sleep hygiene), or a combination of these interventions.

MY SERVICES

The first step in treatment planning involves a comprehensive assessment of your current symptoms, your past, and your goals for treatment.  This may involve, with your permission, contacting providers or family members who know you well and who may provide a richer perspective on your concerns.

After the assessment, we will review evidence-based  treatments and possible referrals to other providers to promote wellness. Each decision about your treatment will be made together after extensive education so that you feel comfortable and confident about our plan.

Medication visits typically occur twice-monthly at first, but once you feel better, we may meet every couple of months. I do my best to use the lowest dose and fewest medications possible. I often help people eliminate medications that are no longer needed or effective. I may also recommend vitamins or supplements in combination or in lieu of traditional prescription medications. During our follow-up visits, I will incorporate extensive education and recommendations regarding diet, sleep, and exercise.

I practice personalized medicine by offering genetic testing to help determine which drugs may be a better fit based on your unique genes. A simple cheek swab in my office identifies key genes in your DNA that affect how you respond to medication. This can save us months of trial and error and unwanted side effects traditionally involved in selecting a psychiatric medication.

If you are already working with a therapist,  I am happy to work collaboratively with your therapist to manage your psychiatric medications. If we work together in this way, I believe in getting to know you beyond the symptoms that we are treating with medications.

I practice an eclectic form of psychotherapy, which means that I pull from different approaches to meet your specific needs. I have been trained in psychodynamic therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.  I also incorporate meditation techniques to help you bring an awareness to your thoughts and reactions. I teach breathing exercises to help relax the body and mind.

In order to get the most out of therapy, I typically recommend meeting every 1-2 weeks.

Most of my patients choose to see me, when appropriate, both for medication management and individual psychotherapy. These visits typically occur weekly, although we may decide together that more or less frequent visits are appropriate.

My approach for medication management and therapy is described above.