Welcome

My Practice Philosophy

Mental illness takes a wide variety of forms, and it may feel as if society will only tolerate the quickest of fixes and briefest of interruptions from your daily life before you are expected to return to your highest level of functioning. In my professional experience it has rarely been the case where a brief interaction with a mental health provider resulting in a treatment plan consisting solely of a medication is sufficient enough to allow for your full healing and recovery. I have heard countless stories of people feeling misunderstood, not heard, not allowed to speak, or even ignored entirely as providers look at a computer screen rather than make a genuine attempt at connection. 

I am concerned that this approach on a larger scale does more to disguise or minimize our human suffering than mend it, and this concern plays a large part in how I run my practice. This focus on compassion, kindness, and listening has been tempered through my professional education at Jefferson, continued in my residency training at Sheppard Pratt, and into my subsequent attending work in the community, university, and VA settings. These varied sites and experiences have changed my practice style as I’ve grown over the years, evolving into an integrated approach to the care of the mind, body, and Self.

Through my training as a physician and specialty training as a psychiatrist I am skilled in psychiatric diagnosis, medication management, and multiple forms of psychotherapy, including psychodynamic and psychoanalytic, existential, trauma (internal family systems), attachment-based, mind/body, and others. I have taken a particular interest in the treatment of trauma and dissociative disorders, as well as working with (adult) children of parents who may have a personality disorder and also helping young men and women adjust to the emotional pressures of young Adult life. In my experience these are often misdiagnosed (usually as ADHD or Bipolar 2 disorder) and, as a result, inadequately or inappropriately treated.

I believe in a balanced approach to healing.

While medications often do play an important role in treatment of psychiatric illnesses, I believe the best practice is to consider the whole person, paying kind and careful attention to the individual and their internal world. I am unconvinced that this is realistically possible within the modern day clinical purview of the ’15 minute med check.’ What often follows from those brief encounters is that multiple medications are felt to be the only answer to continued symptoms. I am increasingly uncertain that this approach is the healthiest way to healing.

I feel fortunate that I am able to run a different style of psychiatric practice. There will be no computer open throughout our sessions, taking my attention away from you. I will not be writing my notes as you speak. Our time together is important, and brief in the scheme of a typical week. Ideally, medications (if indicated) will be for a time-limited period rather than indefinite. If you have a therapist (as most of my patients whose medications I manage do) I will reach out to them regularly to coordinate care. I offer office hours early in the morning as well as late into the evenings several times per week in an effort to accommodate working professionals. I understand that leaving work for treatment is not always possible and that there is still stigma associated with mental illness which may complicate matters further. Additionally, I respond to emails promptly. I am a solo practitioner without any office staff or other providers to interfere with our direct communication with one another; you will always be working directly with me throughout the course of treatment. I also offer sliding scale payments (at a fair rate we negotiate together) for those in financial need, though these spots tend to fill quickly and unfortunately I am not always able to offer this service.

We will enter into a shared approach to treatment. Through close collaboration with you I will develop a comprehensive treatment plan which targets your unique internal and external experiences and individual mind/body connection. What this will look like depends upon your individual preferences, temperament, stressors, and symptoms, but often includes therapy, medications (if indicated), increased physical activity and exercise, dietary changes, meditation, yoga, acupuncture, and/or referrals to other specialized treatment modalities when necessary (including sleep studies, nutritionists, etc).

Thank you for reading my website. If you think I may be a good fit for you please reach out, for if not now, when?