Services

My Approach

Starting treatment with a new mental health provider can be daunting: it involves opening up and being vulnerable with the hope that you will learn and grow from the experience. I have tremendous respect and admiration for my patients, as they work through challenging histories, emotions, and conflicts. It is such a privilege to help them on their journeys. 

In building a therapeutic alliance, it is very important to me that my patients feel seen and heard. I use a collaborative approach to care, in which I work alongside clients to define and set goals. I’m transparent about the extent of what is and isn’t well-known in psychiatry with the goal of helping people make informed decisions that they feel comfortable implementing. When there are hiccups along the way, I strive to be curious and creative with clients rather than admonishing or judging.

The initial psychiatric evaluation is a 60-to-80 minute appointment. During that time, we will discuss your mental health and medical history, including prior therapy and medications (if any), and your family history. I will also ask in detail about the concerns that have led you to seek treatment. In response to your individual symptoms and needs, I will offer my opinion about what I think is going on, and what could be helpful for treatment, which could include psychotherapy, medication, or both. We’ll talk about your preferences for how to proceed and we’ll make a plan for whether and how to continue treatment together.
If we decide to continue in treatment together, we would check in regularly. If we are engaged in therapy, we could meet for a 60-minute session anywhere from twice a week to once every 2-4 weeks – though most patients prefer to meet once a week. We will explore the difficulties you're having, using a variety of therapy techniques (psychodynamic, supportive, motivational interviewing, cognitive and/or dialectical behavioral therapy). If you are taking medication, we will check in about the meds (how they're working, whether you're having side effects, etc.) and will make adjustments, as needed.
For medication only, we would have 30-minute sessions. I meet with patients more often at first (typically once every 1-3 weeks) while we are trying to find the right medication and dose; once we’ve settled on a medication and dose that works, we could meet less often (e.g. once every 1-2 months), unless things change or you prefer more frequent check-ins. Although we will focus primarily on medication management, we'll also talk about stressors and challenges as they come up, because the context of what you're going through informs medication management.