• ADHD

• Anger Management

• Anxiety / Panic Attacks

• Bipolar Disorder

• Coping Skills

• Depression

• Emotional Disturbances

• First Responders

• Grief

• Impulse Control Disorder

• Insomnia / Sleep Disorder

• Male Sexual Dysfunction (if behavioral health related)

• Mood Disorder

• Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD

• Poor Coping Skills

• Pregnancy (Medication management before, during, and after birth)

• Psychosis

• Social Anxiety

• Stress

• Skin Picking / Hair Pulling

• Suicidal Ideations / Passive Death Wish / Self-Harm

• Trauma / PTSD

When should someone seek psychiatric care?

If a person is struggling with mood fluctuations, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, substance use, symptoms stemming from prior trauma, suicidal thoughts, behavioral problems or compulsions, uncontrolled thoughts, or psychotic symptoms that interfere with their day to day functioning, they may seek psychiatric care. It is especially important to seek care if these symptoms are ongoing and are not improving with adequate sleep, exercise, behavioral interventions, and support from loved ones. 

While not all conditions require the use of psychopharmacological agents (mental health drugs), in situations where they are essential, medication can be a powerful and very effective tool in providing both upfront and long-term symptom relief. While I will readily and confidently use all medications at my disposal to treat both acute and chronic symptoms, I always adhere to the Standards of Care governing their use, with an emphasis on the fewest number of agents needed, at the lowest dose required, to provide symptom remission.

When introducing medications to our treatment plan, I encourage patient involvement in the selection process and ensure the patient has a comfortable knowledge of: how these medications function, their effect on the brain and body, possible side effects, management of side effects, and expected timeframe from partial to full symptom relief. With over 10 years of experience prescribing medications to treat patients of all ages in both inpatient and outpatient venues, many of whom suffered multiple conditions, I have developed a commanding use of psychopharmacology in quickly relieving symptoms with minimal to no side effects.

Additionally, I discuss and educate about the role of medications in the long-term treatment plan once we have sustained symptom remission, and methods of doing a gradual-dose-reduction (GDR) at some point in the future, to potentially wean down on the dose, or possibly stop the medication all together -with the aid of Psychotherapy.

Evidence based practice definitively indicates that the best outcomes for sustained remission of symptoms and long-term treatment of mental health conditions, is a combination of medication and psychotherapy. While the medication can address the neurochemical and neurobiological issues -which provides up-front relief of symptoms- psychotherapeutic interventions are necessary for continuous symptom remission and sustained management of the overall condition itself. Basically, medication is only one side of the treatment coin.

We will employ psychotherapy to address cognitive distortions, emotional dysregulation, maladaptive behaviors, inadequate stress management, and interpersonal difficulties. The goal is to assist the patient in developing the cognitive skills necessary to achieve a sustained egosyntonic state and prevent symptom recurrence. This approach enables us to address both the patient’s immediate and long-term needs, while offering a pathway for them to realize their full potential across all areas of life, free from being constrained or defined by illness.