A substantial portion of psychopathology has its roots in early childhood, and when tended to early, can have a profound impact on changing one’s trajectory
Like Water Off A Duck’s Back
Getting Mental Health Help Seems So Overwhelming. Where do I start? It is hard to know if you need medications, therapy or both. And it certainly can feel overwhelming with where to start. I start by having a free 15 introduction to services to see how I may be helpful to fulfill you or your child’s needs
I am worried about me or my child taking medications. Are there other options? I understand fears behind medications. We can have a conversation to see if medications would be helpful or other routes to treat you or your child’s challenges that may involve just therapy or a more integrative approach while following through with best evidenced based practices.
What are evidence based practices? In short, evidence based care is the standard, conventional care for an illness which data has shown to be most effective for managing that illness. This may involve therapy alone or medications or both. This is the foundation of my practice.
What’s integrative psychiatry then? Integrative psychiatry’s goal is to ensure that the whole patient’s mental health is tended to. Sometimes, we hope that a medication may be the sole panacea to our challenges while forgetting that sleep, nutrition, supplementation, meditation/spirituality, sobriety from addictive substances, healthy relationships, therapy are important pieces to our mental well being.
So, do you practice both evidenced based and integrative psychiatry? Yes. The center of my care is evidenced based, and at the same time, I keep the whole patient’s lived experience into account when treating them, so the integrative approach is a natural by product.
What kind of therapy do you do? I primarily do psychodynamic therapy but also utilize other techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy, insight oriented therapy and motivational interviewing with an internal family systems framework. I have a few slots for ongoing therapy a week which are geared towards higher functioning adults or adolescents stuck in existential crisis, faith/religious crisis, burn out, unhealthy patterns of living that underlay depression, trauma narratives and anxiety. Due to the increasing rates of suicide amongst physicians, I have a specific niche with working with this population as burnout is a prolific contributor. We typically identify other dynamic issues at play that underlie the decompensation and work through these as you experience reprieve in your pursuit of self discovery to find your nidus of joy and passion. I value discreet care in this process.
Why should I see a child psychiatrist as an adult? Child psychiatrists have additional training after general adult psychiatry residency which is an additional 2 years of subspecialty training of development through the lifespan as well as enhancement of various therapeutic modalities. Child psychiatrists tend to have a more global view of the patient’s history in which the adult’s current symptoms can be a reflection of past challenges along the developmental trajectory including individual trauma, intergenerational trauma, developmental arrest that require working through therapeutically.
I want medication management mainly. I already have a great therapist. Do I have to do therapy with you too? Not at all. I do incorporate therapeutic interventions in my medication appointments. But effective therapy requires regular follow up on a weekly to biweekly basis. You may have someone you already see, or you may only want to do medication management with me which is perfectly fine. You may also opt to see someone else for therapy such as an LMFT (licensed marriage & family therapist), LICSW (licensed social worker), PsyD (clinical psychologist) or other on a regular basis. I can help point you in that direction if need be.
Do you offer telehealth services? I offer telehealth services for medication management. I do provide in person appointments at my St. Paul office for combined therapy/medication management appointments as well as for ADHD evaluations which require a one time in person visit before initiating medications and one time a year thereafter for good care.
How do I get started? Navigate to the contact page by clicking below and send a message to schedule your 15 minute free introduction to services.
What to expect?
1
15 Minute Free Intro
I’ll hear from you about you or your child’s fundamental needs and see how I may be helpful
2
Comprehensive Intake
I have streamlined my intake process electronically with questions centered around you/your child’s whole history to ensure that no rock is left unturned as we explore the root of the issue and that the initial evaluation is about hearing you and your child’s story. I then create a treatment plan tailored to you or your child’s needs
3
Follow Up
We will follow up with a frequency set at your needs and dependent on if you desire medication management, therapy or both.