My Approach

People come to me with very different experiences. Some are coping with debilitating symptoms; others feel a more difficult-to-name dissatisfaction or curiosity about themselves. We will discuss your concerns in depth, and I will draw on my experience in psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, and education as we make sense of what is happening.

A full DSM diagnosis is not always required to benefit from psychiatric care. Starting wherever you are is a meaningful step. A patient, curious approach gives us room to understand your concerns.

It is normal to have concerns about medication and side effects. I will listen to those concerns and make decisions with you rather than assuming that medication is the right starting point.

I recommend medication when symptoms create a significant risk to safety, daily functioning, or the well-being of the people you love. For some people, starting with psychotherapy is entirely appropriate. When medication is part of care, my goal is to minimize it over time as your emotional capacity improves.

I have experience with cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and humanistic therapy. Together, we can consider both what you are facing now and the patterns that may be shaping your experience.

That may include connecting current difficulties to early-life experiences, developmental milestones, and attachment patterns. I am pursuing additional training and certification to become a psychoanalyst, which we can discuss further if you are interested.

Both medication and therapy can be helpful, and I do not assume that one approach has to exclude the other. Personal circumstances can affect mood and can also confound our assessment of how medication is working, so we will pay attention to the whole context.

Our work is a mutual process of deciding what works. As a psychiatrist, I find that I can be most helpful when I understand and can manage both medication and therapy as part of your care.