Treatment Services

In this preliminary phone interview, we will briefly discuss what brings you to treatment, how I may be of help, and whether we will be a good fit. If we agree that your issues may be better addressed by one of many excellent colleagues in the greater Bay Area, I will happily provide you with these referrals. 

No treatment relationship will be established from this initial contact.

In this initial session, we will review your current symptoms and impacts on your well-being; medical/surgical/psychiatric history including past treatments; familial and social background; and current life circumstances. I will provide you with the most appropriate diagnoses, though in certain situations we may need to refine and clarify this with further time.

Recommendations for any continuing treatment including medications, psychotherapy, laboratory studies, consultation with other specialists will be discussed at the end of the appointment. If you have a primary care physician or other providers involved in your care, I will collaborate with them at no additional charge in updating them of these diagnoses and treatment considerations.

As a form of ongoing treatment, we will regularly check in to address any need for changes to your treatment plan, including but not limited to refining your diagnoses, ongoing laboratory tests (such as monitoring medication levels), medication dose adjustments, any necessary referrals. 

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Some patients with established therapists opt to see me for this purpose.

If you do not have an established psychotherapist and we agree that you will benefit from a combined medication+therapy approach, I am able to provide both services. I utilize cognitive-behavioral, dynamic, interpersonal, supportive, and acceptance and commitment approaches depending on the issues at hand. I prefer to be an active psychotherapist unlike the stereotyped therapist from older movies and shows.

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In my professional opinion and from established research, almost all patients benefit from some form of psychotherapy. Patients in this track require more regular appointments to fully benefit. Frequency will start weekly, and longer-term may space out to biweekly to monthly. Should your situation stabilize and improve, or you find an alternate therapist, we can discuss switching over to the medication management track.

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Occasionally, patients in the medication management track may use these 50-minute appointment slots to cover more ground, have a joint session with family, or out of personal preference.

For patients who live far from San Francisco and in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I offer telepsychiatry visits. The same treatment options and costs as the in-person appointments apply. I utilize Zoom, a medically-secure HIPAA-compliant teleconferencing tool, which will require you to download this application on your computer or phone.