People come to see me for many different reasons. A person may be facing an urgent or recent situation, a crisis, or may be struggling to function each day at work; in school, or at home. The individual is often bothered about the difficulty, but a spouse, partner or family member may also be the one to point out the trouble, or may be involved as a part of the problem. Sometimes the difficulties are of longstanding and the person may have feelings of despair, or difficulty sustaining a change for the better. The problem may be complex with different aspects, or there may be more than one problem.
As a psychiatrist and physician having many years of clinical experience, I spend a good deal of time and energy ensuring that my understanding of a person and his or her difficulties is sufficient to permit an accurate diagnosis. I can then establish a treatment plan which is tailored to the individual. I obtain information regarding: psychosocial development; attachment pattern; personality style; brain functioning and cognitive capacity; emotional stability and relatedness; physical status, family genetics and other elements I find to be clinically useful. I am interested in learning about a person’s strengths and resources as well as his or her difficulties.
It is my job as a physician-psychiatrist to engage my patients in a therapeutic relationship, within which I will bring to them the latest understandings of neuroscience, brain and behavior, medication, lifestyle and mental health. I view the relationship as a collaboration, designed to facilitate self-awareness and to promote change, while supporting healthy decision-making. I utilize a variety of modalities including: psychodynamic psychotherapy; EMDR and motivational interviewing, as well as medication management when appropriate. Many patients are interested in complementary and natural approaches, which I am also able to help with.