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 may be unable to sustain a change for the better. The problem may be complex with different aspects, or there may be more than one problem. Sometimes the problem is obvious, or it may be hard to say what the problem really is.
As a psychiatrist and physician having many years of clinical experience, I spend a good deal of time and energy initially to ensure 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 self-acceptance, while promoting change through the power of healthy decision-making. I utilize a variety of modalities including: psychodynamic psychotherapy; EMDR and motivational interviewing, mind-body approaches, as well as medication management when appropriate. Many patients are interested in complementary and natural approaches, which I am also able to help with.