Integrative Care to Treat You as a Whole Person
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
My Psychiatric Approach
I have learned that while many do respond well to psychotropic medications, many people’s needs go beyond simply medication management. I believe in an integrative approach to mental health care, addressing all aspects of your well being - physical, cognitive, emotional and social.
I begin with a comprehensive evaluation so i can thoroughly understand who you are as a person, your environment, your community, and your values. We will discuss your goals, multiple treatment options, and your preferences every step of the way. My goal is to make you better with the minimum medication required.
Areas of Focus
+ Depression +
I can help improve and stabilize your mood, increase your motivation to do things, and help you re-experience joy.
+ Anxiety and Panic +
I can help you limit your worry, irritability, spiraling thoughts, and panic attacks. You will be able to operate better in your job and relationships.
+ Addiction +
I can help you reduce or stop substances and empower you to find more adaptive ways of coping. You to feel more connected to important people in your life as well as gain more professional success.
+ Chronic Pain and other Chronic Medical Conditions +
By utilizing different integrative techniques, I can help reduce the impact that these chronic conditions have on your day-to-day living, mood and stress level.
+ Attention Hyperactive Deficit Disorder (ADHD) +
I can help you focus and concentrate better at work, in relationships, and in daily functioning through medications, therapy, and other integrative techniques.
+ Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) +
I can help you feel less on edge, less afraid of your fears, decrease nightmares, and increase your capacity to experience positive emotions.
+ LGBTQIA+ Welcoming Care +
As a gay psychiatrist, I bring a uniquely personal and inclusive approach, fostering a welcoming, nonjudgmental, and supportive space to address these issues that may be impacting your mental health.
Integrative Services
Medication Management
Being an integrative psychiatrist does not mean that I am against medication. On the contrary, I believe that medications can be quite effective. I consider medication an option but not the only option. I can help you find a great medication regimen that minimizes side effects. We can work towards decreasing your reliance on medications and reducing the number of medications that you might be taking by incorporating other holistic approaches that will offer you additional assistance for symptom management.
Nutraceuticals, Herbal, and Plant-Based Medicine
Although pharmaceutical medications are effective, I also utilize nutritional supplements and plant based medicine as a treatment strategy. I will collaboratively explore non-pharmaceutical supplements with you, carefully assessing safety and evidence. I offer customized dosages and access to high-quality products through FullScript.
Psychotherapy
When working with patients, I pull from multiple different therapy modalities that I have learned over the years including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and Motivational Interviewing. While the names of the therapy may vary, what matters most is that I will actively listen to you share your life story. Throughout this process, you will become more self aware and learn to break free from negative thought patterns.
Lifestyle Coaching
Our daily habits and behaviors impact our mental health, particularly sleep, nutrition and exercise. If these habits are not aligned with your mental health needs, even the most effective medication regimen can only help so much. Through the use of motivational interviewing and other coaching techniques, I can help you take steps to improve some of these important habits.
Mind/Body Approaches
I can teach you how to use mindfulness training, breathing exercises, vagal stimulation and other calming techniques to promote relaxation, reduce stress and enhance self awareness, to further support your well-being.
Functional Nutritional Lab Testing and Advanced Hormonal Testing
Conventional testing is important to rule out other medical conditions that might be affecting your mental health. With conventional lab testing, sometimes your lab results might appear normal when in fact, they might not fully be meeting all of your functional nutritional needs. In addition, I can check timed cortisol levels to better assess adrenal function. Comprehensive functional lab testing and advanced hormonal testing enables us to fine-tune and optimize your treatment regimen effectively.
Gut Microbiome Testing, Food Allergy, and Food Sensitivity Testing
Every day, we gain more insights into how gut health influences mental well-being. I offer gut microbiome and food and allergy sensitivity testing to optimize gastrointestinal health. This includes identifying possible diet changes and assessing for maldigestion, inflammation, and infections that might contribute to your overall well-being.
Genetic Testing
Everyone has their own, unique genetic profile that influences how medications might affect them. I can use genetic testing to help determine potential predispositions to certain diseases as well as predict responses to many medications, allowing for a more tailored and effective approach to medication optimization.
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy
Emerging psychedelic research shows promise in addressing depression, anxiety, PTSD and addiction. Currently, Ketamine is the sole FDA-approved psychedelic medication. If both you and I think that this could be beneficial in our therapy sessions, I can incorporate oral ketamine into therapy to help reshape persistent “ruts”, so to speak, that our brains have developed over time. I currently am participating in a year long course at the Integrative Psychiatry Institute to be at the forefront of psychedelic treatment for mental health. I am committed to life-long learning as a physician to better serve my patients.
Integrating Psychedelic Experiences
A powerful psychedelic experience can often lead to transformative insights and positive changes. While psychedelic encounters can sometimes bring challenge and disruption, it is often this struggle that ultimately can bring healing and transformation. I provide the support needed to restore balance and, then, can help you process and integrate this experience so that your life may have more purpose and meaning.
Referrals to Holistic Healthcare Providers
I can connect you to other trusted holistic professionals in the area such as naturopaths, physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, nutritionists and therapists to help further integrate and improve other areas of your health.
Appointments Types
Accepting New Patients in Washington State!
I am currently accepting new patients via telehealth throughout the greater Seattle area and Washington State.
For your convenience, all of my appointments are via telehealth. I do try to meet with all patients once in person so I can safely write controlled substances for you.
Free Introductory Phone Call
To start, I offer a free 15 minute introductory phone call to all prospective patients so we can learn more about each other and to discuss whether we might be a good fit to work together. If you would like to book a free introductory phone call, please click here.
Initial Consultation Intake - 90 or 120 Minute
To begin our treatment, I will meet with you for an initial comprehensive consultation intake. During this time, I will get to know you, explore your unique needs and struggles, daily habits, health history and previous care that you have received. At the end, we will develop an initial integrative treatment plan and discuss recommendations which may include medications, lab tests, nutrition and sleep recommendations, supplements and psychotherapy.
I often coordinate care following the appointment with your other providers such as current therapists or primary care doctors so I can get an even more thorough understanding of who you are.
I offer two lengths for the initial consultation intake:
90 minute initial consultation intake is suggested if you:
have an uncomplicated psychiatric history and only have one, or maybe 2, problems/psychiatric diagnoses.
Have never tried psychiatric medications or therapy before and are new to seeing a psychiatrist.
are seeking a new psychiatrist and do not need any major medication adjustments.
have an uncomplicated medical history and are in good general health.
120 minute initial consultation intake is suggested if you:
have a more complex psychiatric or medical history.
have multiple psychiatric diagnoses or have unclear psychiatric diagnoses.
have tried multiple types of medications/therapies without little relief.
consider yourself highly sensitive to medications.
would just like to have extra time for the initial evaluation
Fee: $645 for 90 minute or $845 for 120 minute
Follow-Up and Therapy Appointments
In the follow up appointments, we will check in on previous recommendations, discuss medications and other integrative approaches, and provide you with additional recommendations. In therapy appointments, we will also take time to do this periodically, however, because we meet more frequently, we will not always need to check on the treatment plan.
I offer both 25 minute and 50 minute follow up/therapy appointment slots.
50 minute appointment slot
required for psychotherapy patients. Psychotherapy appointments are typically scheduled every 1-2 weeks. **If these appointments are scheduled every 1-2 weeks consistently, I offer a 10% discount.
suggested for more complex medication management patients with multiple diagnoses. If you have more complex psychiatric issues, often 25 minutes is not enough time to provide updates, make changes, and review the new treatment plan. Also in the beginning of treatment, sometimes longer appointment times are necessary as there is often more to discuss and review in sessions however as we settle into treatment, 25 minute appointments might be a better fit.
suggested if you feel rushed or would just like to meet with me longer.
Fee: $420/visit**
25 minute appointment slot
best for established, stable patients with more straightforward care or single issues to address.
Fee: $295/visit
Insurance and Fees
I am considered an “out-of-network” provider by insurance companies. My practice operates on a private pay basis. My practice is not restricted by the insurance industry which allows me to offer more personalized care. I am able to focus on dedicating ample time to our sessions and create collaborative and specific strategies for each patient that I see. With a limited number of patients, scheduling appointments is convenient, and you have direct access to me between visits.
Although the initial cost may be higher, the long-term advantages far outweigh these distinctions. Studies have shown that people free of mental health symptoms earn 50% more income than those suffering with severe symptoms. Investing in your mental health is an investment in yourself!
I can provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for partial reimbursement. I also use Reimbursify.com to help make reimbursement from your insurance more streamlined and easier for you.
My Appointment Process
-
After completing the brief informational form at the bottom of my New Patient Contact page and then pushing the ‘Submit Button’, you will be routed to a page where you can schedule this 15 minute introductory phone call. I will call you at the selected time.
This introductory phone call is a time for us to determine if we are a good fit for one another. It is your time to let me know why you are seeking psychiatric care and how you envision our work together. I will also provide an overview of my practice and answer any questions that you may have. If we both feel like we are a good fit for each other, we will schedule our initial consultation intake during this phone call.
-
After we decide to move forward and schedule you for the initial consultation intake, you will gain access to my patient portal and complete intake forms online. You will receive codes through email from IntakeQ (which is the medical record that I use) to log in. These forms provide very detailed information about your psychiatric and medical history, current symptoms, your lifestyle habits, current symptoms, etc. This information is carefully reviewed by me prior to our initial consultation intake so we can focus more on you and less time gathering information.
The online portal is a great resource for you to communicate with me via secure messaging, share documents, request refills, and schedule or reschedule appointments.
-
We will meet for an initial consultation intake so I can hear your story in detail. I will have a lot of the historical information from the intake forms you completed in the patient portal however I will be asking some clarifying questions. Ultimately this session will provide diagnostic clarity, and we will be able to establish a treatment plan by the end of the session. See the initial consult section for more information.
-
Once any recommended lab work or other testing is completed, I will take time to review the results to help further provide, confirm and/or clarify diagnoses. In addition, I will be coordinating care and connecting with other previous providers you might have worked with to get a full, clear picture of you as a patient. Any additional screening forms sent to you following our initial visit will also be reviewed.
-
Following the initial consultation intake, we will have follow up appointments every 2-4 weeks the first few months of care to review progress, address any concerns you might have, and make changes where necessary to refine your treatment plan. See the Follow Up section below for more information.
