My Medication Philosophy

I believe that the combination of psychiatric medication and psychotherapy is a powerful treatment process that can improve your mental health and help you feel better as quickly as possible.

In many instances, your “symptoms” are due to a chemical imbalance which could have been inherited, caused by a traumatic experience, or a combination of both.​

For the first 10 years of my career as a psychotherapist, I worked with many people who were too depressed, anxious, or angry to do the work of psychotherapy. It often took several months of intensive weekly therapy for these symptoms to begin to subside, and even then, people frequently did not respond fully. For others who suffered from an inherited chemical imbalance, (which is evident if there is a family history of mental illness), complete relief never came. Once I began practicing psychopharmacology, I was elated to discover that with medication, people could feel better within one to six weeks.

For those who are anxious or are having difficulty focusing, relief can often come within minutes. Many people have referred to this dramatic improvement as an “awakening.” After years of feeling depressed and anxious, they are suddenly able to think clearly again and make healthier choices in their lives.

I take great care in prescribing psychiatric medications. My philosophy is “start low, go slow.”   I will always err on the side of caution and prescribe conservatively ​

Taking great care also means providing extensive medication education about the treatment of mental illness. This helps you better understand the treatment recommendations that I make. For instance, many people have concerns about side effects of medication. Although medications can have side effects, this does not mean that you will experience any. In fact, most people do not.​

Together we will create a plan that you are comfortable with and that makes sense.