The first and most crucial step in receiving the appropriate mental health treatment is a thorough psychiatric evaluation to rule out any underlying mental illness. During this process, I take special care in obtaining your “life story,” which in turn, enables me to have an intelligent and informed discussion with you about your issues and the most effective treatment choices for you. If there are any issues or situations which you feel uncomfortable discussing during the initial psychiatric evaluation, please let me know beforehand.

The initial assessment entails the following:​

• Detailed description of your current symptoms, life circumstances, and concerns that have compelled you to seek out treatment for a potential mental illness.
• Extensive review of past mental health treatment, including prior psychotherapy, medication trials, hospitalizations, and substance abuse history.
• Special attention is paid to the description of any patterns in behavior, coping styles, and mood changes that have evolved from childhood to the present and may have had an impact on your mental health.
• Medical history is obtained including a detailed family history of any mental illness treatment.

During the initial visit or subsequent sessions, if it is determined that medication may be helpful in relieving your distress, various options will be discussed. I am dedicated to spending time educating you about your treatment options and addressing all of your concerns regarding your mental health.

Please refer to My Medication Philosophy for more information.

I provide 30-minute individual psychotherapy sessions, usually in conjunction with medication therapy. Although psychiatric symptoms may frequently be due to genetics, life’s hardships, losses, and traumas can also have a profound impact on your mental health. If appropriate, these issues will be addressed as part of your treatment. If you require longer sessions or more frequent visits you will be given the option of seeing my associate Sandra Lafazan LCSW.

Sandra Lafazan LCSW helps parents having issues with their children, as well as couples who have hit an impasse and feel disconnected. Many clients come to therapy to help facilitate an amicable break-up, or for assistance with co-parenting solutions.

Many clients who are already in psychotherapy, but are having difficulty working on their issues due to intense anxiety, depression, or mood swings, are referred for a psychiatric evaluation and medication management only. In such cases, I am more than happy to work with your psychotherapist to ensure that ALL of your needs are addressed.

To enhance the quality of your mental health treatment we are pleased to offer video and phone appointments, These sessions are especially helpful for patients with busy schedules, lack of child care, acute or chronic illness and travel difficulties. If you have put off getting help for any of these reasons please take advantage of this convenient and accessible form of mental health care.

It is normal to feel nervous during your initial visit.

First, please know that talking to a mental health professional is not as uncomfortable as you think.

Once you come into my office you can relax because I am going to do all of the work. I will be asking you a lot of questions to get a better understanding of who you are. We ease into the session with the basics: name, DOB, medical history, marital status, occupation, current medications and history of prior psychiatric treatment. At this point, I ask you a key question: “If possible, in one sentence please describe how you are feeling- basically what brought you here. Then you can elaborate.” This exercise not only helps guide the rest of your session but it is also a valuable tool for measuring your progress in treatment.

Next, I ask you about your family history and childhood. This helps me determine if your symptoms are due to genetics, trauma or both. Sometimes these questions bring up strong emotions, especially if you have had a history of trauma or abuse.

At the end of the evaluation, we review the information you provided and your goals. We then explore treatment options, including medication. I never pressure you to make any decisions about medication until you feel completely at ease and all your questions are answered.

A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a Registered Nurse (RN) who has completed advanced education (a minimum of a master’s degree) in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions in her/his specialty area, such as psychiatry.​

The core philosophy of the field is individualized care. Involving the client in their health care and encouraging them to participate in decisions are central to the care provided by NPs.

Nurse Practitioners are licensed by the state to prescribe medication, provide psychotherapy, make a diagnosis, perform psychiatric evaluations, order diagnostic tests, as well as multiple other responsibilities.

When the way you feel is significantly affecting your quality of life, or interfering in your sense of self-worth, relationships, and/or work performance.​

When you are isolating, having mood swings, struggling with addictions, and feeling overwhelmed by it all.

When “things” are not getting better on their own or with psychotherapy.

And . . . if you ever wish that your life would just be over.

Depending on the flexibility of your schedule and office preference you can usually get an appointment within 1 – 3 weeks of your call.

We are not participants on any managed care insurance panels. However, if you have “out-of-network” benefits, you may be able to get a portion of my fee back from your insurance company. We will provide you with a receipt to submit for reimbursement.

My rates are comparable to those of other practitioners in the area who provide both psychopharmacology and psychotherapy services. Cash, checks, credit cards, Venmo and Zelle are accepted.

At this time, we only treat adults 21 and over.

This varies and depends on the nature and severity of the problem and whether or not you are requesting psychotherapy along with medication management. Appointment intervals can be one week to three months, depending on your situation.

Your right to confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us. Without your explicit permission, we will never disclose any information about you, or even the fact that you are a patient in our practice. Of course, in instances where there is an imminent danger to either yourself or someone else, necessary steps will be taken to diminish these risks within appropriate legal and ethical guidelines.

Yes, if you are currently in psychotherapy, I will work collaboratively with your psychotherapist, at your request.

The initial Psychiatric Evaluation is 60 min.
Medication management/therapy sessions are 30 min.
Individual and couples therapy with Sandy Lafazan LCSW is 60 min.

When you schedule an appointment, please understand that this is time that we reserve exclusively for you. We do not overbook or double book appointments to account for no shows. This allows us to avoid delays and provide you with better care. That is our commitment to you.

Although we have a 24 hour (one full business day) cancellation policy we do request 48 hours notice for cancellations. Please call the office as soon as you need to cancel.

If you are canceling last minute or running late, to avoid paying for a missed appointment, you can request a phone or video session. Leave a message on line 3 to let us know.

If you cancel/re-schedule/miss an appointment in less then 24 hours we assess the full fee.

For New Clients who cancel or miss their initial appointment we asses a $100 fee.