Services
As a Medical Psychologist I am able to provide a number of different services.
EVALUATION:
The first step to solving any problem is to properly identify the nature and potential causes of a problem. As a clinical psychologist with nearly 30 years of experience, I have ample training and experience in making an accurate diagnosis of what a person’s current problem consists of. Often, life circumstances have led to a person having chronic, life-long problems with depression, anxiety, difficulties in their work or in relationships with others. Other people have done well for much of their life but have recently had problems stemming from a crisis or change in their life. There are also people who start feeling depressed or anxious and they have no idea where these problems have come from as everything in their life is fine. Only a thorough examination of a person’s social, psychological, family and medical history can lead to an accurate assessment of why they are currently suffering.
TREATMENT:
Only after a diagnosis has been reached following a thorough examination has been completed can the how of treatment be discussed. There are many options available for the treatment of mental health problems. Medications have been demonstrated to be helpful (and sometimes critical) in treating some problems, where other problems are amenable to treatment utilizing psychotherapy alone. There are even some problems where psychotherapy has been demonstrated to be the treatment of choice and there is no evidence that medications are helpful at all. Medical psychologists are the only mental health providers that typically provide both psychotherapy and psychopharmacological treatment (i.e., medication). Psychiatrists are obviously able to provide both medication and psychotherapy, but they rarely provide psychotherapy anymore and typically only provide medication treatment.
PSYCHOTHERAPY:
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, consists of the patient talking about their problems and concerns and the therapist generally providing insights into the role a patient plays in these problems and how these often relate to past experiences or “unresolved conflicts” from their past. This type of psychotherapy, often termed Psychodynamic Psychotherapy or Depth Psychotherapy is the only type of psychotherapy that I provide. There are other schools or types of psychotherapy (e.g., Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Behavioral Therapy) that differ from Psychodynamic Psychotherapy as they tend to be more short-term and symptom focused and often rely on homework and manualized steps to help a patient reduce/eliminate their symptoms.
MEDICATION:
There are multiple types of medication that are typically used to help reduce anxiety, depression or stabilize mood disorders. They have been shown experimentally to be of benefit to some people in some circumstances. They are generally not terribly effective at taking away anxiety or depression when used alone (i.e. without some form of psychotherapy). It should also be kept in mind that typically when the medication is stopped the symptoms they treated return.
OTHER THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS:
There are multiple options for treating mental health problems that I do not provide. Examples would include electro-convulsive therapy (i.e. ECT or “shock therapy,” transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and ketamine infusion therapy. These are all provided by specialized psychiatrists. Other therapeutic modalities would include EMDR, body-work, hypnotherapy, biofeedback or mindfulness. These types of treatment are provided by mental health providers with specialized training which I do not have.
INSURANCE:
I accept most major insurance plans (including Medicare and Medicaid) and if I am not a provider for a particular insurance plan, I would be happy to apply to join any new plans for which I am not currently a provider.