Please read a bit further here about me, my appoach to care, and how to be get in touch.
Thanks for stopping by.
I graduated from University of California, Davis, with a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry, then got my M.D. from University of Nevada. I'm a 2007 graduate of California Pacific Medical Center's psychiatry residency in San Francisco, a program nationally known for excellence in psychotherapy training.
I have taught courses in psychopharmacology at University of California, Berkeley for a number of years, and I am an assistant clinical professor (volunteer faculty) at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.
I am a Diplomate (board-certified) of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and also of the American Board of Addiction Medicine.
I was an original founder of the University of Nevada School of Medicine Student Outreach Clinic.
Information about some of my research and teaching activities can be found here.
We may discuss barriers on the road between what's here-and-now and a vision you have for your future self. Understanding the work you've already done on that path can be helpful.
I believe in the profound connection between a healthy mind and healthy body. I'm a physician and am comfortable discussing your overall health along with nutrition, exercise, and other approaches to wellness.
I'm sometimes able to offer you an opinion and recommendations at the conclusion of our first visit. However, I may need an additional visit, laboratory studies, or more information from you first.
Recommendations may include various kinds of psychotherapy, also called talk therapy. Often psychotherapy can reach into the roots of life patterns. It can help us understand what lies beneath such patterns, and reveal a path for growth and change. Sometimes a more nuts-and-bolts approach where we examine connections between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors can be helpful.
Medications may be useful either with or without psychotherapy. I tend to minimize use where possible and provide you with an understanding of the benefits and risks of taking medications.
I am not currently a provider for insurance companies, but am happy to work with you as an out-of-network provider. Please note that your insurance company (if you are using one) will ask me to provide them with a diagnosis and additional clinical information about you. Unfortunately, I have no control over how that information gets shared once I release it to an insurance company.
Please note that I do not provide disability evaluations or evaluations or other work in support of legal issues.
Written information you may have about your health from your psychiatrist, counselor, or your physician (e.g. prior evaluations, lab results), can be very helpful in understanding your health. Please consider having that information with you before our first session.
This first session is an opportunity for you and I to decide about working together. However, it may be necessary to meet for more than one session and to also obtain information from your past health care providers before establishing any diagnosis and before I can make recommendations to you. I may refer you to other care if I don't think I can be helpful to you.