Psychiatrists who don’t take insurance aren’t making decisions based on how much time your insurance company says you need with your doctor, or how often your insurance company thinks you need to be seen- we are determining that based on your needs and our medical judgment. In not taking insurance I get to spend more time with my patients and see them as often as needed. Not taking insurance also allows my patients to reach me directly. Many patients with limited mental health benefits through their insurance or high deductible plans may find their out of pocket costs to be similar to seeing an insurance-based psychiatrist. I am able to provide a superbill to facilitate out of network reimbursement if this is offered by your insurance; unfortunately, I can’t ever guarantee that your particular insurance plan/policy will honor the superbill or reimburse you for any specific visit.

We know that women do best when they receive medications alongside therapy. Medication does not replace the need for therapy; rather, we see that when someone is really struggling often the work they are doing in therapy can’t be as effective as they need it to be until medication is started. I work collaboratively with therapists seeing my patients to better understand where medication may be helpful in the therapeutic process.

I see patients who are stable and not needing medication changes once every 3 months. I see patients who are really struggling, or who we are closely monitoring for side effects to medication, as often as weekly. Most patients who will be following with me see me within 1-2 weeks of their intake visit, again in 3-4 weeks, and if they’re doing well visits space further from there. I tend to follow women more closely during pregnancy or the postpartum period, as how women feel can change quite rapidly.

I work with women between the ages of 18 and 65 (ish!) who feel they would benefit from psychiatric care that is focused on the needs of women and the unique challenges that women face, particularly around hormone shifts and motherhood.

I do not focus on treatment of neurocognitive disorders, such as dementias, but can potentially provide referrals if this is a concern of yours. I care about keeping my patients safe and work to minimize use of medications that are habit-forming, such as benzodiazepines or “z-drugs” like Ambien. When women are taking these medications daily I am often working with them to shift to safer alternatives and taper off. If your preference is to continue daily long-term use of these medications we may not be the right fit to work together. My outpatient practice requires that women are able to maintain their safety between visits with me; if you are struggling to stay safe due to thoughts of suicide or self harm we will likely discuss a higher level of care, such as a partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient program.