Services
Peninsula Mental Health is a private adult outpatient mental health clinic serving adult patients. I provide psychopharmacology (medication management), psychotherapy (talk therapy), and lifestyle modification to treat a wide range of issues including depression, anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Bipolar Disorders, and Peripartum mental health issues. I use this holistic, three-pronged approach to improve psychiatric symptoms in an individualized, safe, non-judgmental way.
Psychotherapy:
Talk therapy is often very beneficial in enhancing overall psychological health and easing psychiatric symptoms. Gaining more awareness of the self in relation to current and past situations can be a valuable tool in helping a person understand what may be interfering with living life more fully and with more satisfaction. Verbally exploring different areas such as belief systems, coping mechanisms, interpersonal dynamics, and the emotional impact of significant life events or stressors can open up new pathways to healing and personal growth that may not have been previously visible.
I use a combination of different styles of individual talk therapy specifically tailored to each patient’s needs. My approach is collaborative rather than dictatorial, and it is my intention to work together with you to reach a deeper understanding of what is going on with you, what you are hoping to achieve, and how we might embark on addressing those goals together. My intention is to provide a comfortable, peaceful, and safe environment in which to nurture this process.
Therapy alone is not always sufficient to fully control certain psychiatric symptoms for certain people. At these times it may be necessary to add medication and/or life-style modification to the treatment plan to optimize results.
Lifestyle Modification:
What we eat, drink, or smoke, how well we sleep, how stressed we are, how much exercise we get, and the quality and quantity of our interpersonal interactions can all affect our psychological well-being. Aspects of our lifestyles can worsen and even cause psychiatric symptoms or can act as a protective buffer against them. A healthier lifestyle can help treat certain psychiatric conditions. Sometimes small adjustments can make a big impact. At other times more change may be required to achieve significant results.
Lifestyle modification is an area where people often possess far more power to treat and heal their psychiatric symptoms than they may be aware of. How well balanced a person is across different lifestyle areas also plays an important role in psychological well-being. Making changes to certain maladaptive behaviors may enhance overall physical and psychological health, effectiveness of medications, and may reduce medication side effects in some cases.
My approach to behavioral change is informative, and it is my intention to work together with you rather than delegate various orders on how and what to change. A person must want to make lifestyle changes in order for those changes to take hold in the long term and make a positive and lasting difference. Lifestyle modification often requires patience and encouragement in order to foster long-lasting adjustments.
Lifestyle modification alone is not always sufficient to fully control certain psychiatric symptoms for certain people. At these times it may be necessary to add medication and/or therapy to the treatment plan to optimize results.
Psychopharmacology:
Using a conservative approach to medication management, it is my goal to find the lowest effective dose to optimize symptom control and effectiveness while minimizing side effects. Finding a good medication fit can take time and may require patience.
Your safety is of utmost importance to me. Certain psychiatric medications may affect your medical health in different ways, and some medical conditions may cause or enhance psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, it may be necessary for me to order labs, check your blood pressure, and communicate with your other doctors to consider any existing health issues and medication interactions, and to formulate the best treatment plan for you.
Each person is unique and may respond differently to medication. My treatment approach is personally tailored to meet these individual needs, considering multiple holistic factors rather than just looking at psychiatric diagnoses. My aim is to work together with you, listen to your needs, and take your feedback seriously during the process.
Medication alone is not always sufficient to fully control certain psychiatric symptoms for certain people. At these times it may be necessary to add therapy and/or life-style modification to the treatment plan to optimize results.
I strive for the best treatment outcomes for my patients by using an integrated, holistic approach to the treatment of psychiatric problems. I offer a combination of psychopharmacology (medication management), psychotherapy (individual talk therapy), and lifestyle modification in a supportive, safe, and collaborative environment.
Every person is different, and every treatment I offer is therefore individually tailored to meet the specific needs of each patient. Some treatment situations are best addressed with medication alone, or therapy alone, or by using lifestyle modification alone. Other treatment scenarios may respond better to a combination of two or even all three of these interventions.