Services
My areas of specialization include the treatment of adults with:
I offer an integrated model of psychiatric and psychological treatment. However, if you have an established relationship with a therapist and you are seeking treatment with me for medication management only, I am very open to discussing with you a plan for collaborative communication with your therapist to coordinate your care.
- mood disorders
- anxiety disorders
- trauma and PTSD
- grief and loss
- emotional disturbance associated with major life transitions
- emotional disturbance caused by injury, illness, or chronic pain
- workplace stress
- relationship problems
I offer an integrated model of psychiatric and psychological treatment. However, if you have an established relationship with a therapist and you are seeking treatment with me for medication management only, I am very open to discussing with you a plan for collaborative communication with your therapist to coordinate your care.
Treatment Approaches
Frequency and composition of sessions are determined by diagnosis and treatment planning, which are need-based and part of the ongoing process of your care. For some problems, a relatively brief treatment is all that is needed. For others, a more in-depth/ongoing treatment is more likely to be helpful. Treatment may be intermittent or continuous. Most psychiatric disorders are chronic, relapsing, and remitting conditions. I consider my role to be your Primary Care Psychiatrist, providing continuity of care. Optimally, after initial consultation, treatment is focused on stabilizing acute symptoms (to remission, if possible). After stabilization, to prevent relapse, treatment may proceed to a more ongoing, in depth phase. This is dependent on patient resources and inclination. I remain available to resume care when life transitions/stresses occur and symptoms flare.
My psychotherapy practice approach may be described as an integrative, modified psychodynamic approach. It is my experience that finding out the history, the origin, and the “why” of a problem can be very important in understanding how to solve it. This understanding is always meant to support the goal of helping the patient to gain the capacities to learn from past experience, and to develop other more adaptive ways of behaving and coping in the present and future.
Over time, many factors may alter the efficacy of medication(s) prescribed: hormonal shifts, aging, psychotropic ineffectiveness, severity of stress, etc. I remain available as your Primary Care Psychiatrist to assess the reasons why a medication change may be indicated, a brief course of psychotherapy may be most helpful, or both.
My psychotherapy practice approach may be described as an integrative, modified psychodynamic approach. It is my experience that finding out the history, the origin, and the “why” of a problem can be very important in understanding how to solve it. This understanding is always meant to support the goal of helping the patient to gain the capacities to learn from past experience, and to develop other more adaptive ways of behaving and coping in the present and future.
Over time, many factors may alter the efficacy of medication(s) prescribed: hormonal shifts, aging, psychotropic ineffectiveness, severity of stress, etc. I remain available as your Primary Care Psychiatrist to assess the reasons why a medication change may be indicated, a brief course of psychotherapy may be most helpful, or both.
Fees and Payment
Please call me at (415) 927-7213 to make a consultation or a follow-up appointment. Before scheduling our first appointment, I would like to speak with you briefly by phone to ask your reason(s) for seeking care, and to determine whether I am a good fit as a provider for those needs.
On weekends and after hours, for emergencies, I am available by pager. Please leave a voicemail message with your phone number, and I will call you back as quickly as I can, but likely not immediately. If you cannot reach me immediately and you are in crisis, please go to your nearest Emergency Room or call 911. In order to protect your privacy, currently I do not communicate electronically by e-mail, or text message. I accept faxes at (415) 927-0949.
I am not a participating provider for any health insurance plans. I am not a Medicare Participating Provider.
My current appointment fees are:
I request payment at the time of service. Checks made payable to PsychServ Medical Corporation, or cash are accepted methods of payment.
I am glad to provide you with a receipt periodically (typically once a month) that may be submitted by you to your HSA/flexible savings account, and/or to your health insurance plan if non-participating provider reimbursement is offered.
On weekends and after hours, for emergencies, I am available by pager. Please leave a voicemail message with your phone number, and I will call you back as quickly as I can, but likely not immediately. If you cannot reach me immediately and you are in crisis, please go to your nearest Emergency Room or call 911. In order to protect your privacy, currently I do not communicate electronically by e-mail, or text message. I accept faxes at (415) 927-0949.
I am not a participating provider for any health insurance plans. I am not a Medicare Participating Provider.
My current appointment fees are:
- $600 for 90 minute initial comprehensive consultation
- $300 for 50 minute combined medication management/psychotherapy sessions, or psychotherapy only sessions
- $225 for 25 minute medication management follow-up sessions
- For any other time spent on your behalf, the fee is $360 per hour (prorated for actual time spent)
I request payment at the time of service. Checks made payable to PsychServ Medical Corporation, or cash are accepted methods of payment.
I am glad to provide you with a receipt periodically (typically once a month) that may be submitted by you to your HSA/flexible savings account, and/or to your health insurance plan if non-participating provider reimbursement is offered.
Cancellation Policy
Please contact me via my voicemail at (415) 927-7213 within 72 hours of your scheduled appointment to cancel. I save your appointment time for you, so I need ample time to fill a cancelled session. The full fee for your session will be charged if your appointment is cancelled with less than 72 hours notice. This is a business policy, not based on the reason for your need to cancel.
No Surprise Act Compliance
The No Surprise Act is a recent law. Effective 1/1/22 it entitles any patient with no insurance or any self-pay patient to receive an estimate of the cost of services anticipated to be provided over a twelve-month period. The above information regarding my fees and payment policies should be enough for you to calculate what your expenditures might be under virtually any scenario. Nonetheless, after you begin treatment with me I will provide you with a written Good Faith Estimate of your costs for a twelve-moth period.