Integrative, evidence based treatment

The integrative approach to mental health care addresses the neuroscience and medical aspects of symptoms, as well as the psychological, social, and emotional factors that are unique to each person. Your doctor may combine traditional psychiatric medicine with more alternative methods of treatment. This includes assessment of underlying medical conditions, hormonal imbalances,nutritional deficiencies, and sleep disorders.

We use "evidence-based" treatments. This means that we will not recommend any treatment that has not been established on rigorous, scientific grounds. There are many treatments that often fall under the terms "alternative" or "holistic" which do not meet this standard. Some of these approaches have been very helpful for individuals seeking our care, and we encourage you to incorporate anything that aids your healing, as long as there are no concerns for harm. As part of our thorough evaluation process, we will review with you any approaches you are interested in using and discuss the potential benefits, risks, and level of scientific evidence for each, in order to help guide you in making your own, educated decision. We view this as an ongoing, collaborative process throughout the course of your care.

We do not believe that psychiatric medication is always the first or best option for treatment. Medications are valuable, often crucial, components of treatment.However, an approach solely focused on medication is often inadequate. Other treatments may include Sleep Training for Insomnia, Herbal supplements and nutritional supplements, Hormone Replacement, Biofeedback, Genetic Testing for targeted medication use, Ketamine for treatment resistant symptoms, and dietary prescriptions.

Psychotheraphy

The expert guidelines for treatment of many mental health conditions recommend targeted forms of psychotherapy, often even before medications are used. Scientific evidence has demonstrated that validated forms of therapy areas effective as medications for many people. For some, they are much more effective. Therapy interventions provide lasting benefits and without the side effects often inherent in medication treatment. Research has shown that some forms of therapy result in physical changes in the brain, effectively strengthening healthy brain circuits and weakening those that aren't working correctly.

We emphasize access to high quality psychotherapy, with specific types of therapy treatments prescribed, targeted to your specific symptoms. This is not a "one size fits all" approach, but rather a carefully thought out "therapy prescription" for each person. We work with each individual to find an approach that meets their financial and scheduling needs. Some clients prefer to combine therapy treatment with their psychiatric appointments. We also collaborate with psychotherapists in the community, allowing therapy appointments to be billed through your insurance if needed. For those who already have a relationship with a therapist, your doctor will communicate with your current therapist about your care.