Services

New Patients

When you are ready to schedule your first appointment, please call or e-mail us. All new patients will receive an intake packet including medical and psychiatric background check, screening tests and The Office private practice policies. You are strongly encouraged to bring in with you any documentation from the last psychiatry office you visited and from your other medical specialists [Primary Care Provider and other specialists]. Please plan to arrive 30 minutes before your first appointment to discuss and verify that all forms have been completed and signed.

On the first office visit, I will review the above information with you and we will try to focus on presenting issues. Sometimes the initial visit [up to 60 minutes] may not be enough to explore all presenting problems. We will learn to prioritize and address them as deemed appropriate.

We will make a plan to include medication, therapy, lifestyle changes and consider naturalistic/ alternative approaches. As each person is different, I try to individualize the approach to the particular difficulties that the person presents. Appropriate referrals will be made if necessary. Usually each patient should have a family doctor/ primary care provider.

The 1st office visit has the meaning of a screening to determine if you are a good fit for my practice and if we can meet your demand.

Please complete the forms for intake located here.

Follow-up Visits

Subsequent visits will address the results of the recovery plan - medications, therapy, and other methods. The frequency of follow-up consultations varies depending on reaching goals and other circumstances. Once attaining stability, each patient will be seen at intervals no longer than 3 months.

All of the above practices are well known to patients who received psychiatric care before. But for a person who is new to such care entering treatment can be an intimidating process. Together with my team, I try to make this process smooth and fluent.

I welcome you seeing a psychotherapist to address inner conflicts, dysfunctional thoughts, or life coaching. If they are available with openings, my partners in mental health care can provide individual psychotherapy.

Insurances/ Payment Method

We are In-Network with AETNA and BCBS. We offer Out of Network services for most other insurances. For the current rates please contact the office directly.

Evaluations

The office does NOT perform neuropsychological, occupational and educational evaluations and neither forensic assessments. For a comprehensive evaluation you may be referred elsewhere. However, we DO offer psychiatric rating scales for initial screening and monitoring patients' response to offered treatment. The information provided by these tools can increase the objectivity and value of envisioned diagnoses and improve chances for chosing a correct treatment. Although rating scales should never be alone to establish a diagnosis or clinical treatment plan, they can and should be used to augment information from the clinician’s assessment and follow-up interviews.

Consent for treatment

We do not treat anybody without a signed consent. Giving consent for collateral information from family, friends and prior or current medical/ mental health specialists may be useful in clarifying presenting symptoms and deciding for next steps in care. For more details please refer to the forms.

Emergency

Should you have side effects of the medication or feel that you're not making progress, please contact us before your scheduled next visit to address your issues. If it is a non-urgent issue, you can e-mail us and I will do my best to answer within 24 hours. If this is a serious or urgent situation, please contact us by phone and I will be in touch with you as soon as possible. During after hours, weekends and vacation time, please proceed to the nearest hospital Emergency Room.

Safety

* In case you feel unsafe: contact others in the following decreasing order of importance: family and friends 1st, then our office and/ or your therapist during regular hours, then nearby hospitals. To reach NYC Well, call 1-888-NYC-Well, text WELL to 65173, or chat with a counselor at nyc.gov/nycwell or National Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255; eventually call 911. Mobile apps: SAMHSA Safety Plan; for teens: Talk Life. In Overdose: call Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 for instructions. The New York State Hopeline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for alcoholism, drug abuse and problem gambling. All calls are free, anonymous and confidential. Call or Text 1-877-8-HOPENY. Text: HOPENY (4673690).