As a physician, one of the greatest joys I feel is when I am able to use my experience, clinical skills, and ability to connect with people to facilitate a meaningful change in their lives. Mental illness and psychological distress may be painful. The ability to lead one’s life as fully as possible, to love, and to contribute to family and society are gifts that many take for granted until mental illness, psychological distress, trauma or psychological conflicts interfere. I have thirty years of experience in treating significant mood and anxiety disorders and also work with people who are frustrated by repeated patterns of behavior that interfere with their life goals, with relationships or their work life.
My work with patients is based on the following principles: I have a committment to staying current with new advances in the field of psychiatry. My education, training and experience reflects that I have earned a reputation in the Denver community through practicing and teaching evidence based medicine and psychotherapy. I am dedicated to treating patients in my practice as I would hope to be treated. I have a natural ability to make others feel comfortable and safe in sharing their life story, their hopes and their fears. Kindness, caring, compassion, empathy, honesty, optimism, and direct communication are qualities I bring to a treatment relationship.
My approach as a psychiatrist is marked by a rigorous and detailed approach with regard to diagnosis, treatment and monitoring outcomes of treatment.
I am flexible in my approach to treatment. I am equally skilled as a diagnostician, psychopharmacologist and delivering several different forms of psychotherapy. I provide an integrated approach with medication and psychotherapy to provide a holistic approach that allows me to consider the interplay between biological and psychological interventions. I move fluidly between one form of psychotherapy and another, depending on which approach is most effective at a partciular phase of treatment. I believe in a holistic and collaborative approach to treatment. This not only includes psychotherapy or possible medication treatments, but exploring alternative treatment strategies as well. Exercise, diet, supplements, the impact of lifestyle choices and effective stress management are key in treating mood and anxiety disorders. Mind quieting techniques such as mindfulness, yoga, and meditation may be helpful to patients who are open to these possibilities.
Last, I believe in honestly assessing the progress, or lack of progress, of a particular treatment. I use objective rating scales, monitor target symptoms and elicit feedback to monitor the course of treatment. I will recommend consultation or additional diagnostic tests if progress is slower than expected.