Adult, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

Why Psychiatry?

I gravitated toward this profession because I enjoy working with people and learning about our thoughts, feelings, and actions. To me, it is the study of being human, and all diagnoses are just aspects of that one true “diagnosis:” Human. With that perspective, I believe psychiatry can help people, and that opportunity made this profession even more compelling for me.

Welcome

Finding a psychiatrist is an important process that can be stressful because it often involves contacting strangers about sensitive issues. This site provides a brief introduction to my practice.

Practicing Since 2006

I provide assessments and ongoing medication management and/or psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults. My goal is to make each appointment more like a conversation than an examination, and for even a medication management appointment to feel more like a therapy visit.

I completed medical school at UNC, Chapel Hill. I completed my general psychiatry residency at Cambridge Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. I completed my child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital, also a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital.

Approach

I do not view a medication as “good” or “bad,” but rather as having potential benefits and potential risks. Weighing the possible risks and benefits of a medication is a personal decision. My task is to provide the information and recommendations to help you make a decision with which you are comfortable.

I believe medications need to be used thoughtfully, minimally, and as one part of a whole plan that frequently includes non-pharmacological interventions, such as therapy, mindfulness training, lifestyle changes, and the like. Those interventions are important if one wants to achieve lasting changes, especially if one decides to eventually stop taking a medication.