+My child needs psychiatric care but I’m uncertain whether my ex-spouse will agree. What is your policy?
- If both parents have medical decision making capacity, both parents must give consent to treat your child. The consent form can be found on our website … (brief direction of how to get there).
+I’m starting to feel better. Why do I have to attend a follow-up visit?
- Psychiatric disorders tend to fluctuate and stress can cause worsening of your conditions. A follow-up visit is still necessary in order to monitor and talk about how you’re dealing with stress. Moreover, sometimes medications can have serious and even fatal side effects, which must be discussed with your provider in order to make any adjustments.
+Why did my provider refer me to a psychotherapist?
- Sometimes, medication alone is not enough. Psychotherapy can provide patients with coping strategies to improve stress management. Eventually, coping strategies can help you get off medications.
+What is Expert Care?
- Expert Care is an evidence-based medication treatment with measured outcomes. For example, a questionnaire to get a baseline of how you’re doing and throughout our sessions we will use that to engage the improvement of your disorder. This helps to create tailored treatment plans that meet each patient’s unique needs and goals. The result is quality, individualized care. We understand there are no “one size fits all” treatment plans.
+What is a “medical model” treatment approach?
- The “medical model” approach refers to the pharmacologic management of psychiatric conditions. It begins with a comprehensive evaluation and an assessment not only looks at psychological factors, but it incorporates the biological factors when considering treatment and diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder. This comprehensive evaluation includes using labs and checking for other medical conditions that could lead to mental health problems (e.g. depression and anxiety). This information helps us to formulate a personalized plan that fits the needs and goals of each unique patient.
+Why is self-care considered to be part of my treatment plan?
- Mental health is affected by the things we do everyday, such as eating healthy meals and exercising. If we take care of ourselves, this helps to cope with stress better. We encourage our patients to practice good self-care by engaging in regular physical activity, restorative sleep, proper nutrition, social interaction, and stress reduction. While we support medication therapy when it is indicated, we never believe that it is a substitute for self-care.
