My Philosophy
I am a walking contradiction. I am perfectionistic and obsessive but practical and solutions-focused. I believe in using the best evidence possible and dealing with the provable but I know that a mother’s intuition must be taken seriously and many treatments “work” though we haven’t found ways to show that scientifically. I love the ways that medicine can help me and my patients function better but I hate the fact that we “need” medicine just to feel OK. My whole career is based on people not feeling well but long for the day when you’re doing so well that it no longer makes sense for us to keep meeting (even though it makes me sad every time).
I love learning and teaching so much that I know that the same people who were so frustrated by feeling rushed by their last psychiatrist, sometimes, wish that I would talk a little less. Insurance makes it possible for me to have relationships I otherwise never would but I also hate how it can make our decisions more difficult and insert bureaucrats and executives between me and the patients for whom I care.
I believe that this is the beginning of something much bigger than both of us and that I might be the perfect person to walk this tightrope but I also know that I’m nothing without the support of my friends, family, and patients who have taught me so much about life. So, whether you’re looking for something radically different or just hoping to feel better, if you’re ok with a psychiatrist that honors traditions while questioning the status quo, that encourages you to take your medicine more consistently while telling you that you MIGHT not “NEED” that medicine, with a curious mix of intense emotions masked by stoic pragmatism, then I might be the right psychiatrist for you.
Why Me?
My career began at the illustrious Mt. Sinai in New York where I worked with some of the best medical students and physicians in the country. Prior to that, my training in psychiatry was marked by a rigorous education surrounded by the authors of so many journal articles that my colleagues would quote when explaining their thought process. I was in over my head and overwhelmed most of the time and I still have no idea how I got so fortunate. As a young psychiatrist, I went from the pinnacle of academic medicine to the depths of commercial medicine when I moved back home to Georgia. What I was forced to learn very quickly is that many of my colleagues in the field I love so much were more concerned with the bottom line than any practical improvement they could help their patients achieve. Since then, I have learned how to love my job and my patients despite the challenges we face every day. I also now know that many of those colleagues that frustrated me with their apparent nonchalance were more victim than perpetrator, victims of the same system that so many of my patients find so frustrating and discouraging.
So what are we to do? If both patients and physicians feel trapped and helpless, how can we move forward? That question has haunted me for most of the time since I started my career in 2012. That same question has brought me to this point, at a crossroads and eager to move down a new path. I know that I don’t have all the answers but I know that we can’t continue the way we’re going and I know that I have to at least try to find some answers…
Why You?
Maybe you have been frustrated by the old ways like so many of my patients. Maybe you have a sense, like me, that there must be a better way. Maybe you have the sense that YOU could, and should, be better but find yourself constantly burdened by the random circumstances of life and you’ve started to think it might not be completely random.
Whatever it is that brings you here, I’m happy and honored to be a part of your journey. I’ve felt the anguish and suffered from many of the same pains that harass you…but I’ve also felt the sweet relief that came from my own hard work combined with, and made possible by, the gentle nurturing from a caring provider. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity and privilege to help you see a path forward and to celebrate your successes. Until then, I’m honored that you would let me join you in your suffering.