About My Practice

My personal philosophy is that each of us has a basic need to be deeply understood by another human being.  We all yearn, suffer, and celebrate, often privately, and often in ways that are not fully known even to ourselves. I strive to help each person feel safe enough so that such private and unknown thoughts and feelings can emerge and be explored together.  Whether you are looking for help through a crisis or with a long-standing illness or sense of discontent, my aim is for us to understand together who you uniquely are and what you need to heal and grow.

Some people wonder if psychiatric medications ought to play a role in their therapeutic process.  In my experience, they do sometimes facilitate healing, but also carry with them various risks and potential complications.  They may or may not be a useful part of your path.  To any questions, concerns, and hopes you may have about the possible use of medication, I bring not only expertise in psychopharmacology, but also the same attitude of thoughtfulness and collaboration as with any other aspect of our conversation.

Services

• Consultations regarding individual, couples, or family concerns
• Psychiatric evaluations
• Individual psychotherapy
• Couples counseling
• Psychoanalysis
• Psychopharmacology

Professional Interests

While I usually find labels more limiting than helpful, for purposes of simplicity, I list the following “conditions” and “diagnoses” as those I most often encounter in my practice:

• Depression
• Anxiety, including phobias, panic attacks, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• PTSD, dissociative states, and other reactions to recent or childhood trauma
• Bipolar Disorder

Often, people seek help from me with less well-defined difficulties, such as:

• Feeling inadequate, inhibited, full of shame or guilt
• Self-defeating behavior at work or in personal relationships
• Difficulties feeling close to other people
• Confusion, anxiety, or dissatisfaction regarding sex or sexuality
• Chronic feelings of aloneness, emptiness, or deadness inside
• Concerns about emotional stability, irritability, or restlessness
• Feeling ungrounded, invisible, or not real

Experience

I have been in a solo private practice as a board certified psychiatrist since 1991 and as a psychoanalyst since 1997.   I also supervise other mental health professionals and teach at both the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP).

Insurance

I am an out-of-network provider for all insurance companies.  If your health insurance carrier provides some coverage for out-of-network services, I would be happy to prepare a statement with which you can seek reimbursement.

Location

My office is located about 5 minutes North of the Golden Gate Bridge, overlooking Shelter Bay, in Mill Valley, CA.

Commendations & Awards

• Distinguished Service Award, San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP)
• Henry F. Albronda Award "For exceptional psychotherapeutic skill and unusual concern for the welfare of patients", UCSF-LPPI
• Outstanding House Officer Teaching Award, third year medical school class, UCSF

Professional Memberships

• International Psychoanalytic Association
• American Psychoanalytic Association
• San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis
• American Psychiatric Association
• California Psychiatric Association
• Northern California Psychiatric Society
• San Francisco Psychiatric Society

Years in Practice

Education

• BS, Psychology, Duke University (Phil Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude)
  
• MD, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
  
• Internship and Residency, University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
  
• Graduate Psychoanalyst, San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP)
  

Professional Affiliations

• Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco
  
• Member and Faculty, San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP)
  
• American Psychiatric Association
  
• American Psychoanalytic Association
  

Gender

Prescribe Medications

Accepting New Clients

Insurance Accepted

Sliding Scale?

Services Provided

Age Specialties

Languages

License Number

License State