My Psychiatric Practice

Experienced, Individualized Psychiatric Care in Jacksonville, Florida

I specialize in the evaluation and treatment of psychiatric conditions, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, ADHD, and addiction-related concerns. I also help individuals navigate difficult life circumstances, understand recurring patterns, and work toward personal goals.

I have been in private psychiatric practice since 1997. Over the years, I have developed a straightforward philosophy: good psychiatric care begins with understanding the person, not just identifying the symptoms.

My approach combines medical knowledge, clinical experience, and practical therapeutic methods. I want to understand what you are experiencing, what matters most to you, and what improvement would actually look like in your life.

Direct Care from Your Psychiatrist

Your initial evaluation is a two-hour, face-to-face meeting directly with me. I do not delegate your evaluation or ongoing psychiatric care to a physician assistant or nurse practitioner.

We review your psychiatric and medical history, previous treatments, current concerns, and goals. I also want to understand your personal circumstances: your relationships, work, interests, strengths, and the experiences that have shaped you.

Why does this matter? Because two people with the same diagnosis may need very different treatment plans. What works for one person may not be appropriate for another, and the timing of a treatment change can matter just as much as the choice of treatment itself.

I believe in taking the time to develop a thoughtful understanding of each patient and using that understanding to guide treatment decisions.

A Whole-Person Approach to Mental Health

My background includes training in internal medicine before I specialized in psychiatry. Although I no longer practice internal medicine and my internal medicine board certification has expired, that training continues to inform my perspective.

Mental and physical health are closely connected. Medical conditions, medications, sleep, nutrition, and other physiological factors can influence mood, thinking, energy, and behavior. I consider these connections as part of a broader psychiatric assessment.

I also recognize that a person’s mental health is shaped by more than biology. Relationships, work, stress, personal history, values, and life circumstances can all be relevant. Understanding these dimensions helps me develop treatment plans that are individualized and practical.

Psychiatric Conditions I Treat

My practice focuses primarily on adult outpatient psychiatry. Conditions I evaluate and treat include:

• Depression and mood disorders, including major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.
• Anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social anxiety.
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Addiction and substance-use concerns, when outpatient treatment is appropriate.
• Other psychiatric symptoms and conditions, including difficulties in which psychological and physical factors interact.

I also work with adolescents aged 16 and older for psychiatric evaluation and medication management, provided they are working with a psychotherapist. When appropriate, I can help identify a suitable therapist.

Some conditions require specialized treatment or a higher level of care. When a patient’s needs fall outside the scope of my outpatient practice, I may recommend referral to an appropriate specialist or treatment program.

Individualized Medication Management

Psychiatric medication can be an important part of treatment, but choosing a medication is only one part of the process.

I consider your symptoms, previous medication trials, medical history, preferences, treatment goals, and response to earlier treatments. We also discuss how we will recognize whether a medication is helping and what changes would represent meaningful progress.

For patients who have not responded adequately to previous medication regimens, a careful review of the diagnosis, treatment history, and available options may reveal another approach worth considering.

My aim is to make treatment decisions collaboratively, monitor progress, and adjust the plan when clinically appropriate.

Psychotherapy and Practical Strategies for Change

Medication is not the only tool available. Depending on your needs and preferences, our work may also incorporate psychotherapy and practical exercises designed to help you address everyday challenges.

My therapeutic approaches include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and clinical hypnosis when appropriate. I have also trained in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

These approaches can help patients examine unhelpful thinking patterns, identify personal strengths, clarify goals, and develop more effective ways of responding to difficult situations.

I have also developed a practical tool called the Solution-Focus Notebook, which helps patients apply ideas from our sessions between appointments. Sometimes small, consistent changes can be an important part of making progress.

You can learn more about these methods on my My Approach to Psychiatric Care page.

Complementary Approaches, Selected Carefully

Alongside conventional psychiatric care, I consider selected complementary approaches when there is a reasonable basis for them in the scientific literature.

Depending on the circumstances, these may include discussion of nutritional supplements or lifestyle factors that could support mental health. I consider the available evidence, potential benefits, limitations, safety, and possible interactions with other treatments.

I do not recommend an approach simply because it is popular or described as natural. My aim is to consider reasonable options carefully and integrate them into an individualized treatment plan when appropriate.

Personal Growth and Performance

Not everyone who seeks help is experiencing a diagnosable psychiatric disorder. Some people want to overcome obstacles, develop more effective habits, or make progress toward personal or professional goals.

I have a particular interest in this kind of goal-oriented work, sometimes described as life coaching. I also enjoy working with athletes who want to improve their competitive performance and students seeking to strengthen their academic performance.

My interests in martial arts, physical fitness, and personal development have reinforced my appreciation for the role that practice, persistence, and realistic goals can play in improvement.

A Collaborative, Human Approach

I take psychiatric difficulties seriously, but I also believe that treatment should remain a human endeavor. Warmth, perspective, and sometimes humor can help make difficult conversations more comfortable and open up new ways of looking at a problem.

I want you to feel that you can discuss your concerns openly, ask questions, and participate actively in decisions about your care.

My goal is to combine the experience of a psychiatrist who has spent decades in practice with the personal attention needed to understand you as an individual.

Taking the Next Step

Choosing a psychiatrist is an important personal decision. If you are looking for an experienced psychiatrist in Jacksonville, Florida, who provides direct physician care and individualized psychiatric treatment, I invite you to learn more about my background, treatment approaches, and the conditions I treat.

Contact my office to inquire about appointments and whether my practice may be a good fit for your needs.