Two kinds of care, and how they fit together
What a psychiatric provider does, how that differs from regular therapy with a counselor, and how to work out what you need.
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What Psychiatric Care Covers
Psychiatric care with me centers on evaluation, treatment planning and medication management. We look at your symptoms, your history and what you want care to look like, and we build a plan together. Supportive interventions in that plan can include CBT and DBT skills, and your overall wellness stays in view, not only a list of symptoms.
Seeing a counselor or therapist is a different kind of care. It usually means regular therapy sessions, where you and the counselor talk things through over time. My own focus is psychiatric care. The two can sit side by side, and you may have one, the other or both.
Working Out What You Need
If you are unsure which kind of care fits, these steps can help.
- 1
Notice What You Want Help With
Jot down what has felt hard lately and what you hope care could help with. That gives us a starting point.
- 2
Ask During the Free Consult
Tell me what care you already have, and ask how psychiatric care would fit alongside it. The 15-minute phone consult costs nothing.
- 3
Start With an Evaluation
If it feels like a fit, the initial evaluation runs 60 to 90 minutes and ends with a plan we make together.
How the Two Differ
Here is a plain comparison, seen from the side of psychiatric care.
The Main Focus
Psychiatric care looks at symptoms, brain health and whether medication belongs in your plan. Counseling is built around ongoing conversations with a counselor or therapist.
How Appointments Run
With me, care begins with a 60 to 90 minute evaluation, followed by sessions of 30 to 45 minutes as often as your plan calls for.
Medication Decisions
Medication management is part of psychiatric care. If medication comes up as an option, we talk it through and decide together.
Practical Skills
A plan with me can include supportive interventions such as CBT and DBT skills, used as part of psychiatric care rather than as a course of therapy.
If You Already See a Counselor
Having a counselor doesn't rule out psychiatric care. The two meet different needs, and a person may have both for a stretch of time. If you already see someone, that is worth sharing during the free consult, along with what has and hasn't been helping.
Whatever you decide, the aim here stays the same: a clear understanding of what is going on, a plan you helped shape and steady follow-up. I can't promise how any treatment will turn out, so we review the plan together along the way.
Questions About Care and Counseling
Do you provide counseling or therapy sessions?
My role is psychiatric care: evaluation, treatment planning and medication management. A plan can also include supportive interventions such as CBT and DBT skills.
Can I keep seeing my counselor?
That is your decision to make. If you would like to talk through how the two would fit, the free consult is a good place for that.
Which kind of care should I start with?
That depends on what you need right now. The free 15-minute phone consult is a low-pressure place to talk it through.
Fees in Brief
The initial evaluation is $300 for 60 to 90 minutes, follow-up sessions are $125, and the 15-minute phone consult is free.
- Consult
- $0
- 15 min
- Evaluation
- $300
- 60 to 90 min
- Follow-up
- $125
- 30 to 45 min
Not sure which kind of care you need?
Book a free 15-minute consult and ask whatever you are unsure about.
Book a Free 15-Minute Consult