My specialty focus area is Psycho-Oncology— cancer-focused mental health concerns, psychopharmacology in cancer care, cancer caregiver distress and burnout, and grief loss and bereavement.

I can help with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, sleep disorders (e.g insomnia), trauma related disorders (e.g PTSD), maternal mental health, Trichotillomania/Body focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs), stress management, relationship concerns, and more.

At this practice your safety and wellbeing is the utmost priority. Due to the nature of telepsychiatry visits, this practice does not treat the following as it requires a higher level of care: Bipolar Disorder, Psychosis, Schizophrenia, active Substance Abuse, Acute Suicidal Ideation, or recent history of Suicide Attempt or Psychiatric hospitalization. At this time, in-person visits are not available.

If you are currently in active cancer treatment and I determine you need a higher level of care than what I can offer at an outpatient telepsychiatry practice, I will provide other referrals/highly recommend you see a mental health professional at your oncology center who can offer closer monitoring. An example requiring referral to another treatment setting would be if in-person evaluations are needed, or very frequent lab/test monitoring.

Initial appointments are typically 60 minutes (extended initial appointments 75 or 90 minutes in specific circumstances are at the provider’s discretion and dependent on schedule availability).

Session length and frequency for follow up visits are dependent on your individual needs. Follow up sessions with or without medication management are either 25-30 minutes, 45 minutes, or 60 minutes.

In many cases medication management visits are once a month. We may see each other more frequently at the start of treatment or if making adjustments to medications. For clients seeking more frequent talk therapy visits we may see each other weekly or biweekly. In some circumstances, follow up visits may be spaced out to every 3 months once stable or your current regimen.

A Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner has a graduate level degree in Nursing with a specialization in Psychiatry/ Mental Health and is trained to treat mental health conditions across the lifespan. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners can carry out mental health assessments and exams, diagnose psychiatric conditions, devise a treatment plan which may include the prescribing of psychiatric medication, provide patient and family education, provide psychotherapy, and make other specialty referrals.

According to the American Psycho-Social Oncology Society (APOS), psycho-oncology is defined as “a cancer specialty that addresses the variety of psychological, behavioral, emotional and social issues that arise for cancer patients and their loved ones. Cancer can cause significant distress for patients and their families. The type of distress varies based on each individual and family experience. It may be influenced by a variety of factors — including the type of cancer, where patients are in their life, and how they tend to cope with challenging situations. In the broadest terms, there are two psychological dimensions of cancer. The first is the emotional response patients and families have to cancer. The second are the emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial difficulties that influence living with cancer. Psychosocial oncology is the specialty that addresses all of these dimensions.” (APOS 2020)

What is psychosocial oncology? APOS. (2020, June). Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://apos-society.org/professionals/what-is-psychosocial-oncology/