Frequently Asked Questions

No, referrals from your primary care physician are not required, though always welcomed!

I only provide patient care using video-conferencing technology using secure, encrypted, HIPPA-compliant platforms.  This is a convenient means for patients to access care, with studies demonstrating roughly equivalent effectiveness compared to in-person visits.

After contacting me, my administrator will get back to you within 2 business days, to confirm that I provide the services you seek, and to schedule an initial appointment, with your approval.

We discuss the primary reason(s) for your visit, then spend the majority of the initial visit reviewing your medical and personal history, including the forms you will have diligently filled out prior, so that your time and money are most efficiently spent.  It might take 1-3 visits to determine whether we are an appropriate fit, and to create an action plan for treatment.

Yes, I do not discriminate based on gender, sexual identity, race, nationality, political views, religion, or spiritual practices. As an Asian-American born in the USA to immigrant parents, I feel I have a unique perspective given my personal experiences, which can potentially benefit patients from all walks of life.  Therefore, all are welcome to judgment-free treatment with me despite your background.

I treat most psychiatric conditions.  Some patients benefit from medication, others psychotherapy, some both. To optimize your treatment, please let me know if you currently have a therapist and/or primary care physician.  Signing releases of information would facilitate my ability to communicate with them, so that we might discuss our roles in providing you the best care possible.

1. Evaluations or accompanying paperwork for disability if you have not been a patient of mine for at least 6 months, with dedicated compliance to treatment.

2. Emotional support animal letters.

3. ECT, TMS, Ketamine, Suboxone treatment, or other treatments that require physical in-person treatment.  Referrals to providers who provide these services can be offered.

4. Forensic evaluations, including but not limited to court-ordered treatment, attestations of ability to return to work or not, ability to drive, ability to own a weapon or firearms, ability to be near or associated with children.  A notable exception would be the evaluation for a guardianship or conservatorship, at my discretion.

18+ at time of our initial appointment.

I cannot accept patients with Medicare, Medicaid, or government-sponsored insurance, even if privately paying.

Calls will be returned as promptly as possible, however, as I do not have late evening/weekend hours, please expect a return call or message within 2 business days.

Yes, but please be aware that this is not an encrypted way to communicate, therefore I ask that you exclude personal/sensitive information from communication email.  Current patients can communicate most securely through my patient portal via messages.

I am most interested in truly understanding and effectively communicating with my patients.  The most common complaints that I hear from new patients include, “my last Doctor did not listen to me,” or “did not understand me,” or “I did not understand my Doctor’s recommendations,” or “they were so stoic/stiff that they made me uncomfortable.”  I would like to offer you the opposite:  kind, jovial (when appropriate), empathic, impeccably professional, and attentive care. I know that during this strange and difficult journey we call life, when we are at our lowest points, stuck in our own heads in a vicious and repetitive cycle of negative thinking, that we tend to feel very ALONE.  You are not alone.  

There are too many moving parts to definitively answer that question at this point in time.

I believe telehealth psychiatry is part of a more modern, accessible form of health care.  It is also a matter of personal preference, but can increase access to outpatient psychiatric care, particularly for those with inflexible schedules or physical disabilities, and treatment anxiety.  It can be a great fit navigating around barriers to traditional treatment such as traffic, long work hours, and new/developing life changes that can make a trip to the doctor’s office less appealing or unattainable.  You might also be a patient who is easily triggered, for example, in a room with a male/female figure of authority in-person.  I would like to attract a population who desires freedom from barriers to traditional treatments or just feel that this form of health care may be a good fit.

This will be determined on a case-by-case basis. The Federal Ryan Haight Act forbids psychiatrists from prescribing controlled substances without seeing their patients in-person. It is temporarily exempted during the Covid emergency, but may unpredictably be reinstated. Some conditions such as ADHD can be difficult to diagnose, and some medications pose an inherent health risk and potential for misuse. To be considered for such, you need a documented neuropsychological evaluation (I could provide a referral for). Controlled substances, if not taken under supervision of a vigilant doctor, can do more harm than good. If you are a former patient of mine, I will not “cut you off” per se, but please expect the same rigorous standards I have always employed to be prescribed such medication by me (neuropsychological reports, random urine drug screens, etc.).

1. Cancellations made more than 48 hours in advance will not be charged, and can be done so via messages in my portal, or voicemail.  Please note my office number will not receive text messages.

2. Cancellations between 24-48 hours in advance will be billed half the visit fee.

3. Cancellations within 24hs, or missed appointments, will be charged the full fee.

4. Being more than 15 minutes late constitutes a missed visit, or “no show.”

5. No insurance I am aware of reimburses for this type of fee.

I spend a tremendous amount of time preparing for our session. It is important to fill out those clinical forms before our first interview in my portal so that we might complete your session in the most efficient yet effective manner possible.  A one–time waiver, under extenuating circumstances, may be permitted at my discretion.  Commitment to treatment is essential as well as positively predictive of improved patient outcomes.