Transforming mental health care
Mental health care is less about changing who you are and more about creating space for all of you...to feel, to grow, and to be seen.
At Alchemy Integrative Mental Health, medication management is thoughtful and collaborative. It begins with seeing the whole person...not simply treating a diagnosis or a collection of symptoms.
MEDICATION MANAGEMENT
Medication can be an important part of mental health care, but it is not a cure-all...and it is never the whole story.
I think of medication as a step stool. It can provide enough support to help you reach what has felt just beyond your grasp. That might be clearer thinking, steadier emotions, more restorative sleep, greater follow-through, or enough internal space to participate more fully in therapy and in your life.
Medication does not create those capacities. They are already yours. Sometimes, it simply helps bring them within reach.
Medication decisions are made collaboratively. I bring clinical knowledge, evidence, and thoughtful recommendations. You bring expertise in your own body, history, values, and lived experience.
Together, we may consider whether medication could be helpful, begin something new, adjust what is not working, address side effects, or simplify a complicated medication regimen. I also work with people who are interested in reducing or discontinuing medication when it is clinically appropriate.
My role is not to dictate your care or prescribe and disappear. It is to help you understand your options, make informed decisions, and find an approach that feels both clinically sound and personally right for you.
A Special Focus on ADHD in
Midlife-ish Woman Wondering, “Why Is Everything Harder Now?”
I especially love working with midlife-ish women with ADHD.
Many of the women I see have spent years holding everything together. They are intelligent, capable, and often highly accomplished. They have developed systems, worked harder, stayed later, remembered everything for everyone else, and found ways to compensate...until those strategies stop working as well as they once did.
Perimenopause, menopause, changing responsibilities, burnout, and accumulated stress can intensify or reveal ADHD symptoms that were previously overlooked. Difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, emotional overwhelm, exhaustion, and a growing sense of “Why can’t I do this anymore?” may be attributed to anxiety or depression without fully considering ADHD or the effects of hormonal change.
Sometimes the goal is not to become more disciplined or try even harder. It is to understand how your brain works, recognize what has changed, and find support that fits the life you are living now.
FAQs
AREAS OF FOCUS
I provide psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults 21 and over experiencing:
ADHD and executive functioning challenges
Anxiety
Depression
Trauma-related symptoms and chronic stress
Burnout
Grief and significant life transitions
Sleep difficulties
PMDD and mood symptoms influenced by hormonal change
A diagnosis can offer clarity, but it does not tell the whole story. I consider symptoms alongside medical history, previous treatment, sleep, stress, hormonal changes, relationships, environment, identity, and the demands of your daily life.
COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION
Care begins with a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation.
This is an opportunity to look carefully at what you are experiencing, how it is affecting your life, what you have tried before, and what may be contributing to the symptoms you are noticing now.
We will explore your psychiatric and medical history, current medications, previous diagnoses and treatments, sleep, stress, substance use, hormonal changes when relevant, and the broader context of your life.
From there, we will develop a plan together. That plan may include medication, adjustments to existing treatment, laboratory or medical follow-up, therapy recommendations, lifestyle support, or simply taking more time to understand what is happening before making a change.
SUPPORTIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY
Medication management does not happen in a vacuum. Our visits will often include supportive psychotherapy informed primarily by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
This may involve identifying patterns of thought and behavior, developing practical coping strategies, strengthening self-understanding, working through concerns related to medication, and making sense of how your symptoms are affecting your daily life.
Supportive psychotherapy is woven into psychiatric care when appropriate. It is not offered as a standalone service and is not a substitute for the depth and continuity of working with a dedicated therapist.
Therapists complete thousands of hours of specialized training and clinical practice in psychotherapy and its many modalities. For most clients, I recommend working with a therapist in addition to seeing me for medication management. When appropriate, I am glad to collaborate with your therapist so your care feels connected rather than fragmented.
If you are primarily seeking ongoing or intensive psychotherapy, a dedicated therapist will be the best fit for that work.