Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to some commonly asked questions.
Medication Management
What medications do you prescribe?
See the Formulary of medications that are prescribed below:
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SSRIs: escitalopram, sertraline, fluoxetine, paroxetine, citalopram, fluvoxamine
SNRIs: duloxetine, venlafaxine
Other antidepressants: buproprion, vortioxetine, mirtazapine
Anti anxiety medications: buspirone, hydroxyzine, quetiapine
Medications for sleep: trazodone, doxepin, bellsomora
Antipsychotics for depression/anxiety: aripiprazole, lamictal, latuda
Medication for focus/attention: straterra
A note re: controlled substances: Benzodiazepines are not prescribed through my practice. As is policy in Illinois, they need to be prescribed by a physician. I also do not help people wean off of these medications as this can require more supervision than I am able to provide via telehealth. Stimulants are not prescribed at this time, but may be in the future. Lastly, gabapentin is not currently prescribed through my practice but may be in the future. Check back for updates.
What mental health conditions do you treat/prescribe medications for?
We will work together to come up with a comprehensive treatment plan after our initial visit which includes discussing diagnosis. While diagnosis can be constricting, it can also be used as a helpful guide in treatment. Common diagnosis that I prescribe medications for include:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Acute Stress Disorders
Adjustment Disorders
Panic Disorders
What if you don't treat my mental health condition?
While I do treat many mental health conditions, some I believe are best served by care that is provided in person and by having more access to specialized resources. The diagnosis that I do not prescribe medications for include:
Schizophrenia
Bipolar I Disorder
Substance Use Disorders
Eating Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorder
ADHD (unless you have documented neuropsych testing with diagnosis)
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If any of these diagnosis pertain to you, or we learn that this may be part of your picture on our initial visit, I will be sure to provide you with community referrals to providers that can give you the support you need.
Where do I pick up my medications?
If it is ordered for me, how do I get blood work done?
Medications will be sent to your local pharmacy of choice. If you have insurance, you are able to use that to pick up your medications. If you do not have insurance, GoodRX is a great option to make medications more affordable.
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Labs will be ordered through Quest Labs. If labs are ordered during a visit, a form will be sent to you (an order slip) that you can take to any Quest lab in your area. Turn around time is about 3-5 days for labs. If labs are normal you will not hear anything and we will discuss in our follow up visit. Any abnormal urgent labs, I will be sure to give you a phone call or email.
Talk Therapy
What is trauma informed care?
Trauma informed care is a lens in which care is provided that is safe, non judgemental, and open. Trauma is a complex experience that can include stop in your track hurts (death, abuse, assault, acute threat to life) as well as chronic recurrent hurts over a long period of time. For most of us, recurrent traumas are not always as obvious in their occurrence. Trapped trauma can lead to common mental health experiences of anxiety, depression and more. Trauma informed care aims to look at the total individual life experience to promote healing.
What type of talk therapy do you provide?
The two main types of therapy modalities we will use include trauma sensitive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), somatics and positive psychology. Together we will work through emotion regulation strategies, problem solving, breathe work, somatics and other practices to help us regulate our nervous system and make more space for working through emotions. We will also work together to build resilience or in other words, being able to tolerate hard things. Together we can work through past hurts, and make future ones easier to bounce back from.
How does the body hold trauma? What are somatics?
The body can hold trauma in many ways, and this is due to our powerful memory center and the emotions that come with those memories. Somatics uses this concept and says - hey, the brain and the body are not separate! Somatics are a set of practices that utilize the concept that our brain and our body our connected. Our full existence when it comes to our mental health, includes healing and using our physical body. Somatic practices can include breath work, yoga movements, and body mindfulness to create more space to be resilient to hard things. We can also learn that by working to heal physical "pains" it can help us heal our emotional ones too - and vice versa.
Do I have to feel like I suffered a trauma to seek your care?
You DO NOT have to have suffered a perceived trauma in order to seek care. We will work together to determine the hurts in your life and work to heal through them. Trauma informed care is more of an approach that is safe, open and accepting - more than it is a requirement for care.
Booking & Payments
Do you take insurance?
At this time, I do not accept insurance so all pay is out of pocket. I can offer receipts for services that you can submit to your insurance for out of network coverage options.
How do I make payments?
Payments are made at the end of each visit through PracticeQ. You can save a credit card on file or use a new form of payment each time. Only online payment forms accepted - no cash or checks.
How do I schedule an appointment?
Feel free to use the link on the first page or use the link right here to schedule your intake appointment.
Is there anything I have to do before booking?
Nope! Once you have booked a visit, there will be some online paperwork that needs to be completed before we meet. If you are unable to complete the paperwork before hand, you can do it at the start of your visit, but it will cut into your visit time.