Frequently asked questions

Not at the moment — the practice is full, and that includes ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. There's a waitlist, and I keep the practice small on purpose, so it moves slowly. But it does move, and we'll be in touch when a spot opens.

We'll get back to you within a few business days. If you'd like to talk briefly before committing to an intake, say so when you write or call and we'll set up a short conversation first.

The intake is 75 minutes, and I use all of it. We go through your history, what brought you here, what's been tried, what helped, what didn't, and what you actually want your life to look like. A lot of that time goes to explaining things — what a diagnosis does and doesn't mean, how a medication works, what the evidence actually says, what the tradeoffs are. I want you asking questions the whole way through. Decisions get made with you, not for you, so by the end we have a plan you understand and feel good about.

If you've been through 15-minute medication checks that never had time for the whole picture, this is built differently. It's a good fit if you want a prescriber who will ask about your sleep, your nutrition, your relationships, and your history — not just whether the dose is working — and who will explain the reasoning rather than hand you a prescription. It's probably not the right fit if you want a quick refill visit and nothing more, or if you need a higher level of care than an outpatient solo practice can provide.

That's normal, and it's a reasonable place to start. Plenty of people come in knowing only that something isn't working. Part of what the first appointment is for is figuring out what you're actually dealing with and what would help — including when the answer is a referral somewhere else.

Adults 18 and older across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. I don't see children or adolescents.

It depends on what we're working on. For ongoing psychiatric care, we usually meet monthly at first, then space out as things stabilize. KAP has its own cadence — preparation, medicine sessions, integration — that I'll walk you through in detail when we get there.

Longer than the standard 15-minute med check. Follow-ups are 45 to 60 minutes, which is enough time to look at more than the prescription — sleep, nutrition, movement, stress, support systems, and what's actually going on in your life. Medication is one part of the visit, not the whole visit.

Depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorders, OCD, PTSD and trauma, treatment-resistant depression, mood disorders, sleep problems, and mental health concerns during pregnancy and postpartum. If what you're dealing with isn't on that list, ask — and if it's outside what I do, I'll tell you and help you find the right person.

Yes, and it's a lot of what I do. That includes second opinions on an existing regimen, adjusting or switching, and carefully coming off medications that aren't earning their place. I don't just maintain a prescription somebody else started — we look at whether it's still the right one.

Therapists do talk therapy and other non-medical approaches to healing. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I'm licensed to evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe and manage medication. The two work best together, which is why I coordinate directly with therapists.

Yes — that's the usual arrangement, and it's the one I'd recommend. Many of my patients are referred by their therapist and keep seeing them throughout. I'll coordinate with your therapist directly, with your permission, so your care isn't split across two people who never talk to each other. If you don't have a therapist and want one, I can help you find a good fit.

Existing patients can submit a request through the refill request form on this site. Please allow 2–3 business days for processing, and request refills before you run out rather than after. For anything urgent, call the office.

It means I take seriously the things mainstream psychiatry sometimes treats as secondary — sleep, nutrition, nervous system regulation, relational patterns, somatic experience. It doesn't mean I'm anti-medication. It means medication is one tool among several, and we pick what fits.

Internal Family Systems is a model that treats the psyche as made of 'parts' — protectors, exiles, the steady Self underneath them. I bring it into psychiatric visits alongside mindfulness and CBT principles as a practical way of working with how you actually experience your own contradictions, especially under stress and especially in ketamine-assisted work.

KAP can be a powerful option for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and some kinds of growth work. It's not right for everyone — there are medical conditions, psychiatric histories, and life circumstances where it isn't indicated. We'll figure that out together in preparation.

Sublingual ketamine produces an altered state — quieter, more open, more interior — that usually lasts 45–60 minutes from peak to landing. You'll be in a comfortable space with eyeshades and music, and I'll be present with you throughout. Most people describe the experience as gentle and meaningful rather than overwhelming.

A typical course is 4–6 medicine sessions with preparation and integration around them. But this isn't a protocol — we'll adjust based on how things are unfolding.

Integration is where most of the actual change happens. It's the work after a medicine session of making sense of what came up, noticing what's shifted, and translating insight into the way you actually live. It's also where the IFS lens is most useful.

The office is in Bethesda, Maryland, and I'm licensed in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Most appointments happen via secure telehealth. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is in-person — details on the KAP page.

Yes. Appointments run through SimplePractice, a HIPAA-compliant platform, and you'll get a private link before each session. It's genuinely easy to use — no software to install and no account setup to wrestle with. All you need is a quiet, private space and a reliable internet connection.

In two narrow ways, both optional. I use a HIPAA-secure AI notetaker so I can pay attention to you instead of to a keyboard during our visit, and I use OpenEvidence, a HIPAA-secure clinical research tool, to check the current literature. I don't use AI to make clinical decisions — the thinking about your care is mine. You can decline either one, at any point, and it won't change the care you get. Just tell me.

Different services have different prices. Please call the office for specific inquiries.

I'm an out-of-network provider, which means I don't bill insurance directly. After each session you'll get a superbill — a detailed receipt with diagnostic and procedure codes — that you can submit to your insurance for out-of-network reimbursement, if your plan offers out-of-network mental health coverage. A service like Reimbursify can handle the submission for you.

Insurance reimbursement structures push clinicians toward short, frequent appointments — 15-minute medication checks, high volume. Operating out-of-network is what makes a different kind of care possible: longer visits, more personalized contact, messages between sessions that actually get read and answered, real collaboration with your therapist and the rest of your healthcare team, and a treatment plan built around you rather than around a billing code. It's a structural choice, not a workaround.

Ask whether you have out-of-network mental health benefits, what your out-of-network deductible is, and what percentage they reimburse once it's met. Our admin team is happy to walk you through it.

Yes. Under the federal No Surprises Act you have the right to an estimate of expected costs before treatment begins, and I provide one before the first appointment. If you have questions about it, just ask.

Please give at least 48 hours notice to cancel or reschedule. Late cancellations and missed appointments are charged at the full session rate.