Who am I?
I am a psychiatric nurse practitioner board certified in family and psychiatric practice. I am licensed in Illinois, and I treat residents in the state of Illinois. I evaluate, diagnose and treat patients with mental health conditions. In addition, to prescription medications, I use therapy to treat mental disorders.
What services do I provide?
I offer psychiatric evaluations, follow-up visits for medications management via telehealth (video and phone conferencing) for residents of the state of Illinois. The psychiatric evaluation includes 1-hour complete assessment; we talk about medical, psychiatric, and family history during the psychiatric evaluation. We discuss current symptoms of mental illness and assess for medications management. Together we decide the best treatment option for you. I recommend the treatment, usually with medications and psychotherapy. The follow-up visits are for evaluating the response to treatment, medications adjustment, and brief therapy (they are usually 30 -45 minutes long).
What mental health conditions do I treat?
-bipolar disorder
-depression
-schizophrenia
-anxiety
-PTSD
-ADHD
-OCD
Do I treat adult patients with ADHD?
Yes, however, adult patients with suspected ADHD may need additional services other than initial psychiatric evaluation. Completing a psychiatric evaluation does not guarantee that a client will be prescribed medications for ADHD during the initial visit. Adult patients with ADHD may be asked to provide a medical record from previous psychiatric providers, pharmacy records. The neuropsychological or psychological evaluation may be necessary to guide a psychiatric provider when the symptoms overlap conditions such as trauma, bipolar, attention deficit disorder, and personality disorder. Patients who are treated in my practice must accept the following rules: -I do not authorize early refills of controlled medications -A client needs to do a urine drug screen as a part of an evaluation -A monthly telehealth visit is required for controlled substance refills I prescribe only FDA doses of controlled substances-If you change a provider, a 30 days supply will be prescribed, and it must be filedno longer than 30 days as indicated by Illinois Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
What is neuropsychological or psychological testing? And why it may be necessary?
A psychologist does neuropsychological testing and psychological testing, including a series of tests over 2-6 hours. They are designed to clarify a diagnosis, intelligence, language, memory, and executive functioning. Neuropsychological testing is ordered in cases of traumatic brain injury, stroke, dementia, and neurological conditions. In addition, psychological testing is used for Autism, ADHD for assessment of learning disabilities and comprehension.
Do I treat patients with an anxiety disorder?
Yes, however, I do not treat patients with benzodiazepines (example: alprazolam- Xanax, lorazepam-Ativan, clonazepam-Klonopin, diazepam-Valium, Librium, and others). I do not offer the treatment of anxiety with benzodiazepine monotherapy.
Do I prescribe multiple controlled substances for one patient?
No, I do not prescribe more than one controlled substance in my practice. If a patient is prescribed narcotic pain medication, benzodiazepine, or other opioids or controlled substances, I will not prescribe a stimulant for ADHD.
Do I offer psychotherapy?
I am not a therapist, but I offer brief therapy during the visits. However, most of my patients also receive combination therapy as psychiatric care and therapy sessions provided by social workers, therapists, and psychologists.
Do I prescribe medication during telehealth visits?
Yes, all medications are sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice.
What do I need for Telepsychiatry?
• Log on 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. This will allow for any technical issues to be sorted out before your provider arrives. • Check that you have a stable wi-fi connection. Use headphones. This will eliminate most background noise and ensure a private conversation with your provider.
• Please do not connect solely to cellular service, as this does not provide a stable connection. While you may use your cell phone to have your visit you need to be connected to wi-fi or the internet.
• Get comfortable. If there are technical issues, we will contact you at the number provided.
Do you accept insurance?
Yes, I do accept insurance.
I accept BCBS, United Health, Cigna, and Aetna.
I also accept cash payments.
Can I cancel my appointment?
Yes, if you cancel your initial psychiatric evaluation, please call for a refund. If you cancel and reschedule more than 24 hours before your appointment, there is no additional charge. If you cancel after 24 hours, there is a $100 fee.
What if the telehealth platform does not work?
Please text me, and I can help you to initiate the telehealth visit.
How do I contact you?
Please text me at 630-716-9453. You can also email or call.