WellMindsWhat we treat at WellMinds MD
Dr. P brings over 15 years of clinical experience to conditions affecting children, adolescents, and adults. Every treatment plan is built from scratch — no templates, no one-size-fits-all.
Book a Free 15-Min CallAnxiety
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns Dr. P treats across all ages. While some anxiety is a normal part of life, it becomes a problem when it holds you back — from school, work, relationships, sleep, or simply feeling okay in your own skin.
In children and teens, anxiety can look like school refusal, stomachaches with no medical cause, excessive worry about everything from grades to friendships, or rigid routines that feel impossible to break. In adults, it may show up as chronic overthinking, difficulty making decisions, panic attacks, or a persistent sense that something bad is about to happen.
Treatment depends on the person. Adults often benefit from a combination of psychotherapy and medication. For younger patients who have already worked with a therapist, medication can provide the additional support needed to make real progress. Dr. P also coaches families in evidence-based coping techniques so they can help reinforce progress at home.
ADHD & Attention Challenges
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that starts in childhood and affects attention, impulse control, emotional regulation, and organization. Left untreated, it can affect self-esteem, relationships, academic performance, and career success well into adulthood.
A proper evaluation matters. Many conditions — anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and even thyroid problems — can look like ADHD. Dr. P conducts thorough evaluations, including neuropsychiatric testing when appropriate, to make sure the diagnosis is accurate before any treatment is recommended.
For those who do have ADHD, evidence-based medications remain the most effective treatment. Dr. P pairs medication management with practical strategies for patients and families, and collaborates with schools to support appropriate accommodations when needed.
Depression
Depression is more than sadness. It can drain energy, cloud thinking, disrupt sleep and appetite, and make everyday tasks feel overwhelming. It is also highly treatable — with the right approach.
Dr. P begins with a thorough evaluation to identify the type of depression and any contributing factors, including medical causes that are sometimes overlooked. Treatment may involve medication, psychotherapy techniques such as behavioral activation, lifestyle changes, and addressing underlying physical health concerns.
In children and teenagers, depression can present differently than in adults — often as irritability, withdrawal, declining grades, or physical complaints. Dr. P is trained to recognize these presentations and creates age-appropriate treatment plans that involve the whole family when helpful.
It’s also important to distinguish unipolar depression from bipolar disorder, as the treatments differ significantly. Dr. P takes the time to make that distinction carefully and accurately.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder involves episodes of depression alternating with episodes of elevated, expansive, or irritable mood. These shifts can be disruptive to every area of life — relationships, work, sleep, and decision-making. With the right treatment, most people with bipolar disorder can achieve significant stability.
Dr. P commonly treats adults living with bipolar disorder using mood-stabilizing medications, carefully tailored to each patient’s history and lifestyle. She monitors closely for side effects and response, adjusting as needed to maintain stability without sacrificing quality of life.
True bipolar disorder is rare in children and adolescents, and it is frequently misdiagnosed. Young people with significant mood dysregulation may actually have disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) or other conditions that can appear similar. As a fellowship-trained Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Dr. P is skilled at making these distinctions and developing a plan tailored to the individual.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is characterized by unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce the distress those thoughts cause (compulsions). OCD can be consuming and exhausting, but it is very treatable.
Dr. P offers both psychotherapy and medication for OCD. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard psychotherapy for OCD, and Dr. P is trained in this approach. For families of children and teens with OCD, she also uses Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Experiences (SPACE) — a parent-based approach that helps caregivers respond in ways that reduce rather than reinforce OCD behaviors.
Even when working together primarily on medication management, Dr. P integrates psychotherapy concepts into every session. Treatment is always comprehensive and collaborative.
Behavior Challenges & Disruptive Behaviors
Tantrums, defiance, aggression, and persistent rule-breaking can put enormous strain on families. These behaviors are rarely about a child simply being “difficult” — they are almost always a signal that something else is going on underneath.
Dr. P’s first step is always to understand the “why”. Behavior problems in children and teens are often driven by undiagnosed anxiety, ADHD, mood dysregulation, learning differences, or difficulty processing emotions. A thorough evaluation helps identify the real cause — and leads to much more effective treatment.
Once the underlying picture is clear, Dr. P may recommend medication, parent management training (PMT), or coordination with the child’s therapist and school team. Her goal is always to reduce distress for the child and restore harmony at home.
School & Learning Difficulties
When a child is struggling at school — with grades, attention, friendships, or behavior in the classroom — it deserves a careful, thorough evaluation rather than a quick answer. The causes are often layered: ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, giftedness paired with emotional challenges, or simply a mismatch between the child’s needs and the school environment.
Dr. P collaborates directly with schools, pediatricians, and therapists to create a coordinated plan of care. She helps families understand their rights under educational law and advocates for appropriate accommodations and support services when needed. Neuropsychiatric testing through WellMinds MD can add objective data to the picture and strengthen accommodation requests.
College Transitions & Young Adult Mental Health
The transition to college and young adulthood is one of the most psychologically demanding periods of life. For many young people, it is the first time they are managing their mental health independently — away from family, in a new environment, navigating identity, relationships, and academic pressure all at once.
Dr. P offers a non-judgmental, collaborative space for young adults who are struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, identity questions, relationship difficulties, or simply the weight of figuring out who they are and what they want. She understands that this age group often resists “therapy” as a concept and meets patients where they are.
Telehealth makes it easy to stay connected during college, even across state lines. Dr. P is licensed in Washington, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Montana, Vermont, and Hawaii.
Medication Management
Psychiatric medications, when used thoughtfully, can be genuinely life-changing. Dr. P approaches prescribing with care and rigor — taking time to understand your full medical and psychiatric history, discussing the evidence, the alternatives, and the risks honestly, and monitoring closely once a medication is started.
She does not prescribe by template. Each patient’s medication plan is tailored to their specific diagnosis, history, lifestyle, and goals. She pays close attention to interactions, side effects, and treatment response — adjusting as needed and explaining her reasoning every step of the way.
Medication is never offered in isolation. Every patient receiving medication management at WellMinds MD is also receiving the benefit of Dr. P’s psychotherapy training, which is woven into every session.
Evidence-Based
Prescribing decisions rooted in current clinical evidence and individualized to each patient.
Ongoing Monitoring
Regular follow-ups to assess response, manage side effects, and adjust as your needs change.
Transparent Communication
Dr. P explains her reasoning clearly so you feel informed and in control of your care.
Coordinated Care
Close collaboration with your therapist, pediatrician, or other providers for seamless care.
Integrative Psychiatry
Dr. P practices what she calls integrative psychiatry: a whole-person approach that looks beyond symptom checklists to understand the biological, genetic, nutritional, hormonal, and lifestyle factors that shape mental health.
Mental health does not exist in isolation from physical health. Sleep quality, nutrition, exercise, thyroid function, gut health, and chronic inflammation all influence mood, attention, and resilience. Dr. P takes these factors seriously, and incorporates them into her evaluation and recommendations — sometimes in ways that traditional psychiatry overlooks.
This approach is not a rejection of evidence-based medicine. It is an expansion of it — using the best of conventional psychiatry alongside a deeper understanding of the whole person. The goal is always sustainable improvement, not just symptom suppression.