Welcome Dr. Van Bezooyen, MD to the team. He joins us after completing Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at USCF this year. He has also served as Chief Resident at VA Medical Center and Emory University where he also did an additional two years of specialized training in psychotherapy. He received his medical degree from Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California. During his fellowship, he worked at San Francisco VA Hospital to obtain additional training in addiction psychiatry.

Join addiction psychiatrist, Jeff DeVido, MD, and Matt Blagys, PhD to learn about complex cases and how to help families when faced with difficult situations.

Get the latest information about complex cases – those presenting with co-occurring disorders

Equip yourself with information on how you can help families/clients (upstream before they are faced with negative health conditions)

Learn the importance of integrated care and what that means

This CE training is provided to Mind Therapy Clinic’s partners free of charge.

Reserve your seat by clicking here.

Welcome Dr. Marin Epson!

Dr. Epson earned his medical degree from Columbia University, his law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School, and Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. Dr. Epson completed training in adult psychiatry and forensic psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University.

Board certified in general adult and forensic psychiatry, Dr. Epson has more than ten years of experience treating individuals undertaking personal reckonings and transformations. He has experience treating trauma, psychosis, depression through medication and therapy – supporting a renewed sense of meaning in the lives of his patients.

Dr. Epson holds appointments as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Weill Institute for Neurosciences with the University of California San Francisco, as a staff psychiatrist with the San Francisco Veterans Administration, as a staff psychiatrist in the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, and formerly was on faculty at the University of Colorado as a Consultation/Liaison Psychiatrist.

Dr. Schiller has updated his very popular article on the role medications play in trauma treatment. First published in 2016, one might argue that this update including TMS and Ketamine treatments, is even more relevant today.

Ketamine.

There has been quite a lot of interest in the use of ketamine in the treatment of depression. Ketamine has been used since the 1970’s primarily as an anesthetic. It is an NMDA receptor antagonist which accounts for much of its activity and its actions as a hallucinogen and dissociative agent. The latter also accounts for its potential for abuse. However, other effects of ketamine, perhaps a transient increase in glutamate transmission and causing an increase in the connectivity of neurons, may account for ketamine’s ability to act as an antidepressant. There is also research into the use of ketamine in the treatment of PTSD. In the most prominent studies, depressive symptoms, often present in people with PTSD did improve, but there were inconsistent results in whether specific symptoms of PTSD improved.

TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation).

While not a medication treatment, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS or TMS) is a physical treatment which is approved for the treatment of depression. In TMS, a magnetic coil is placed over a targeted area of the head. A magnetic field goes through the skull and causes a small electric current in the brain in an area associated with depression. This area is connected to other parts of the brain which may also be secondarily stimulated and likely treat depression through increasing connections between neurons. TMS is being investigated as a treatment in a number of other psychiatric disorders including PTSD. Studies appear consistent in showing improvement in depressive symptoms in PTSD. Though further research needs to be done to draw more definitive conclusions, a number of studies have shown TMS to be well tolerated and effective in treating some of the specific symptoms of PTSD.

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We are pleased to welcome Julie Sauber, PsyD. Dr. Julie Sauber is a licensed psychologist and clinical supervisor, holding a Psy.D. in clinical psychology and M.S. in counseling psychology. With nearly 20 years of experience in the mental health field, her work has been dedicated to helping adolescents, adults, couples, and families who are affected by substance use disorders and co-occurring diagnoses, such as PTSD, OCD, anxiety, panic, and mood disorders.

We are pleased to welcome Annie Don!

We are pleased to welcome Stephanie White, LPCC who is a licensed Professional Clinical Counselor.

It’s no secret that COVID-19 has greatly impacted everyone. When the pandemic began, Mind Therapy Clinic moved quickly to a virtual platform which has allowed us to provide care to our clients and those from greater distances from the clinic.

We feel it is now safe and feasible to return to live care. We believe live care has many benefits including increased intimacy and connection to Mind Therapy Clinic staff and client peers as well as decreasing the sense of isolation and separation that has characterized the pandemic for so many people. It also provides opportunities for social engagement and offers greater access and accountability.