Professional Services

No one who has summoned the courage to ask for help should have to wait months for a pharmacological consultation—only to endure an impersonal 15 minute visit and get a prescription that may not even be your best option.

Perhaps it has taken you months, even years of feeling this isn’t the way your life is supposed to be, before seeking help. I respect how difficult it is to make that call. My approach, based on decades of experience in clinical practice, both hospital-based and in community settings, takes all of you into account.

As we define your personalized treatment plan, we will consider not only your mind and personality, but also your physical, spiritual, sexual, communal and cultural being.

A Treatment Plan Tailored to Your Needs

Here is what you can expect when we work together:

You can learn more about my clinical background on my Psychology Today profile and my public LinkedIn profile.

Careful, Compassionate Medication Monitoring and Support

Please be assured that you will not automatically be “put on” medication after one visit. We will do a comprehensive initial evaluation to determine, in consultation with your therapist, the best treatment plan for you. Follow-up, monitoring and maintenance of your progress will be arranged according to your needs and preferences.

Seeking help is all about admitting that you don’t have all the answers—that “trying harder” or distracting yourself with work, drugs, alcohol, sex or a host of other ways of avoiding the real issues won’t get you there, either. I congratulate you on taking this important step, and I look forward to supporting and guiding you on your journey.

Why take medication for anxiety or depression?

Sometimes, the burdens of the problems you face can feel so intrusive, even destructive, that the only way to engage in a therapeutic relationship is to mitigate or soften those overpowering feelings with the support of properly chosen medication.

This is not about taking a “happy pill” or causing you to feel “numb.” Nor is it a simple fix for your problems. Rather, I view medication as a way to augment and leverage the energy you need for emotional healing. It is about making the therapeutic path more accessible and acceptable by mitigating or easing the flood of feelings and negative self-talk that diminish your life, enabling you to think more clearly and to reframe how you understand your challenges. It is an accessory to the courageous work of discovering your real issues and long-term, healthy solutions.

I work with individuals of all ages, couples and families, with a particular interest in helping young adults who are facing decisions regarding career and living on their own for the first time. I welcome clients across the full spectrum of sexuality/gender identity.

I also collaborate closely with referring clinicians, providing psychopharmacological consultations and medication management to support your therapeutic work with another mental health professional.

Schedule your appointment with
Donald Schiermer, MD, PhD, MPH