Julia Tidik

I am a board-certified psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner. I have advanced training and certification that allows me to function with a similar scope of practice to a psychiatrist, with a different background and training. During our initial visit, I will want to learn about your problem: when it began, what is it like, and what seems to make it better or worse. I will ask about any treatments you have tried. I will assess the use of alcohol and other substances, and how these have impacted you. I will also ask about physical symptoms, your medical history, family history and other things to complete a full psychiatric assessment. It can be helpful to invite a family member or significant other to attend part of your initial appointment to provide additional contextual information. I may recommend laboratory testing, imaging studies, or consultation with other specialists if there are signs of a medical issue contributing to your problem. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, and what has been tried so far, I may recommend treatment with medication. My style is to inform patients and help them understand any medication I recommend. Taking a psychiatric medication is a serious decision, so if a patient decides they would like to try one, I want them to feel confident and secure. My approach is to use the least amount of medication for the shortest period of time required to be effective. I rarely prescribe benzodiazepine medications. I love helping people with medicine when needed, and I also love helping people get off them when they are better. I will additionally recommend behavioral changes, often focused on sleep, exercise, nutrition, and use of alcohol or other drugs. I may also have recommendations on how you approach work or school, family, and social relationships. Often I will also recommend engaging in therapy, and can provide recommendations as I don’t provide weekly counseling. Psychiatric medications can be life-saving. Some people with certain kinds of mental health conditions will benefit greatly from taking a medication for life. But many more will take medications for a brief time, perhaps 6 or 12 months. Making behavioral changes and engaging in therapy is very helpful in being successful with not taking medications in the future. The initial consultation will be 60 to 90 minutes. At the end of this first meeting, I will offer you my initial thoughts on your problem, a diagnosis if any, and my recommendations for what I think may help. Follow-up visits are 30 minutes. I usually recommend we meet fairly frequently, every 3 to 4 weeks until you are starting to feel better. Depending on the case, follow-up visits will then be every 1 to 3 months. Once improved, some patients choose to follow-up with their primary care provider for continuation on a medication. Most patients prefer to continue to see me every 4 or so months when things are going well. I do not contract with any insurance companies and so am considered an "out-of-network" provider. Many patients find their insurance reimburses them a substantial portion, and sometimes 100%. You may want to call your insurance company to find out. I cannot see patients who have Medicare. I frequently keep evening hours as well as weekend availability. I schedule most appointments via Telehealth (videoconferencing), however can also schedule in-person if that is your preference.