Welcome to Village Psychiatry
Thank you for taking your time to learn more about us! We are located in Memorial Village in the medical center. Dr Peterson has been in practice in this area of Houston for over 10 years. We treat a wide variety of conditions including Mood Disorders, Depression, Bipolar, Anxiety, OCD, Psychosis and Schizophrenia, ADHD, ODD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Substance use Disorders. Dr Peterson is Board Certified to treat children, adolescents, and adults. Our goal is to serve you with exceptional psychiatric care, to connect with you, and for you to know you are not alone on the path to better health! Below are some descriptions of treatment that can be involved with your care. We are glad you are here!
Evaluation and Diagnosis of Psychiatric Conditions
When you come for your first visit, you will meet with Dr Peterson to be evaluated. For both children and adolescents it can be helpful to have time as a family to discuss issues that are ongoing as well as time alone with the patient. During the first appointment you will typically receive feedback if there is a diagnosis to make, what treatment options are available, and if appropriate what medication potentially can be used.
Not everyone who sees a psychiatrist will need medication. Often there is more than one choice to improve. We pride ourself on educating patients not just on their medical options but how they can improve without pharmacology.
Psychoeducation
In psychoeducation, the goal is to develop a better understanding of a medical condition to improve outcomes. We believe that a patient should be informed as much as possible to foster further change outside of your appointment! This can involve discussions on the origin of an illness, prognosis, treatment options, or prevalence. Psychoeducation can also involve discussions of personal coping ability, internal and external resources, and areas of strength. When you have a better concept of the challenges you are facing you are often better able to address difficulties, feel more in control of the condition, and have a greater internal capacity to work toward mental and emotional well-being.
Psychopharmacology
Psychopharmacology is the use of medications to improve mental health. It involves incorporating neuroscience, psychology, alternative diagnosis, and general medicine to make these decisions. This can be very complex as it is important to understand various principles of what the body does to medication and what the medications do to the body. A large portion of a psychiatrist's practice is often devoted to this aspect of treatment.
Interventional Psychiatry
Interventional psychiatry is a subspecialty that uses technology to treat psychiatric conditions. Currently at Village Psychiatry we offer transcranial magnetic therapy and Spravato for the treatment of depression. Both of these are in office treatments which have novel ways of improving the disease when routine medication management is not effective. We also offer TOVA testing which is an objective computer based measurement system for ADHD. We also use of the Monarch System for ADHD which involves a trigeminal nerve stimulation apparatus instead of medication.
Supportive Psychotherapy
"Supportive psychotherapy is the attempt by a therapist, by any practical means, to help patients deal with their emotional distress and problems in living. It includes comforting, advising, encouraging, reassuring, and mostly listening, attentively and sympathetically. The therapist provides an emotional outlet, the chance for patients to express themselves and be themselves.
In addition, the therapist may inform patients about their illness and about how to manage it and how to adjust to it." -Psychology Today
