Counseling
Counseling services play a vital role in supporting mental health and emotional well-being. Whether you are struggling with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, or personal growth, seeking professional counseling can provide valuable guidance and support.
Counseling in Primary Care
I have been practicing primary care in Bellingham since 2013, and it was early on in my practice that I realized the importance of mental and emotional health when managing chronic illness. The mind has such a strong influence over the physical body and how efficiently it operates that good mental health is an essential requirement for optimal health.
Counseling has almost always been a part of my treatment recommendations regardless of a patient’s diagnosis. However, I would frequently run into the problem of not being able to find a counselor who was still accepting new clients. This became much worse after the COVID-19 pandemic, when depression and anxiety were at all-time highs and local counselors were overwhelmed by the volume of new patients. As a result, many of my primary care visits would end up with me doing mental health counseling myself.
Providing counseling while also serving as primary care allows me a unique perspective on how someone’s mental health may be impacting a person outside of just depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. I am also able to prescribe and manage most medications commonly used in mental health, but as a Naturopathic Doctor, I am also able to make recommendations on diet, exercise, and natural supplements that may favorably impact a person’s mental health.
