A Mindful Path To Mental Health
If you are ready to embark in a journey to become the best version of yourself and live the life you want, I will be happy to work with you to achieve your goals.
Carolina Bonilla Jacome, M.D.
Congratulations on making the first step to helping yourself!
My commitment is to focus on you, and your well being.
In my experience, people who address only one aspect of the cause of their suffering may get better, but a multidimensional approach is the only way to achieve wellness, and restore mental health.
It is my greatest joy and privilege to witness the amazing transformations people have when they find the tools to pursue the life they want for themselves.
I look forward to meeting you!
My commitment is to focus on you, and your well being.
Wellbeing can only be achieved by taking into consideration every dimension of the human experience. We are a result of our genes, the very particular ways our body functions, how we care for our bodies, the way we think, what we do every day, our surroundings, what we believe in, and our history. Each person is unique, and everyone deserves to have a treatment plan that takes all these very important aspects into consideration to build a healthier future.
The treatment that I offer, includes:
It is my greatest joy and privilege to witness the amazing transformations people have when they find the tools to pursue the life they want for themselves.
I invite you to read my Physician-Patient treatment agreement below for you to have a better idea of what to expect if you chose me to help you with your mental health needs.
I look forward to meeting you!
At your initial visit, I will conduct a thorough review of your current complaints and of your background. By the end of the initial visit I will offer my preliminary impressions, and we will discuss your treatment options. Occasionally an assessment alone is all that is needed to assist you on the road to wellness/recovery. If follow-up care in warranted, this usually means psychotherapy (talk therapy) with or without other treatment modalities, such as medications or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
In my experience medications and/or TMS alone are insufficient to promote wellness. A healthy diet, exercise, and regular use of stress management techniques are usually important factors in achieving optimal mental health and are integral part of the treatment I provide.
One of the most important curative aspects of a therapeutic relationship is the goodness-of-fit between physician and patient, so, the initial visit is also your opportunity to determine for yourself if I am the right provider for you. If you feel that I am not well matched to your needs, I would be happy to provide you referrals to other mental health professionals. It is important for you to know that my practice is small, and not equipped to manage psychiatric conditions that require urgent care or 24/7 treatment. If you believe this is something you are very likely to need, a mental health clinic or large health care system may be better equipped to meet your needs.
And If you feel I am the right fit for you, I will be happy to work with you to meet your goals.
I am a strong proponent of a holistic approach to treatment, that addresses, biological, psychological, social, spiritual, and cultural factors that may be affecting your mental health. And you can expect me to make suggestions to address all these factors in the course of treatment, but you always have the final say on what you want to do. You have the right to consent to one or more of these therapeutic approaches I may recommend, and to revoke your consent for any of them at any time during treatment.
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is a powerful treatment for many mental complaints. It offers benefits of improved stress management, interpersonal relationships, resolution of specific problems, and a deeper insight into one’s own life, values, goals, and development. However, therapy is not guaranteed to work for everyone, and it requires a great deal of motivation, discipline, and work on both parties for a therapeutic relationship to be an effective one. Patients will have varying success depending on the severity of their complaints, their capacity for introspection and their motivation to apply what is learned outside of sessions. Please be aware that the process of psychotherapy may bring about unpleasant emotions, it is not uncommon for these feelings to have an impact on current relationships you may have. If this occurs, it is very important to address these issues in your next session. Usually, these unpleasant sensations are short-lived, preceding relief and making room for inner peace and positive emotions.
To maximize the chances of success is very important that you share with your doctor whether or not you feel your goals are being met, to reassess the approach being used to better serve you.
Even though I incorporate psychotherapy in most, if not all my sessions; I may provide you with referrals for other therapists to work along with me, if I believe you require more frequent or more specialized psychotherapy approaches than what I can offer you.
Psychiatric medications are effective tools to treat many conditions.
Medications should be considered when despite working hard on therapy and lifestyle changes, your mental illness markedly impacts your ability to work, maintain interpersonal relationships, or properly care for your basic needs. In these cases, medication may offer much-needed relief, particularly in conjunction with psychotherapy and a healthy lifestyle.
If it is agreed that medications are indicated, I will discuss all of the medication options available to treat your current condition. I will present information in a language that you can understand. You will learn how the medication works, its dosage, and frequency, its expected benefits, possible side effects, drug interactions, and any withdrawal effects you may experience if you stop taking the medication abruptly. By the end of the discussion, you will have all the information you need to make a rational decision as to which medication is right for you. You may already be receiving psychotherapy from another therapist and are referred to me for medication management. In this case, I will make a strong effort to coordinate care with your therapist (with your consent, of course). I believe communication between mental health professionals is key to providing effective care. Not everyone is a good candidate for medication therapy. Such therapy requires strict adherence to dosage, and frequency, regular follow-up, and sometimes laboratory tests. Taking your medication as prescribed, and attending regular follow-ups are key to obtaining maximal benefit and avoiding adverse reactions related to your medication. Therefore, if your treatment plan includes prescription medications, regular visits are required to approve medication refills, and your doctor may not renew your medications if you have not been seen at the recommended intervals.
If your symptoms have not subsided after adequate trials of medications, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation may be a good treatment alternative for you. TMS is a non-invasive treatment proven to be effective to treat Major Depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in patients who have failed other treatment approaches or have been unable to tolerate medications. The TMS device generates changing magnetic fields that can be used to modulate brain activity in a specific area of the brain involved in the particular illness being treated.
TMS therapy can be highly beneficial for patients with severe, treatment-resistant symptoms, and is very safe, and well-tolerated for most people. However, to obtain good results, patients need to undergo daily treatments for 4-6 weeks, often followed by a reduced number of treatments for an additional few weeks. Requiring for the patient to be committed to attending frequent visits for 2-3 months in most cases, for some patients even longer.
If TMS is a good option for you, we will discuss risks and benefits at length, and you will sign a separate consent for such treatment.
If you wish to learn more about TMS [click here](Understanding Brainsway Deep TMS Treatment for Depression)
At your initial visit, and at each subsequent visit, we will discuss the recommended interval for the next visit. If new medications are prescribed or changed, or if your symptoms warrant close monitoring, you may be asked to make a follow-up every few weeks or monthly. This is necessary to ensure proper administration and minimize any side effects you may experience. If your symptoms improve, follow-up visits can be spaced out to every two or three-month intervals.
All follow-up appointments include brief focused psychotherapy, and a medical evaluation, to assess health factors that may be affecting your mental health and monitor your medication and/or TMS regimen if these are part of your treatment plan. But the amount of time required for each of these components varies from patient to patient and may vary over time, based on the acuity and complexity of symptoms. Follow-up sessions may last 25 to 60 minutes depending on your individual needs.
Before each visit, you will be asked to complete a set of validated rating scales to help me get an idea of what your symptoms have been like in the recent past. These are very useful to track your symptoms over time, to document response to treatment.
They also give me an idea of how your symptoms have been in the recent past. We all have good days and bad days, and if I'm seeing you on a particularly good day or bad day and don't have a context of how the other days have been, I miss something important or overreact in response to an isolated event.
I understand that completing these measures takes time, and it may feel burdensome at times, but they do help me help you better, and research has proven the consistent use of rating scales in psychiatric treatment leads to better outcomes.
Before your first appointment you will be asked to complete:
Before your first appointment and subsequent appointments, you will be asked to complete:
If you believe you would benefit from my expertise in these areas, please complete my Appointment Request Form, and my staff will get in contact with you.
Thank you for considering me to care for your mental health!. I look forward to meeting you!
