Private Practice
One-On-One,
Personalized Treatment
I am currently accepting new patients.
You can also see my referral list of integrative psychiatrists and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners who are accepting new patients.
If you’re looking for a trusted advisor to your mental health who will:
Listen to you
Offer treatment that gets to the root of the problem
Consider medication AN option, not the ONLY option
…then you’re in the right place
Founder and lead Psychiatrist at zen Psychiatry
About Zen Psychiatry
Zen Psychiatry is a Los Angeles-based Integrative Psychiatry Practice founded on my belief that healing is a holistic process. I believe in the combination of both Western medicine and Eastern wisdom practices.
My goal is not just to prescribe you a medication and send you on your way — it’s to be a long-term, trusted partner in helping you achieve a happy and fulfilling life.
I incorporate prescription medications, herbal and plant-based medicine, lifestyle changes, talk therapy, coaching, and mind-body medicine into a complete treatment plan to help you reach your goals.
The right medication is only the beginning of your treatment.
Sometimes, we need to dig a little deeper to get to the root of the problem.
My Credentials
✓ Board-Certified in Psychiatry
✓ B.A. in Psychology from Harvard University
✓ M.D. from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California — Member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
✓ Residency in Psychiatry from the University of California, Los Angeles — Nominated as a UCLA Exceptional Physician
“The human heart has a hidden need that science cannot supply.”
– Sir William Osler MD, Founder Of Modern Medicine
My Practice Philosophy
Service Offerings
I don’t just provide appointments, I provide solutions — all in the context of a caring, long-term partnership.
Medication Management
Integrative psychiatry doesn’t mean anti-medication — I can help you find the best medication regimen that helps you feel better without causing unnecessary side effects, and I can also help you reduce your need for medication by using holistic methods to give you extra support.
Psychotherapy
I use methods derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Spiritual Psychotherapy, Buddhist Psychology and Interpersonal Therapy in working with patients. Don’t get too caught up in the terms, though—the important thing for you to know is I start the therapy process by listening to you and hearing your story, and then I give you concrete tools to help you understand yourself and free yourself from negative patterns.
Lifestyle Coaching
The best medication regimen in the world won’t help if your sleep, nutrition, or exercise habits aren’t serving your mental health. It’s hard to change habits, though, and I can help you take tiny steps forward that will create massive positive results.
Herbal & Plant-Based Medicine
Prescription medications aren’t the only molecules that impact brain pathways involved with mood regulation, and I can work with you to use nutritional supplementation and plant-based medicines to feel better. If you’re already on a supplement regimen, I can help optimize it make sure you are taking the right supplements with the right formulation at the right dose, and I can make sure there are no dangerous interactions between any of the medications and supplements you are taking.
Functional Nutritional Testing
One of the limits of conventional lab testing is that just because your nutrient levels are in the “normal” range doesn’t mean you’re meeting all of your functional nutrient needs. I can work with you to use the latest technology of lab testing to examine your nutrient levels, organic acid levels, essential and metabolic fatty acid levels, amino acid levels, level of oxidative stress, and presence of toxins, which will allow us to further optimize your treatment regimen.
Advanced Hormonal Testing
One of biggest problems with our hectic modern lives is adrenal burnout and fatigue. I can provide advanced salivary cortisol and melatonin testing in order to assess adrenal function and better diagnose and treat chronic fatigue.
Gut Microbiome Testing
The medical community now understands the massive connection between gut health, our microbiome, and our mental health. I can provide advanced gastrointestinal stool testing to assess for maldigestion, inflammation, dysbiosis, metabolite imbalance, and infection.
Food Allergy & Sensitivity Testing
What we eat can have a huge impact on how we feel, and some of us have food sensitivities that we may not be aware of that subtly affect our mood. I can provide advanced food allergy & sensitivity testing and guide you toward dietary changes to optimize your health.
Genetic Testing
No bodies or minds are exactly the same, and new research is showing how our genes can influence how we respond to treatment. I can use genetic testing to examine your predisposition for illness, predict response to specific medications, and optimize your medication regimen.
Mind-Body Medicine
I can teach you how to use meditation and mindfulness to stabilize your mood and better ride the natural waves of emotions that we inevitably experience by virtue of being human beings.
Integrating Psychedelic Experiences
The therapeutic use of psychedelics (including psilocybin, LSD, ketamine and MDMA) can lead to profound spiritual awakenings (and has growing evidence for the treatment of depression and PTSD) — but how does one integrate the lessons from a psychedelic experience into daily life? I can help you process your experience with psychedelics and incorporate new ways of thinking so you can experience more purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in your life.
Areas of Focus
I am able to treat conditions not mentioned below, but these are the primary areas of specialty in my practice.
Anxiety
Depression & Mood Disorders
I can help stabilize your mood, feel happier, and live a more fulfilling life free from the cloud of depression or bipolar spectrum illness.
Trauma & PTSD
I can help you process emotional trauma, face your fears, and increase your ability to experience joy and other positive emotions.
Surviving Cancer
I can help you cope with a new diagnosis, stay strong during treatment, and return to living a fulfilling and meaningful life after cancer.
Treatment Tracks
I offer two different “treatment tracks” for my patients, Essential Psychiatric Assessment & Treatment and Integrative/Functional Psychiatric Assessment & Treatment.
The reason for this is I have found there are two main categories of patients who generally come to me in my practice, those who have not tried many traditional psychiatric treatments before (and are best served by trying these approaches first), and those who have more complicated histories and have tried many traditional treatments that haven’t worked or have caused side effects, and need a different approach.
Read below to see which treatment track is best for you:
Track #1: Essential Psychiatric Evaluation & Treatment
Goal:
To relieve your symptoms and improve your life with the judicious use of medication management and/or solution-focused psychotherapy.
Good for you if:
✓ You are new to seeing a psychiatrist or therapist, or your experience with psychiatry has generally been positive, neutral, or “good enough” (although you may be looking for something better)
✓ You haven’t yet tried “traditional” psychiatric approaches, or haven’t tried many medications or therapists
✓ You are looking for treatment for symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Spectrum, or PTSD, or looking for general support to cope with life changes or stress
✓ You are looking for treatment for symptoms or you have one, or maybe two main problems/diagnoses you are looking for help for
✓ Your general physical health is good
✓ You are open to the use of psychiatric medications if appropriate
Includes:
✓ Comprehensive pre-session questionnaire to assess psychiatric history, medical history, lifestyle habits, and goals for treatment
✓ 75 minute initial consultation
✓ Follow up appointments scheduled as needed (25 or 50 minutes)
✓ Treatment can include medication management and/or psychotherapy
✓ Can include ordering and interpretation of follow up labs (basic lab work only)
✓ Can include genomic testing to optimize medications (separate fee charged for test & lab review)
Track #2: Integrative/Functional Psychiatric Assessment & Treatment
Goal:
The Integrative/Functional Psychiatric Assessment & Treatment Track includes everything in the Essential Track, and more. The goal in our work together will be to relieve your symptoms, improve your life, and optimize your mental and emotional health with a combination of judicious medication use (where applicable), solution-focused psychotherapy and holistic/functional medicine approaches.
Good for you if:
✓ You have a complicated medical and/or psychiatric history
✓ You are looking to reduce medication use and take advantage of all holistic approaches available
✓ You have tried “traditional” psychiatric treatment and it hasn’t worked
✓ You have tried multiple psychiatric medications and they haven’t worked, or you have a tendency to be very medication sensitive
✓ Your psychiatric diagnosis is unclear, you have multiple diagnoses, or don’t think you’ve been diagnosed properly in the past
✓ You suffer from chronic medical issues, such as chronic fatigue, hormone dysfunction, gut issues, autoimmune or inflammatory conditions, etc.
✓ While you would like the focus to be on holistic treatments, you are OPEN to considering the judicious use of psychiatric medication where appropriate
Includes:
✓ Comprehensive pre-session questionnaire to assess psychiatric history, medical history, lifestyle habits, and goals for treatment
✓ Additional pre-session questionnaires to assess symptoms of inflammation, thyroid dysfunction, and adrenal dysfunction, and GI/gut dysfunction (common contributors to psychiatric issues)
✓ 2 hour initial consultation
✓ Follow up appointments scheduled as needed (25 or 50 minutes)
✓ Review of past medical records and lab work if applicable
✓ Ordering and interpretation of follow up labs, including both basic lab work (done at Quest) and Advanced Functional Testing
✓ Treatment can include medication management, psychotherapy, and functional psychiatric assessment and treatment
✓ Creation of customized supplement plans based on results of functional lab testing
✓ Review and optimization of supplements currently taken
“The knowledge of science is necessary but not sufficient for the practice of medicine. If you want to be a scientist, then study science. If you want to be a clinician, you must study science but also understand the human condition and practice empathy. Medicine = Science + Heart”
– Dr. Elana Miller (Me)
Fees & Billing
Please be aware of the following billing practices:
- I do not accept insurance or work with insurance companies directly, but I can provide an itemized receipt or superbill that may allow you to get some reimbursement from your insurance company if you have out-of-network benefits.
- I do not offer a sliding scale or discounted rates. My fees as outlined below are the same for all patients.
Appointment Fees for Track #1 (Essential Psychiatric Evaluation & Treatment):
For Essential Assessment & Treatment, please expect an investment of $2500-$4000 (without psychotherapy) or $3500-$11,000 (with weekly or biweekly psychotherapy) for the first 3-6 months of treatment.
Initial Consultation (75 minutes): $925
Follow Up Appointment (50 minutes): $475 ($425 if weekly psychotherapy)
Follow Up Appointment (25 minutes): $350
Please note that for the Essential Psychiatric Treatment Track, follow up appointments for medication management only are typically 25 minutes and appointments for medication management and/or psychotherapy are 50 minutes. In some cases, I might recommend scheduling a 50 minute appointment even if we are not doing psychotherapy to have more time to discuss complex issues regarding medications or lab results, but this is less common.
Appointment Fees for Track #2 (Integrative/Functional Psychiatric Assessment & Treatment):
For Integrative/Functional assessment & treatment, please expect an investment of $4500-$9000 (without psychotherapy) or $5500-$13,000 (with weekly or biweekly psychotherapy) over the first 3-6 months of treatment (including functional lab work, if indicated).
Initial Consultation (2 hours) : $1500
Follow up appointments (length of time for follow up appointments based on complexity of case):
Follow Up (50 minutes): $475 ($425 if weekly psychotherapy)
Follow Up (25 minutes): $350
*Please note that depending on the complexity of your case, a follow up appointment or two may be needed to complete your assessment
Clinical Services Between Appointments
For both treatment tracks, clinical services provided between appointments (e.g. phone calls with family members or other providers, prior authorizations, letters or forms, transfer of records) are billed at the rate of $75 per 10 minute increment.
Lab Fees
Specific lab testing is discussed during our sessions and ordered as clinically indicated based on your symptoms and goals.
Basic lab work: Cost of lab testing — billed to insurance (copay may apply), Lab Review Fee — $75
Genomic Testing: Cost of lab test — billed to insurance (copay may apply), Lab Review Fee — $150
Functional Lab Testing: (includes both cost of lab test (billed by lab directly) + Review Fee) (Integrative/Functional Treatment Track only)
- Functional Nutritional Testing: $650
- GI gut testing: $650
- Comprehensive Allergy & Immunology Testing (includes testing for sensitivities to foods and mold): $650
- Salivary Adrenocortex Profile (cortisol testing): $260
- Salivary Melatonin Profile: $190
What My Patients Are Saying
(Please note: identifying details have been changed or removed to protect patient privacy, names are pseudonyms, and images are stock images. However, these are all real comments my patients have written to me.)
“Working with you these last 6 months has truly been amazing. I know I certainly have things to work on with my health, but I have truly enjoyed and looked forward to every one of our sessions. I have to say, I’ve never laughed so much with a therapist in my several years of therapy sessions, so thank you.”
Allison A., 25 years old
Therapy & Medication Management“You are an amazing woman. Thank you for being a gift in my life. You helped me heal at a very difficult time in my life.”
Susan R., 60 years old
Medication Management“You have helped me so much, and you are very clearly a kind and responsible and brilliant doctor. Thank you so much. I’ve never had such a good experience with a psychiatrist before, one who really listened.”
Elena R., 40 years old
Medication ManagementIts been an absolute pleasure having you as my doctor, you’ve changed my life in ways I can’t describe.
Riley S., 20 years old
Medication Management“I’ll be forever grateful for what your guidance has done for me. Until you started treating me, I never trusted the therapists I had seen and I didn’t believe what I had was really something that could be helped. I thought I’d just have to deal with it. I want you to know that there are very few people that have made as positive an impact on my life as you, and your help truly changed my life. It may have even saved it.”
Jack R., 24 years old
Therapy & Medication Mangement“You have been at the center of a really positive change in the last year of my life and I cannot thank you enough for your amazing care.”
Adam N., 42 years old
Therapy & Medication Management
Let’s Get Started
