|
Each
phase of life...
Presents a
new set of challenges
At Northern
County Psychiatric Associates, we see challenges as opportunity for
growth.
Day after
day, we try to be strong, no matter what we face. Depression. Anxiety
Illness. Confusion. Growing up. And getting older. And often we mask our
troubles with smiles or withdraw into a world of our own. But there is
another way.
With care,
compassion, and clinical expertise, we can give you the help you need to
face the challenges that lie before you, so you can find the strength and
confidence to reclaim and rediscover life.
A
PLACE TO TURN
From
childhood through adulthood to our golden years, we are faced with a
series of challenges. For some, these challenges stem from biological
disorders which, if undiagnosed, can lead to years of pain for the
individual and family. For others, the stress of dealing with losses or
life’s transitions leads them to seek help.
At Northern
County Psychiatric Associates, we understand the issues you and your
family are facing and the roller coaster of emotions you are experiencing.
We provide a
warm, friendly environment where you can feel safe, comfortable, and
confident with your care. We are dedicated to helping you gain the
strength and tools you need to turn your challenges into opportunities for
growth.
EXPERIENCE
YOU CAN TRUST
As a cum
laude graduate of Cornell University, holding a Ph.D. from Harvard and
medical doctorate from Harvard and medical doctorate from the University
of Virginia, Dr. Glenn Brynes provides the
clinical knowledge to accurately diagnose and treat a variety of mental
disorders in people of all ages. And as a board-certified geriatric
psychiatrist, he has an advanced understanding of the mental disorders
most commonly experienced by mature adults.
Dr
Carol Watkins provides help not only to adults, but as a board
certified child and adolescent psychiatrist, she also has an in-depth
understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of emotional and behavioral
difficulties of children and adolescents. As a magna cum laude graduate of
Davidson College, earning her medical doctorate from the University of
Virginia, Dr. Watkins also extends the clinical expertise that comes with
prestigious credentials. And as a Clinical Assistant Professor and
supervisor of psychiatry residents at the University of Maryland Hospital,
she extends this knowledge to future psychiatrists.
FOR
THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE
As
psychiatrists, Dr. Watkins and Dr. Brynes are qualified to assess your
concerns from both a medical and psychological standpoint. They
have been specifically trained in general medicine, psychopharmacology,
psychotherapy and the effect of mental illness on your physical health.
Dr. Watkins and Dr. Brynes use their clinical expertise to evaluate
biological factors, mental processes, family interactions, and behavioral
patterns to get to the root of your problems.
We offer
diagnosis and treatment for:
-
Depression
-
Anxiety
-
Panic
Attacks
-
Phobias
-
Dementia
-
Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder
-
Bipolar
Disorder
-
Psychosis
-
Behavioral
Problems and Family Conflicts
In addition,
we provide specialized services for children, adolescents, and adults
coping with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(AD/HD or ADD). Both Dr. Watkins and Dr. Brynes have an in-depth
understanding of AD/HD and have earned a respected standing in the medical
community for their work with Children and Adults with Attention Deficit
Disorder (CHADD).
Using proven
medications, behavior-changing therapies, and educational options, they
are able to help patients with AD/HD move past frustration, focus their
attention, build self-esteem, and express themselves in positive ways.
TREATMENTS
TAILORED TO YOU
Treatment of
mental disorders is an ongoing process. Throughout the course of your
care, we will continually monitor your progress and alter your medications
and therapy as your condition improves. However, no treatment will begin
prior to a comprehensive examination, including a psychiatric evaluation
and, in some cases, psychological testing to determine the cause of your
problem. Only then can we develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
You can rest
assured that our in-depth examination and diagnostic process allow us to
give you a range of treatment options. Medication may be one of these, but
often it is not the only answer. We help you interface with schools,
employers, and other outside professionals.
We offer a
variety of therapy options. Your treatment may include:
-
Psychotherapy—Through
a variety of effective short-and long-term therapies, we can help you
end anguish and bring out your areas of brilliance. We may use dynamic
psychotherapy to help you gain a deeper awareness of your
thoughts, feelings, and actions, to help you understand their impact
on your sense of self and your relationships with others. Cognitive-behavioral
therapy can help you actively redesign your thought
patterns and behaviors for lasting, positive change. Play
therapy is a unique type of therapy that opens hearts,
heals hurts, and helps children and adolescents share feelings, so
they can effectively heal from severe depression, low self-esteem and
anger.
-
Family
therapy and parent behavior management—Help the entire family
group become stronger and grow together.
-
Medication—The
intelligent use of medication brings balance to many lives. This
permits individuals to feel more in control and better able to live a
productive life. And it can catalyze progress in other therapies.
-
Hypnosis—Specialized
techniques provide treatment of phobias, psychosomatic disorders,
anxiety, pain, obesity and other conditions.
-
Bright-light
therapy—This treatment can be effective in people with
conditions such as seasonal affective disorder.
SPECIAL
CARE FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
As a
specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry, Dr. Watkins has helped
thousands of children find their way back to childhood joy and a brighter
future. By listening closely to your child and offering emotional support,
she can help them resolve conflicts, understand their feelings and
problems and find effective solutions.
By looking
at your child’s full medical history and interviewing family members,
teachers, and primary care providers, she is able to gain valuable insight
into your child’s emotions, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. She can
then use this information to develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
To further
treatment success, Dr. Watkins works with parents to help them understand
that parents are usually not to blame for their child’s condition.
However, this does not mean that parents are powerless. Dr. Watkins shows
them that there is much they can do to help. And she is always willing to
teach effective parenting techniques for dealing with difficult behaviors.
SPECIAL
CARE FOR MATURE ADULTS
Growing
older can be stressful, not only for the individual, but also for his or
her family. And it can be further complicated when anxiety, depression or
dementia take hold.
As a board
certified psychiatrist with added qualifications in geriatric psychiatry,
Dr. Brynes understands the unique issues facing mature adults. He takes
into account existing medical conditions and medications to develop a
treatment plan that addresses their concerns without jeopardizing their
health.
Through a
combination of medications, psychotherapy, and counseling, he can help
mature adults and their families create a happy environment for many years
to come.
YOUR
COMFORT IS IMPORTANT TO US
We
understand that in order to feel comfortable with your care or the care of
a family member, you must understand the illness affecting you. That is
why we take the time to educate you about the challenges you are facing
and the variety of treatments available.
It is our
policy to keep al patient records strictly confidential. We release a
patient’s records only when he or she requests it or if required by law.
And because we don’t want anything to stand in the way of your
treatment, we offer morning, afternoon and evening appointments, and
gladly accept Visa and MasterCard.
Take
the first step in getting the help you need. Call 410-329-2028 today.
Northern
County Psychiatric Associates has offices in the Monkton and Lutherville
sections of Baltimore County, Maryland.
The
skills to help…
CHILDREN
express themselves and enjoy the process of growth and discovery
ADOLESCENTS
understand their changing selves and create a sense of belonging and
acceptance.
WOMEN
honor their uniqueness and share their gifts with the world.
MEN
discover the strength and courage to face the challenges and
responsibilities in their lives.
MATURE
ADULTS rediscover the passion of life, love and family, to find the
strength within themselves to embrace change.
FAMILIES
understand each other, end dysfunctional behavior, mend broken
relationships, and grow together as a family unit.
YOU
and those you love create the life you want, the life you deserve.
More
About Our Services...
Our
goal is to provide high quality psychiatric care to our patients. We
start with a careful evaluation of the individual or family. At the end of
the evaluation, we try to present patients with a range of possible
treatment options. We like for our patients to be well informed and play
an active role in planning treatment. Treatment options may include counseling,
play therapy, medication,
family therapy, hypnosis,
light therapy, or behavioral
interventions. We maintain strict confidentiality, and do not release
records without permission. We will work with primary care physicians,
clergy, family members or schools if the patient requests it. We offer
outpatient consultations
to physicians, and consultations
to schools and mental health professionals. In some limited
situations, we can offer forensic
psychiatric consultations. Each of our professional staff has had a
number of years of experience in the mental health field. We are active in
our professional societies and keep up with new information in our fields.
Anyone can feel
overwhelmed by depression, work, relationship problems, or other difficult
life circumstances. Often, family and friends can help work it out, but
sometimes, you need something more. Our qualified psychiatrists and
psychologist can help. We offer brief, solution-oriented counseling as
well as more in-depth, intensive therapy. Counseling can teach you to use
creative problem-solving to help you handle future problems.
Children and some
adolescents may feel more comfortable expressing their feelings through
the metaphor of play. A child may use puppets or dolls, or play dough to
work through difficult feelings. A child may talk about a doll's problems
rather than to directly acknowledge his or her own hurt. Some children mix
direct talking therapy with play therapy.
We provide
outpatient services. In the rare situations when psychiatric
hospitalization is necessary, we will help arrange the admission and will
help coordinate services with the inpatient psychiatrist. We will provide
follow up after discharge.
Our clinicians have
all had training in family therapy. This technique is often a powerful way
of producing lasting change. We help families build on their strengths and
develop clear lines of communication. We work with couple's issues and
parenting issues. Dr. Brynes has experience working with families who are
dealing with difficult situations involving aging parents or relatives.
Family therapy help
a couple avoid separation or divorce. If a couple have decided that
separation is inevitable, family work can help minimize stress and help
the mother and father work out parenting issues.
Family therapy can
be either short or long term. Some situations can be improved within a few
sessions by helping each family member clearly communicate with the others
about a particular issue. Other family situations may require an
integrated team approach. In this situation, one therapist in our group
might see one family member for individual therapy and medication and
another therapist in the group would see the family.
A number of
psychiatric illnesses have a biological basis. In the past two decades,
the psychiatric field has witnessed a great increase in knowledge about
biologically based brain disorders. We now have more specific, effective
treatments for mental illnesses. We treat depression, bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, dementia and other related conditions.
We also treat a number of adults and children with attention deficit
disorders.
Before starting
medication, we do a careful psychiatric evaluation. Sometimes, we suggest
that the patient be evaluated for physical conditions which can mimic or
complicate psychiatric illnesses.
We try to look at
the biological mental illness in the context of the whole person and his
surroundings.
If the individual is
in therapy, we like to keep in close communication with the therapist. If
a prospective patient is seeing an outside clinician for psychotherapy, we
prefer to keep active communication with the therapist so that we can gain
a greater understanding of how internal and external events affect each
individual.
Otto Learns About
his Medicine by Matthew Gavin, Magination Press, New York, 1988.
explains medication for ADHD so that a five to eight year old child can
understand.
Medical hypnosis is
quite different from the amateur or "stage" hypnosis. Medical
hypnosis requires advanced studies during or after medical or mental
health training.
We can use hypnosis
to help treat phobias, psychosomatic disorders, and anxiety. We also use
hypnosis and visualization to augment psychotherapy in certain situations.
We prefer not to use hypnosis for memory retrieval or legal cases.
Many people suffer
from varying degrees of fall and winter depression. This type of
depression is often accompanied by sleep changes and weight gain. The
medically supervised use of a bright light
source, such as a light box, can often cause significant improvement.
Light therapy is also sometimes used for other forms of depression and for
pHs. If we feel that light therapy is indicated, we can often lend out one
of our light boxes so that the individual can try one out for a month
before deciding to buy one.
- Sometimes a primary care
physician wishes to treat a behavioral problem in his own office. We
will be happy to see the patient for a single consultation or discuss
the case by phone. Our staff can give a second opinion on psychiatric
medication management issues.
- We can see an individual or
family to help clarify issues related to medical treatment
non-compliance.
- If you have a number of
patients who are having difficulty coping with a particular illness,
we would be willing to set up a short term group at our office.
- We also provide ongoing
outpatient psychotherapy for children, adults and the elderly.
Consultation
to Schools and Mental Health Professionals
- We are happy to perform a
single or short-term psychiatric evaluation for another mental health
professional.
- If we recommend on-going
medication, we will also be willing to interface with the physician
who will be doing the medication management.
- We do our best evaluations
when we receive, prior to the evaluation, background information and
specific questions.
- We will consult to schools on
a programmatic or an individual basis. If we are consulting on a
specific student, we need prior written consent from a parent. If
possible, we prefer to contact both parents of the individual student.
- If scheduling permits, we will
be willing to attend an ARD meeting, either in person or by telephone.
This must be arranged on an individual basis, and is usually not
covered by health insurance.
- Although we primarily do
diagnostic and therapeutic work, we will sometimes perform a forensic
evaluation.
- If a forensic evaluation is
desired, we need to know before the first interview. Payment is
different from therapeutic sessions and must be arranged in advance.
These evaluations are generally not covered by health insurance.
- In the case of custody
evaluations, we need to meet with both parents. Multiple sessions are
usually necessary.
- We prefer not to do a forensic
evaluation on someone who is already under our care. lf one of our
established patients requests a forensic evaluation, we will help him
or her find another mental health provider for the evaluation.
- We abide by the Custody
Evaluation Practice Parameters of the American Academy of Child &
Adolescent Psychiatry.
Awards
for our Web Site
|
