Confusion between psychotherapy and psychiatry is common among patients in Boca Raton beginning their search for mental health support. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in mental health and whose primary clinical role is medication management. Most psychiatrists in Florida see patients briefly for medication evaluation and monitoring and do not provide ongoing psychotherapy. A psychotherapist, and specifically a licensed clinical psychologist like Dr. Steinbok, provides the talking treatment: the regular sessions of sustained psychological engagement that produce change through relationship, understanding, and the examination of experience.
For patients dealing with conditions that may warrant both medication and psychotherapy, the two disciplines are complementary rather than alternatives. A patient might see a psychiatrist for medication evaluation and Dr. Steinbok for psychotherapy, with both providers working toward the same clinical goals. Dr. Steinbok's Boca Raton practice focuses entirely on psychotherapeutic treatment and does not prescribe medication. Patients who are already on psychiatric medication are welcome, as are those who have chosen not to pursue medication and are looking for psychotherapy as their primary treatment. The question of which combination is appropriate for a given patient is one that Dr. Steinbok can help think through during an initial consultation.
