SETTING AND EXPERIENCE: I have maintained a half-time private practice of psychiatry in Newport Beach since 1992, after retiring from the University of California Irvine, College of Medicine. I have a broad experience in psychiatry and when at UCI was at various times in charge of outpatient psychiatry, an inpatient program, and psychiatric consultation at UCI Medical Center. SCOPE OF PRACTICE: I provide consultation and treatment for a wide range of psychiatric problems. I do not hesitate to refer if I think that another mental health professional has more relevant expertise. I do not typically work with patients under 18 or over 80 years or with dementia, but refer them to specialists in child, adolescent or geriatric psychiatry. STYLE OF PRACTICE: I am a traditional clinician. I do not rely on testing and questionaires but simply talk with a person, ask questions, and try to understand their problems in a collaborative way. The initial consultation usually lasts around 45 minutes. The great majority of the time I will be able to make a provisional diagnosis, formulate, explain and implement a treatment plan during the initial consultation. I tend to start with lower doses of medication than most psychiatrists in order to avoid side-effects. (I sometimes even dispense empty gelatin capsules so that you might break up meds to smaller doses than the manufacturers provide.) I will followup by phone or email, if needed, over the first week or two, and consider it part of the initial consultation. Since I maintain only a half-time practice, I usually am able to respond fairly quickly to calls, emails, prescription refills and the like. I have no staff, so there is no one that you have to go through to reach me.