Where is your practice located?
My holistic psychiatry practice is located in downtown, Salt Lake City, Utah. It is less than 10 minutes away from the Salt Lake City International Airport and there are over 4 hotels within walking distance to my office. Public transportation makes me easily accessible to those without a car and there are many restaurants nearby.
How do you work with patients?
For patients who are interested in working with me, the initial evaluation phase consists of three appointments, each two hours long. The first evaluation which reviews the psychiatric history through a holistic perspective may be done virtually. The second and third evaluations must be done at my office to help the patient understand energy healing and testing. Future follow-up appointments are done weekly and may be held at my office or virtually.
Of course, it’s always better for you to come to my office and have face-to-face appointments. My office is located in Yonkers, New York, and Lehi, Utah. I am in each location about half of the time during the year. Currently, I am located at my Yonkers, New York, office.
For consultations, sessions may be done at my office or virtually through Zoom/FaceTime. A consultation provides guidance, teaching, or information for the patient, but I will not be able to prescribe any medications or be medically responsible for the patient’s direct clinical care. Usually, for international patients or patients who are unable to come to my office for the initial evaluations, I can help as a consultant. Consultations can be scheduled as a single appointment or as often as weekly to provide support in the following ways:
1) creating and adjusting a supplement regimen
2) guidance regarding medication withdrawal
3) functional assessment and testing using energy testing techniques
4) understanding of holistic and integrative principles and methods
5) maximizing resolution of underlying causes.
Are you currently accepting new patients?
Yes, I am. Usually, I work with patients during the day and cannot answer the phone, but my assistant at 240-437-7600 is available to answer your questions. I enjoy working with patients who are a good fit for my holistic practice. To review the following information in this FAQ section and complete the initial intake form and the admin forms at the "begin here" tab. You can also email me at the contact link with any remaining questions that my assistant or this FAQ section is unable to answer. I usually like to schedule a free, 15-25 minute Zoom call to answer patients’ concerns/questions and assess if I can be of help.
To contact Dr. Lee during regular business hours, please call my assistant at 1-240-437-7600. My assistant will be available during the day when I am with patients and cannot answer your calls. She can answer most questions you may have about my practice. Please leave your telephone number twice and a contact number for both day and evening. I am able to respond to calls or emails between sessions and at the end of the workday.
To contact me, simply write to me in the contact section on my website. You may also leave a voice mail at 301-802-4474. I will respond as soon as possible. Please leave your telephone number twice and a contact number for both day and evening.
Will I be able to get better with the use of supplements and energy medicine?
Most patients do get better. Integrative and holistic healing and treatment, using psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, nutritional support, and energy medicine are extremely powerful and effective tools for eliminating signs and symptoms of mental illness.
What are the costs of treatment?
The cost of individual sessions is $500.00/hr., billed at 15-minute increments.
For individual sessions, the first three initial evaluation appointments are generally two hours long. However, I provide a 25% discount on the cost of these three initial appointments. This extensive discount is restricted to individuals who are committed to long-term treatment with weekly follow-up sessions. Follow-up sessions are usually an hour in duration. Consultation appointments are billed at my regular fee of $ 500.00/hour.
Insurance companies will partially reimburse your sessions if you have out-of-network coverage for physicians. Patients pay at the time of the appointment, receive a bill at the end of the session, and can send their bill to the insurance company for reimbursement.
There is a non-refundable reservation fee of 50% of the first reserved appointment when scheduling the initial appointment, which goes towards the payment of the session. Because the reservation fee is non-refundable, cancellations or no-shows after reserving the appointment result in the loss of the reservation fee.
Unfortunately, I do not accept Medicare or Medicaid. For those with Tricare, a form for Non-Covered Services (click here for the form) will allow partial coverage of my current fees. HMOs will not be able to reimburse out-of-network physicians. However, insurances with PPO coverage will typically cover for a part of the sessions.
How long and how frequent are your follow-up sessions?
Appointments are 50 minutes long and occur once a week. Whether a patient is trying to avoid getting on medications or trying to withdraw from medications safely, follow-up appointments should occur once per week until the patient is ready to taper down on the frequency of follow-up appointments due to resolution of symptoms or all medications have been withdrawn safely.
After all the medications have been withdrawn completely and safely, there is a three-month period afterward when follow-ups continue on a weekly basis with decreasing frequency if appropriate. This ensures that the patient continues to heal underlying biological and psychological issues. The most vulnerable period for relapse is during the three months after all medications have been completely withdrawn.
Because the frequency of follow-ups is critical for a safe and successful treatment and/or withdrawal process, follow-up appointments that occur less frequently than once per week are more likely to stall or fail and are avoided.
As a general rule, if you want to withdraw from your medications, you should allow about 4-6 months for the withdrawal process and then add three more months of continued weekly or twice-per-month follow-ups before the frequency of follow-up starts to lessen even more. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.
If the patient remains stable for three months after all medications have been withdrawn, appointments will decrease in frequency until the patient no longer needs any follow-up appointments. At this point, the patient will be skilled enough and have healed enough not to require further psychiatric treatment. Treatment will shift to an “as needed” basis, and the patient will no longer need to be a patient. Maintenance of health will depend on the patient’s diligence in continuing a healthy lifestyle, taking necessary nutritional supports, doing proper energy work, and avoiding excessive stress.
How can I get short-term advice or guidance rather than medical treatment?
For those who are looking for one or two appointments rather than ongoing treatment, two options are available:
1) An analysis using energy testing techniques can be provided in one appointment, lasting 2-2.5 hours, to provide information about the patient’s condition. Patients who already have some understanding and previous experience with applied kinesiology/muscle testing/energy medicine will benefit from this approach.
This energy testing approach can be done at a distance to help clarify factors underlying dysfunction. The analysis can provide guidance about how to heal and what supplements are needed. Explanations of the results are provided during the testing. This process is usually 2.5 hours in duration and occurs over Zoom.
Prior completion of an initial intake form will be helpful. Cost $500.00/hour. A reservation fee of $250.00 is required to schedule the appointment, and the remainder is due at the completion of the analysis. No refunds will be given for cancellations or no-shows after the appointment has been reserved.
2) Consultations are also an excellent way to obtain advice and guidance if you are not seeking long-term medical treatment. It is an affordable alternative to receiving help for you or your family member without the commitment and cost associated with long-term medical care. Please be aware that consultations are not meant to replace medical treatment and cannot offer prescriptive interventions.
Consultations provide information that help patients understand contributing factors to their disorder or dysfunction. Interventions helpful for those disorders are discussed. Cost: $500.00/50 min. session. Recommended duration for a consultation is 1.5 hours or $750.00. To reserve the appointment, a 50% nonrefundable reservation fee is required. No refunds will be given for cancellations or no-shows after the appointment has been reserved. At the end of the first appointment, the remaining 50% will be due. Scheduling additional consultations may be helpful.
To arrange a consultation, please click HERE. Also, please see the Admin Forms section for reading and signing the Consultation Consent Form.
For those who cannot afford my services, I have advised individuals to start with a good naturopath, acupuncturist, integrative nutritionist, health coach, or chiropractor to progress with healing through other holistically-minded clinicians.
How is this holistic approach different compared to the conventional psychiatric approach?
a. A conventional psychiatric approach temporarily suppresses symptoms of mental illness with the use of prescription medications that cause physiological dependence and tolerance, while increasing the patient’s level of toxicity, in exchange for temporary symptom relief.
b. A holistic psychiatric approach treats the symptoms of mental illness with methods that facilitate the body’s own natural ability to heal (nutritional supplements, proper diet and detoxification, psychotherapy, and energy medicine). Symptoms resolve as the underlying physiological imbalances/deficiencies and past emotional traumas are healed. Patients learn how to handle stressors and maintain well-being on their own.
What is your success rate with patients using this treatment
The success rate is excellent and continues to improve. The majority of patients who are compliant with treatment recommendations and follow-up can reach their healing goals.
How long does it take to get better?
Generally, patients start to feel better soon after starting their functional and energy medicine supports and continue to noticeably improve from week to week. Most patients can reduce their medications or come off medications through holistic interventions.
What is your attitude towards conventional psychiatry and prescription medications?
Health and well-being without a need for prescription medications is true health. I am interested in restoring true health to my patients if it is safe and possible to do so.
Are you board-certified?
I am double board-certified in holistic and integrative medicine.
What are your hours and do you work on weekends?
My office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. MST and 1 pm to 8 pm EST.
What if I live in another state or country and cannot have face-to-face sessions?
Appointments over Zoom may help those who cannot meet with me face-to-face.
What is the general duration of treatment?
I will be able to estimate the duration of treatment after the initial intake appointments. Usually, treatment does not require chronic medication management that lasts for the duration of the patient’s life as typical in conventional psychiatry.
Can I pick and choose my treatment approach and the frequency of follow-ups?
The treatment approach and the frequency of follow-ups will need to be based on what is best for you medically and psychiatrically for you to meet your healing goals.
Is energy medicine going to conflict with my religious beliefs?
Energy medicine is aligned with the principles and practices of many spiritual traditions that people have learned through worship and religion. It uses the connection between the mind and body to heal through positive intentions and visualization.
Do you hold group sessions?
No. Currently, I do not hold group sessions.
I already have a ton of supplements, do I have to buy new supplements from you?
Supplements as a healing tool differ from one patient to another. The supplement regimen created for the patient is meant to be effective, absorbable, and unique to each individual’s health needs. We will test your supplements during the initial evaluation to see which ones work well for you and can integrate them into your regimen if they are appropriate for you.
Do you offer any discounts or sliding scale fees?
Currently, I am offering all new patients a 25% discount off my regular fees for the first three initial evaluation sessions. The total discount amounts to $750.00. Each session is two hours long.