Dr. Kara Martin Lichtman, MD

I have worked with Dr. Lichtman for eight years, and I can say with utter confidence that she is the most skilled psychiatrist and psychotherapist I have ever worked with (and I've worked with about seven others over three decades). Several things make Dr. Lichtman stand out. First, unlike many psychiatrists, who rely almost exclusively on the "biomedical model" of mental illness, Dr. Lichtman is additionally trained in psychotherapy—and it shows in her interdisciplinary approach. Of the eight years that I saw Dr. Lichtman, we spent ~10% of the time talking about medication-based solutions, and ~90% of the time on talk therapy, and she is *exceptionally* skilled at this. She creates a warm and caring environment where I always felt safe discussing even the most difficult or terrifying of topics. It never felt transactional and it is abundantly clear that Dr. Lichtman is there to support you. Equally important, she does a fantastic job helping you to see your blind spots and identifying… areas for growth and helping you seize those opportunities and that is so important. Moreover, while other therapists can come off as academic, overly-intellectual and distant, Dr. Lichtman is wonderfully down to earth and relatable. It is such a breath of fresh air. Probably my only caveat is that at it can be difficult at times to schedule with Dr. Lichtman, as she is often quite busy. But having experienced so many other therapists and psychiatrists as cold, robotic, aloof, transactional or judgmental, Dr. Lichman is the utter opposite and I am so grateful for the healing and growth that I've experienced working with her.

As a clinician, Dr. Lichtman is easily the best psychiatrist I've ever had. She actually listens, recognizes that not every change in mood is simply the result of medication (and needs to be addressed through a medication adjustment), and is flexible about what treatments she prescribes, taking patient input into account. Given how rigid and unapproachable psychiatrists can be, I feel very grateful to have found Dr. Lichtman. That said, I have had ongoing clerical issues with her. I don't want to discount the challenges of running a practice by oneself but that doesn't make this less of a problem. Double booking sand last-minute postponements are common, and overall I'm just as likely as not to see Dr. Lichtman at my originally scheduled appointment time. Though she's reachable by text and email, there can be a lag of a full calendar day or two before hearing back. Luckily, I started seeing her when my condition was already pretty stable, so I can only recall needing to reach her… urgently once, meaning this issue has mostly been inconvenient but not serious. At the same time, if you have drastic treatment needs, I fully trust her clinical judgment, and other psychiatrists aren't necessarily easier to reach (even if they have clerical staff).