Dr. Bernard D Beitman, MD

Dr Beitman believes that he can judge my current mental state without ever having met or even talked to me. This is a version of delusion de grandeur.

I have seen Dr. Beitman for many years, and it’s been great to have someone I can come to who always helps me talk through my problems and identify and rework my patterns. He is very knowledgeable about meds when I’ve needed to give that approach a try.

I have been working with Dr. Beitman since Christmas Eve of 2009. He has provided wise counsel and insight to me on a myriad of personal and professional issues including an acrimonious divorce, estrangement from my adult children, the aftermath of a near-death illness, the ouster of the President of the institution I represent and her unprecedented reinstatement, a new relationship and marriage and most recently a moderate stroke. In each of the above instances, Dr. Beitman helped me to "pick up the pieces" accept accountability for my contribution where there were problems, adopt new life strategies to assist me in moving forward in a more holistic way and a willingness to share with me his insight on a particularly difficult issues I am facing. I don't need someone to tell me I am right or that my problems were caused by some incident in my childhood. I need a counselor who will challenge me to think hard about my actions and how they may have created or added to a… problem. Dr. Beitman is such a person. He is also well read and comes up with countless interesting examples to illustrate his counseling points. Finally, I find Dr. Beitman to be a person of integrity and a genuinely good guy. I believe others will benefit from his approach and routinely recommend him to friends and colleagues.

I do not exaggerate when I say that DR. Beitman saved my son's life. After 2 suicide attempts that were cries for help, self-medicating, failed analysis, and much anguish, Dr. Beitman immediately saw the issues at hand and found the right prescription and now my Son, who is bipolar with hallucinations, is properly medicated and hasn't had a drink in 2 years, is no longer depressed and hallucinating, has held down a job for a long period of time, is showing pride and a sense of accomplishment and momentum and is saving money to go back and finish College and it is ALL due to Dr. Beitman. No one else could intuit the issues involved with my son and I was losing hope and found it in Dr. Beitman. I cannot recommend him highly enough. I have My son and he has his smile as a result of Seeing him.

Dr. Beitman is an incredible therapist and psychiatrist. I sought him out after my father-in-law committed suicide, after which I suffered from depression and anxiety. With Dr. Beitman's help i not only improved upon the depression and anxiety, but also discovered other issues in my life that contributed to my anxiety and depression. He has given me ways to think about them and turn those experiences into learning and improvement in my self. For that I am grateful. Prior to Charlottesville, I lived in NY and San Francisco and saw 5 therapists all together. With each of the five, 3 visits was as far as it went, because I felt as though the doctors were just telling me what I wanted to hear. Dr. Beitman tells you the truth and does it subtly so as not to be offensive. His honestly makes his therapy sessions real...the sessions make you think, reflect, and he helps you discover ways to improve. I respect him tremendously. He has impressive credentials: a Brown education, a… Psychiatrist and a therapist, and was the chair of the University of Missouri's Psychiatry School. In my sessions he's lived up to those impressive credentials. In summary, if Dr. Beitman has space to take you on as a patient, do it. He has helped me tremendously, and I respect and enjoy Dr. Beitman.

I've been seeing Dr. Beitman for about 15 months and have been extremely satisfied to date. His style is very direct and that can take some getting used to. However, I can say that I've come to really appreciate his honesty during our sessions. There have been times I needed to hear brutal honesty and he was the only professional who gave that to me. His choice of meds has been excellent and he is very good at letting the patient have some say in dosing. I've never waited more than 5 minutes and 90% of the time he is ready at the start of our appointment.

Beitman sucks, for people that have severe problems that's about all he's good for otherwise he takes sides when coming to disagreements and he cussed me out once....extremely unprofessional, he's a dinosaur when it comes to the world of psychiatric care.

Dr. Beitman is an excellent psychiatrist who goes above and beyond to deliver the best course of treatment to his patients. Prior to finding this wonderful doctor, my usual experience in a psychiatrist's office had been very rushed and uncomfortable. Dr. Beitman takes his time to get a full idea of the patient to formulate a well thought out and proper course of action! Beyond being expert at what he does, Dr. Beitman is friendly and interactions with him are comfortable. I very highly recommend this talented physician!

I am a direct person. Unfortunately I also went through an exhausting process finding a therapist that fit with me, who I felt spoke my language and wasn't condescending. When I first met Dr. B I honestly wasn't sure if I could believe that I had found someone who fit so well with the workings of my mind. My time with Dr. B has made me a healthier, happier and more balanced version of myself. He's a great listener and talking with him allows me a safe place to go where I get help processing my thoughts. Because of my work with him I think more clearly and can mentally put things down so I'm not tossing them around in my brain wasting time and energy. I'm glad I met him and feel lucky to get to work with him.

When I first started seeing Dr. Beitman I was hesitant to continue taking medications for my depression. I had had severe, very damaging reactions to previous anti-depressants with a previous psychiatrist and was nervous to continue. I chose to see him because I wanted someone who had a knowledge of the meds and the physical workings of the brain but who was also proficient in a psychological approach to depression in case I wanted to continue med-free. Dr. Beitman was very accepting of my decision to remain med-free. When I was ready to take meds but had found out that I have liver issues that make processing meds difficult, he was very supportive about my taking smaller doses and not continuing if I had a reaction. I can't imagine many other psychiatrists who would have had such patience with someone who reacted so oddly to meds, and we have ultimately been able to find some meds in small doses that work for me. I find him compassionate and supportive, and I greatly appreciate the… fact that we can focus on therapy and not just meds. I have never had that with another psychiatrist. I would recommend him and have recommended him to others, particularly if they are looking for someone who does both meds and therapy. He is never late for our appointments and scheduling appointments is easy.