Philosophy and Credentials
Training and Credentials
Dr. Fox is a board-certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist. She has always felt that medical training falls short in the areas of prevention, nutrition, holistic care, and care for the cultures, genders and individuals who might fall outside of a narrowly defined norm.
While preparing to apply for medical school, she completed two undergraduate degrees. One baccalaureate was in science, which filled all the medical school application requirements. The other baccalaureate was what Dr. Fox felt she should know as a physician. It focused on exercise, physiology, and nutrition.
She then did four years of medical school at The Mayo Clinic, a world leader in healthcare. At Mayo, she was elected Class President in her senior year, and served as the Medical School Representative for The Mayo Clinic Equal Opportunities Committee.
Dr. Fox next completed her Internship in Pediatrics at Stanford.
Dr. Fox then moved to the opposite side of the country for a year to complete a Research Fellowship at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, resulting in over a dozen presentations, posters and publications.
She then completed a four year Diagnostic Radiology program at the University of California, San Diego, passing her board exams before she graduated.
Dr. Fox next completed an Adult Psychiatry Residency at the University of Arizona, a leader in holistic and integrative medicine. While there, she recognized the critical importance that psychotherapy can play in supporting the whole individual, (rather than just giving medication).
She sought additional therapy training, and was awarded an American Psychoanalytic Association Fellowship. She completed this additional year of psychoanalytic therapy training concurrent with her General Psychiatry training.
After completing her Psychoanalytic Training Fellowship and her Adult Psychiatry Residency, Dr. Fox did an additional two years of Fellowship specializing in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Arizona.
She was appointed Chief Resident in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry during her final training year.
Dr. Fox strongly believes in a holistic integrative approach to care, emphasizing shared decision making with patients and an individual approach to the treatment plan for each patient.
So how does this help you, as a patient? If you were to go to your primary care physician for mental health treatment, your primary care physician can prescribe you one of the more commonly used psychiatric medications, because that is within their training. If you go to a therapist, your therapist can prescribe whatever type of therapy they are trained in.
But if you go to Dr. Fox, she can offer what is best for you as an individual, because she has in-depth training in both psychiatric medication and multiple types of therapy. Her child psychiatry training helps with both children and adults, as many people have issues and concerns, or even traumas, that occurred when they were children. Because of her extensive training in therapy and medicine, Dr. Fox can recommend treatment tailored specifically for you.
In addition, Dr. Fox firmly believes in the power of intentional lifestyle choices and nutritional choices. If you do end up as a patient of Dr. Fox, she will probably be asking you about your nutrition, and if you’re eating organic foods.
Philosophy
A meaningful approach to psychiatric care goes beyond a pill and a 15-minute visit. It recognizes that mental well-being is influenced by a variety of factors, including biological, psychological, social, and environmental elements. It is a “whole person” approach that integrates nutrition and therapy with the other factors that influence health. It is respectful of your time, your identity, your culture, and your own personal views about medication.
What is meaningful therapy? In my opinion, it isn’t the ‘cookbook’ therapy plans so popular today that are the same recipe for everyone. This isn’t to pick on therapists. Today’s young therapists are in the same boat as today’s young psychiatrists, because the majority are being taught symptom-oriented therapy designed to be brief and reimbursable by insurance. But it often doesn’t allow room for patients to get at deeper issues that are causing them distress.
A meaningful approach to psychiatric care recognizes that mental well-being is influenced by a variety of factors, including biological, psychological, social, and environmental elements. It is a “whole person” approach that integrates nutrition and therapy with the other factors that influence health.
Unfortunately, today’s psychiatry training programs focus more on psychopharmacology (medication) than therapy. Even worse, NP programs provide no formal therapy training at all. Some providers seek out their own additional education in therapy, which is admirable, as it is important to your care.
On another note, did you know that young physicians of all specialties are less and less often educated in nutrition as part of their medical school curriculum? This has been an ongoing trend for over a decade. More and more U.S. medical schools are dropping nutrition courses, at a time when our food supply in America is polluted with additives, pesticides, carcinogens, chemicals that act like hormones, chemicals that decrease IQ, and more. Many processed foods are designed to influence appetite, satiety, and cravings. They also may influence your mood, and not in a good way. This is why Dr. Fox studied nutrition, so what you eat and drink can be a meaningful part of your treatment.
I believe that patients benefit from personalized treatment plans tailored to their unique experiences and needs. I also believe that psychiatry and therapy are at best, a collaborative process. This empowers patients to take an active role in their healing journey, often leading to improved outcomes and a deeper sense of fulfillment.