I’m a board-certified psychiatrist committed to helping people learn how to love themselves. My work focuses on using a combination of therapy and medications to correct unhealthy thinking patterns and address chemical imbalances. I believe in letting you take the lead in your own healthcare and will work with you to come up with a treatment plan that makes you comfortable.

I’m passionate about creating a safe space for all and regularly participate in continuing education both in the general field of psychiatry and through the WPATH Global Education Institute.

If you’re interested in a free 15-minute introductory phone call, please call or text me at (949) 773-9207, email me at amy@amybloodpsychiatry.com, or schedule directly through my patient portal at https://amy-blood.clientsecure.me

What is one thing that you have learned through your own therapy?

I have learned the importance of speaking kindly to yourself and how to build healthier self-talk habits. I’ve also learned how much being affirmed by another person can help your self esteem. Finally, I’ve learned that taking up a little space can be a good thing and ways to help someone do that.

What was your path to becoming a therapist? What inspired you to choose this profession?

I always thought I would be a doctor, but once I got to medical school, I didn’t know what kind to be! I ended up connecting the most with my psychiatry rotation. Although the science of medicine is interesting, I was always thinking the most about my patients’ lives: Who were they going home to? What did they do for a living? What did they do with their free time? All of those things make us human and make us unique, but we often don’t have time to explore them in medicine. I love being a psychiatrist because I get to treat that human part of a person and help them feel like themselves again.

What does a typical session with you look like?

Sessions are highly variable. Some people see me for therapy, others see me for medications. Some see me for both, and some see me for only a one-time consultation so that I can advise their primary doctor on how to adjust their care. Regardless of what brings you in, sessions are 50 minutes, so even if I’m primarily seeing you for medications, we have time to get to know each other and you can have a little extra support. I pull from a variety of schools of therapy, including psychodynamic (exploring your past), cognitive behavioral therapy (training your thinking patterns), and internal family systems (studying your relationship with your thoughts and feelings).

To read more about Dr. Amy Blood, please visit www.amybloodpsychiatry.com