Recommendations for Psychiatric Centers at San Diego

July 22, 2019 3:32 PM

My insurance (Sharp Health Plan) offers mental health coverage through Psychiatric Centers at San Diego. I'm hoping to find someone to help me primarily with coping strategies for anxiety at either of the Mission Valley locations (assuming they also see adults at the Hotel Circle one). Does anyone have any experience/recommendations for specific practitioners I could request?

HAES-friendly/weight neutral is an important requirement. I'm in OB/PL so Mission Valley would be closest.

I've been in therapy before and pretty much know the drill, but I've been out here dealing with stuff on my own for quite a few years now and it just isn't working, particularly with anxiety when it comes up and being able to cope with that. So I'm really looking for tools and strategies to help manage anxiety before it gets so out of control that I can't function for a few days.

I've tried therapy with people at the social-worker level before and I really felt like the complexity and severity of my issues went beyond what they were able to help me with, so I'm planning on asking for a PhD Psychologist but am open to other opinions here. For a little more context, I'm a 39-year-old cis woman with a history of issues with depression (have been treated both with and without meds in the past), suicidal ideation/tendencies, disordered eating (hence the need for weight neutrality here), and sexual problems including a past (emotionally/verbally) abusive relationship that included a sexual assault. So there's a lot going on, but the thing I need help with specifically right now is coping with anxiety and I'm not all that interested in getting bogged down working on all my other stuff unless it's needed. It's been about 4 years since I had any kind of counseling/therapy other than taking an occasional Xanax courtesy of my PCP and I would say far longer (15+ years) since I've had any effective counseling.

I figure since I do have the coverage through insurance, trying this route of Psychiatric Centers at San Diego makes sense as a first line of defense, but I'm also open to hearing other local recommendations (or Skype therapists) in case PCSD isn't a fit. One of the major barriers for me in seeking this type of help is what a gigantic PITA it is to onboard a new therapist and then realize they're not a fit and then moving on to someone else, etc., and 6 months later you've seen a bunch of different people and haven't made any progress whatsoever. Any help you all can provide to help me avoid that situation would be hugely appreciated.

This was a hard post for me to write so extra thanks in advance for any help.

posted by atruesock to Health & Fitness (2 answers total)

I lived in San Diego for years and also had Sharp Health Plan as my insurance. I don't have a lot of recommendations as far as therapists with Psychiatric Centers of San Diego; I opted to initially go out of network due to complexities of being transgender that Psychiatric Centers of San Diego didn't really have decent offerings for. However, I did get a fair amount of experience navigating their system in search of a decent psychiatrist.

They do see adults at the Mission Valley location. However, I had better luck at their Rancho Bernardo location... and recommend opening your search to any location if you aren't restricted by lack of vehicle, time, etc. It makes finding the best provider for your needs much, much easier.

To be honest, my overall experience with PCSD was less than ideal and I'm glad to be rid of them, even though my current mental health coverage with my new insurance is worse for my bank account. They are really into a diagnosis, and I often felted locked into a treatment plan that wasn't ideal (because my diagnosis didn't feel ideal?). Also from my experience (and other's, from stories I've heard directly and indirectly), be prepared for high turnover of staff. I went through four different psychiatrists in a little less than a year and a half. It was very hard to form a therapeutic relationship and also maintain continuity of care. However, I found that my best/final psychiatrist was found by me being very direct in asking for someone who had already been part of PCSD for many years, not someone new, directly saying that I was willing to travel to any location (they kept scheduling me with someone at the Hotel Circle location, and it started to feel like a black hole to me), and then calling the specific office to ask for recommendations.

As far as therapists, the best experience I had was finding one (she was specifically a LCSW, but this could apply to a psychologist) out of a PCSD's network who then joined the network solely to have my insurance cover my sessions with her. I am not sure how easy it is for a therapist to do so, but it could be something to consider/discuss with any prospective therapist.

I know this isn't helpful in terms of recommendations. I don't think that PCSD is a overall bad service to get mental health assistance from; I had friends who found them overwhelmingly helpful when it was needed. However, it does come with a bunch of quirks (like any mental health provider) that would be nice to be prepared for. I hope you get some great recommendations and find a therapist who is a good fit.

In the mean time, I'll reach out today to friends still living in San Diego for recommendations and pass them on to you!
posted by Thirty7Degrees at 3:30 AM on July 24, 2019

Response by poster: Thank you both for your help! This gave me some good food for thought. In the meantime I called them at the beginning of the week and left a message and no one has returned my call - which doesn't bode particularly well!
posted by atruesock at 2:21 PM on July 25, 2019