When I went to medical school I had the dream of becoming a surgeon. Little did I know where my journey would lead me. During my fourth year of medical school I went through a transformative process where I grew tremendously emotionally, spiritually and relationally. As a result I found a peace and joy I had never had before. One beautiful Saturday morning as I hiked up a Southern California mountainside it hit me- I wanted to help other people achieve the same in their lives! With that psychiatry became my passion- it was time to begin my training in “virtual surgery.”
My psychiatric residency program helped me establish a solid knowledge in the field I had chosen. I was especially grateful for the training I received at Loma Linda University on how to integrate healthy spirituality with mental health. However, one thing I noticed was that psychiatry was largely focused on treating symptoms rather than addressing the root cause of mental illnesses
I saw many patients improve their symptoms temporarily only to relapse back into depression or anxiety. It seemed like many patients struggled with chronic mental health symptoms that left them with a poor quality of life. I realized that a paradigm shift in mental health treatment was needed to improve outcomes so that people could realize their potential. Fortunately I had the opportunity to see the results of a wholistic approach in mental health. I observed two 10 day residential depression and anxiety recovery programs that helped me see the power of implementing natural means in creative ways to address some of the most difficult mental health challenges.
This inspired me To apply these same natural principles on an outpatient basis where almost anyone could have access to these treatments. With this idea in mind Beautiful Minds was born. My wife and I started the mental health practice in 2011- Initially we sub leased from a counseling office, and she graciously worked the front desk while I was a solo practitioner. We quickly realized that we needed a team of professionals and support staff to provide the type of wholistic treatment that would give our clients an optimal outcome. Over the years we have grown tremendously and we are incredibly grateful for all the amazing staff who have joined the practice. We have developed a mental health treatment model of addressing the whole person, including physical, psychological, relational and spiritual components which has given us amazing results. It is my greatest joy to see the clients we work with find the same peace and joy I found years ago as I hiked up a Southern California mountainside!