Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Aparna Iyer.
So, before we jump into specific questions about your practice, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Coming from a family of physicians, I was interested in pursuing a career in medicine from childhood. I was definitely most influenced by my mother, an OBGYN, who sparked my interest in women’s health. However, during my time at UPenn, I was positively influenced by many wonderful psychologists, including Dr. Martin Seligman, and ultimately chose to pursue one of my undergraduate degrees in psychology as well.
Through medical school, residency and those early years of my career, I worked in many different settings prior to ultimately realizing that I wanted to pursue a small private psychiatric practice that prioritized a “whole person” approach and allowed me the flexibility to incorporate psychotherapy and alternative forms of medications as needed to help my patients heal. I have also been able to incorporate my love for women’s health by having an additional area of focus in reproductive mental health (i.e. mental health support around pregnancy loss, infertility struggles, pregnancy, postpartum and adoption-related issues).
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The pursuit of medicine can be really challenging, especially for women, and I was no exception in this regard. I found it especially difficult to balance schooling with other aspects of my personal life, such as having a family. I remember feeling so exhausted during my first pregnancy that I would sleep on my clinic floor during my lunch hour!
Once I had my career, I felt that my responsibility to my patients grew even more, and I wanted to ensure that I gave them nothing short of the excellent care that they deserved. As I was building this practice, I struggled with worries about how to create a practice that maintained that level of excellence but also allowed for balance in my life. I, fortunately, have a wonderful and supportive spouse and parents who all reassured me and supported me every step of the way. I’ve only been able to create this practice due to their guidance and understanding.
We’d love to hear more about your practice.
I am a board-certified psychiatrist. My primary area of focus is in creating a safe, inclusive and non-judgmental space for my patients. I do diagnostic evaluations, psychodynamic psychotherapy, utilize natural and alternative forms of medications and, in some cases, judiciously use psychotropic medications to help my patients.
I truly, truly care about my patients and have wanted a practice that would allow me to build an approach from the standpoint of compassion. I am most proud of my focus on building the relationship, a therapeutic alliance, first and foremost. I think that this relationship and trust are the essential elements of healing. Through this relationship, I make it a priority to extensively understand and evaluate my patient and use this understanding to tailor a unique treatment plan for that patient.
Although I see a diverse group of patients, my additional areas of focus are on physician health and wellness and on reproductive mental health (mental health through infertility struggles, pregnancy loss, pregnancy, postpartum and adoption-related issues). I also believe in prioritizing both the importance of lifelong learning and the importance of sharing knowledge with others. Therefore, in addition to my clinical practice, I have been a speaker for various conferences, such as conferences on physician wellness, reproductive mental health, and subspecialty meetings. I have also been a writer for various news outlets and magazines, and I am currently working on my first book!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have done nothing differently. The more challenging times have taught me PATIENCE and humility, but most importantly, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I had not been through them!
Contact Info:
- Address: 6842 Lebanon Road
Suite 103 Frisco, TX 75034 - Website: www.draparnaiyer.com
- Phone: 9723801842
- Email: aparnaiyermd@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/
visuallywellmd
Image Credit:
(Headshot) photo credit: Beaux Arts Photography
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