Bay Area Clinical Associates - or other child psychiatrist recs?
I am seeking a child psychiatrist who takes insurance (Anthem Blue Cross) and is accepting new patients. After much research the only one I've found is Bay Area Clinical Associates, and was told by the friendly intake staff that there's only one clinician who sees patients in person, Dr. Jessica Uno at their Berkeley office. I can't find any reviews of Dr. Uno online and BACA's Yelp reviews are pretty dismal, albeit more for their billing practices (which is not nothing).
As a parent who has mixed emotions about arriving at this point of considering medication for our AuDHD complex kiddo who struggles mightily with distraction compounded by significant learning disabilities, this is not very reassuring. I would be grateful for any reviews of BACA's Berkeley office, Dr. Uno...or anyone else you'd recommend, specifically for medication for attentional issues. Thank you!
Parent Replies
I highly recommend Dr. Sanford Newmark-- we have Anthem. My son is a current patient , and although he is not a psychiatrist, he is an integrative medicine pediatrician specializing in ADHD/Autism at UCSF Osher center. He is also listed in CHADD and Additude as a doctor they recommend for ADHD treatment/management. I totally get the mixed emotions and my son was diagnosed in middle school and is now a sophomore at Bentley in Lafayette (he is thriving but it takes a village!) . He was always a pretty gifted student but we were stumped why he was inconsistent in assignments or was constantly distracted in certain situations. He has the inattentive type which is a littler harder to identify and I was fortunate that his school community had parents that were willing to share information and references.
They told me that finding the right ADHD help is not a sprint but more like a marathon -- so please be kind to yourself while you embark on this journey! Finding the right help/providers for ADHD can be be frustrating as most don't take insurance and those that do may not offer the more in depth help that you are looking for. This is why those that are quality ADHD doctors usually have a long waiting list-- and it wook us a year to see Dr. Newmark. The list might be shorter now and they can always put you on the waiting list but he was definitely worth the wait and once he's patient theres not a wait anymore. We see Dr. Newmark specifically for ADHD twice a year now and the appointments are always thorough in guiding any new concerns we might have.
https://osher.ucsf.edu/patient-care/patient-care-team/sanford-newmark
I would be happy to discuss our own ADHD journey if you think you would find it helpful ~ just send me a DM! Hang in there Mom, its going to be okay!
Sorry forgot to mention -- Even tho Dr. Newmark has a more conservative approach to medication-- we eventually did medicate through Dr. Newmark once he entered HS. I did all the things prior - eliminating sugar, rest, creating a support system, a therapist for my son, exercise, vitamins and it did make a difference in middle school. The diet was extremely clean Keto with a little bit more carbs but the fats were fish or avocados and we cut out all processed foods... It was time consuming because I made everything from scratch but I definitely saw a different child that was able to regulate better-- if you think about anyone that exercises, eats clean, and gets enough rest also feels less brain fog and has more energy and focus for the day -- so lifestyle choices is pretty critical for ADHD nuerodiverse kids... But when we got to HS I also didn't want him to have a negative relationship wiht medication and possibly self medicate so when we were ready for that step- Dr. Newmark was there as well. Good luck~
I don't have experience with Dr. Uno, but our child went to BACA in Berkeley for a few years, and the staff was always pleasant and accommodating. We were satisfied with the clinic.
Hi you probably already realize you’re looking for a unicorn. I don’t know Dr uno but I have had good experiences with baca. Without knowing the specifics of your clinical situation, would a developmental pediatrician be an option instead of a psychiatrist? The wait is likely quite long but you may have more options. Dr Nayfack or tang in the South Bay.
We have used BACA for years but have used online appointments for psychiatry and in person appointments for weekly therapy. I really like our psychiatrist (we see Dr. Haoyu Lee). Those appointments are typically 30 minutes and we spend the bulk of it with just parents then he meets with kid for a few minutes (which is good because they don't tolerate Zoom very long. For a long time Dr. Lee had them play an online game together during their portion). We also had a really fabulous marriage/parent therapist (online) through BACA but she's no longer with them. Kid had in-person weekly therapy for a long time (several years) with someone that has left, and it has been hard to get in person therapy with a long term person since then, about the time BACA shifted to start focusing on their IOP for teens. But, we have been meeting with students under supervision for the last two years and they have been helpful. It is really hard to find any in-person stuff for kids.
Dr. Uno is great! She’s very personable and knows her stuff. She helped our family immensely (dealing with ADHD and depression in our little one). However, BACA has some less capable non-psychiatrists, and sometimes it is rushed.
You can also go to Lifestance, but they are staffed by nurses a lot rather than doctors and we didn’t feel comfortable with that.