Dr. Chaya Bhuvaneswaran, MD

I am a nurse switching jobs from super high stress to possibly lower stress. I found Dr. Chaya so kind and supportive. There's no question she wants to help. I found it really useful to have her review my meds, make adjustments, but also teach me CBT skills (that's she's certified in) and encourage me to consider psychodynamic perspectives. Her visits are 50% med, 50% therapy and reimbursed by insurance as such. I think any reviews expressing confusion about this just sadly reflect how difficult insurance is to deal with in general. In general, insurances require a certain duration of visit to reimburse to a specific level. Also, I saw one review that questioned why psychiatrists "ask about so many different things" or "think they know" what to ask. They're actually obligated to ask, and without doing that can't safely prescribe. For me, her thoroughness was so refreshing. I appreciated her detailed care, and how respectful she is.

I sought out Dr. Chaya because she is among the very few out, providers of color I could find. I'd read her2018 book before coming to her practice. I think her affirmation of identity including in a cross cultural way has helped me so much. Granted, psychodynamic psychotherapy is not for everyone. I read one of the reviews here that made it sound like the person just wanted a med check and not therapy. She doesn't do 15 min med checks is the thing. I feel like she takes the time to know me and give me realistic expectations about what meds can do. If I'm not caring for myself and being honest with myself, meds can't "fix" everything. But that said, she's a skilled and thoughtful psychopharmacologist. I strongly recommend!

Dr. Chaya will think she knows better than you. She can get you the meds you need but it’s her psychodynamic approach that ruins the experience. She pries at things in your life that are not that important just because she thinks she has you figured out. I would advise you stay away from her if you can, especially if you’re an LGBTQ person of color. She loves to dig for an underlying cause of all your problems and will talk over you instead of hearing what you have to say. She also isn’t good about getting insurance reimbursements done.

She is a compassionate, highly qualified, Harvard-educated psychiatrist who does her best for patients. She is a woman of color physician who has had to contend with discrimination and has thrived.

I am a graduate student in English, now about to finish my dissertation, when I was admitted for severe depression to Dr. Chaya's unit. My issues were straightforward and my admission just helped me stay safe and chart a path for outpatient since I did not have a psychiatrist at the time. But I was struck by how compassionate Dr. B was even with the most psychotic, aggressive patients. In psychiatry, unlike surgery, when a patient swears at and even threatens the doctors, the psychiatrist cannot walk away - unlike a surgeon who can simply refuse to operate. With patients like this, impaired and hurting others in the community, the psychiatrist is even more bound to intervene and offer treatment. Dr. B was patient and clear about her duty to help. I was impressed by her and grateful for her dedication, including when I saw her verbally de-escalate a patient who was raving, manic, psychotic and out of control.

This doctor's credentials are questionable at best. Patients, please stay away from this woman if you know what is good for you. Find yourself a psychiatrist with ethics and who sees patients as more than an insurance code and a means to get drug companies' awards for writing prescription drugs.