Adult Psychiatrist, Board Certified

Pasadena

✅ Accepting New Patients

💼 12 Years Experience

⭐ Highly Recommended

🕰️ Excellent Wait Time

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Getting to know Michelle To, M.D.

Michelle To, MD is double board certified in General Psychiatry and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (Psychosomatic Medicine). She graduated with honors from the University of Southern California before completing her medical training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. She has additional fellowship training in Integrative & Functional Psychiatry. Her therapeutic approach emphasizes the importance of authenticity, warmth, compassion, flexibility, and the healing power of being witnessed and understood. With each patient, she gathers a comprehensive history and uses lab testing to create a holistic treatment plan that recognizes each person’s biochemical individuality. Treatment may include medication, if necessary, but centers around addressing the root causes of mental illness such as poor nutrition, metabolic disease, environmental toxins, relationships, trauma, sleep, stress, and lifestyle. In her free time, she enjoys restoration gardening with California native plants.

Focus Areas

Depression
Mood Swings
Chronic Illness Adjustment

Childhood Trauma
Life Transitions
Panic Attacks

Bipolar Disorder
PTSD
Anxiety

Clientele

Young Adults
Immigrants/
Refugees

LGBTQ+
People with chronic illness

Adults

Treatment Approaches

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry: Provides psychiatric services to patients in other medical specialties, Integrative & Functional Psychiatry

Identity

Gender

Female

Languages

English

Insurance Providers

UMR
PHCS MultiPlan
Medicare
Carelon Health
VHP

ComPsych
Kaiser Permanente
Aetna
Cigna

BlueCross BlueShield
Magellan Health
TriWest
MHN

5.00

Had a great provider, zoom meeting on your phone is so easy and convenient! Thank you!

FAQs

1. What is your approach to working with patients?

I think it's important to set aside a generous amount of time to get to know my patients deeply. I strive to create a non-judgmental safe space for my patients to share their story and goals with me. The patient needs to feel heard and understood in order to trust. Honest communication and trust builds the foundation of the therapeutic relationship.

2. How do you integrate medication management?

I am generally cautious about the use of medications. Before starting a medication, I like to provide a lot of education about the risks and benefits, and include a discussion about eventually getting off of medications when it is appropriate. By using tools from my integrative & functional psychiatry training, I may ask the patient to put in more effort with nutritional and lifestyle interventions to get to the root cause of symptoms and minimize the use of prescription drugs.

3. What types of concerns do you specialize in treating?

Mood disorders, Chronic Complex Medical Illness, Women's Health Issues, Trauma, Health Optimization

4. What's something you want your patients to know about you?

I truly love my job.

5. What do you believe is the most important part of the healing process?

Openness to change.

6. What kinds of clients do you work with best?

I work best with patients who are interested in a holistic approach and who are willing to put in addtional effort with non-medication interventions.

7. Do you have experience with trauma or PTSD?

My training background includes two years of psychotherapy training with direct supervision with experts in the field of trauma and dissociative disorders. Although trauma therapy is not the main focus of my practice now, I consider myself trauma informed and have a deep understanding of how trauma can have lasting impacts on the body and mind.

8. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Gardening and being out in nature.