Banyan’s psychologists, psychiatrists, and neuropsychologists work on one team. Our Burlingame and San Jose offices bring therapy, psychiatry, and neuropsychological testing into one practice, with telehealth across California. When you see more than one of us, the people treating you can talk to each other directly, share what they’re seeing with your permission, and adjust your care as a group. You don’t carry messages between offices or retell your whole history to every new clinician.
Most of our clinicians provide care in a language other than English as well, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Spanish, Japanese, Taiwanese, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, and Urdu.
When someone sees a psychiatrist in one office and a therapist in another, the two often never speak. One study in Psychiatric Services found that a third of patients in that setup received no coordinated care at all. In most cases, nobody had asked the patient to sign a release form.
Coordination changes results. A Cochrane review of 79 trials found that team-based care for depression and anxiety led to better symptom improvement, steadier medication use, and higher patient satisfaction than usual care. Research on combined treatment points the same way: adding therapy to medication works better than medication alone for depression, panic disorder, and OCD. Having a therapist and psychiatrist in one place removes that gap.
A few examples of how this plays out for Banyan patients. The exact steps vary with each person.
Demand for therapy and testing at Banyan is high, and the clinician who’s the best match for you may have a wait. Psychiatry appointments are often available sooner.
If you’re on a waitlist, a psychiatric evaluation can be a useful first step. Your psychiatrist can assess what’s going on, discuss whether medication would help now, and start your care with Banyan before your therapy or testing begins. When those services open up, your new clinician starts with what your psychiatrist has already learned.
Not everyone needs medication, and starting with psychiatry doesn’t commit you to it. The evaluation gives you a professional opinion on your options either way.
You can keep them. Many of our patients are Asian American, Latinx, or grew up in immigrant families. With your consent, our psychiatrist will contact your therapist, share relevant findings, and keep them updated on medication changes, so your outside care stays coordinated too.
Tell our team what you’re dealing with, which language you’d like to speak, and what insurance you have. We’ll suggest where to start, whether that’s psychiatry, therapy, testing, or a combination.
Questions about seeing more than one Banyan clinician.
Yes. Banyan’s therapists, psychiatrists, and neuropsychologists work together in Burlingame and San Jose, and most appointments are available by telehealth anywhere in California.
A therapist helps you work through thoughts, feelings, and patterns in regular sessions. A psychiatrist is a physician who evaluates whether medication would help and manages it. Many people benefit from both. During your free phone consultation, our team can place you on both waitlists if you are unsure about where to start.
Yes, with your permission. At Banyan, they’re on the same team. If your therapist is outside Banyan, our psychiatrist can coordinate with them once you sign a release.
No. You can see our psychiatrists on their own, with a therapist outside Banyan, or alongside therapy here.
A psychiatric evaluation starts your care at Banyan, though therapy timing still depends on clinician availability.
Our psychiatrists can consult with Banyan’s neuropsychologists when testing would help answer a diagnostic question, and they’ll talk with you about whether a full evaluation makes sense.