Psychiatry Services - Student Health Center

Welcome to the webpage of the Psychiatry Service in the Student Health Center of the University of California, Irvine! Whether you are an incoming freshman, or a returning student, you may find some of the services that we offer helpful to you during your time at UCI. The university experience provides many opportunities for emotional growth. Not everyone makes it through the college experience without experiencing some bumps along the way. While each person is unique, sometimes thoughts, feelings, emotions, or behaviors come up that cause problems in his/her life, or in the lives of loved ones. Friends and family often worry when someone around them has difficulty coping with things, gets involved in drugs or alcohol, or can't get along with others.

In addition to gaining insight about your own life, an assessment with the Psychiatry Service may be helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of a mental or emotional illness, or learning disorder. Some disorders you may be familiar with include depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, posttraumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and personality disorders.

The Psychiatry Service is comprised of medical doctors who have chosen to specialize in mental health. Psychiatric training requires 4 years of medical school and at least 4 years of residency training in medicine, neurology and general psychiatry. Psychiatric specialists use a knowledge of biological, psychological and social factors in working with patients. Initially, a comprehensive diagnostic examination is performed to evaluate the current problem with attention to its physical, genetic, developmental, emotional, cognitive, educational, family, peer, and social components. The psychiatrist arrives at a diagnosis and diagnostic formulation which are shared with the patient. The psychiatrist then designs a treatment plan which considers all the components and discusses these recommendations with the patient. An integrated approach may involve individual, group or family psychotherapy; medication; and/or consultation with other physicians or professionals from schools, juvenile courts, social agencies or other community organizations. This, in particular, is emphasized by psychiatrist with even further specialized child and adolescent psychiatric training.

-- Adapted from AACAP Facts for Families The Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist rev May 2008.

California state law and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act of 1996 (HIPAA) protect the confidentiality of communications between mental health professionals and their patients. At the Student Health Center, we will not discuss information about you with others without your consent except as required by law.

Your rights and responsibilties as a patient can be found here. A downloadable (doc) version can be found here.

ADHD INFORMATION

ADHD Information for Students (PDF)

ADHD Information for Providers (PDF)

HOW TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

To make an appointment. please call (949) 824-5304 to schedule your initial evaluation. We are open from 8am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday, and are closed on weekends and University holidays.

PERSONNEL

Vivien Chan, M.D., Chief of Psychiatry Service

B.S. The University of Akron summa cum laude
M.D. Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine; combined B.S./M.D. program
Medical License: current, State of California, College of Physicians and Surgeons
Psychiatry Residency: University of California, Irvine Medical Center; Orange, California
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship: University of California Irvine Medical Center, Chief Fellow
Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry

Dr. Chan is the lead physician in the psychiatry group and also collaborates with each and every member of the Mental Health Service. She is committed to providing access to the highest standard of mental health care at the Student Health Center with an individual approach at integrating a particular problem or symptom with its physical, genetic, developmental, emotional, educational, peer and social components. Her clinical interests include individual psychotherapy, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and thought disorders.

Sonya Rasminsky, M.D.

A.B. Harvard-Radcliffe College
M.D. University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Medical License: current, State of California, College of Physicians and Surgeons
Psychiatry Residency: Cambridge Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Adult Psychiatry

Dr. Rasminsky joined the Student Health Center in fall 2012. She was previously the Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry and the co-director of the Women’s Behavioral Health Service at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, where she taught and mentored medical students and residents and saw patients for psychotherapy and medication. She has also worked as a staff psychiatrist at University of Illinois at Chicago’s Student Counseling Center. Dr. Rasminsky’s interests include student wellness, women’s mental health, eating disorders, and trauma. She believes that communication and collaboration are the keys to a successful treatment relationship.

John O. Viesselman, M.D., M.B.A. , FAACAP

M.D. UCLA
M.B.A. University of Hawaii
Medical License: current, State of California, College of Physicians and Surgeons
Psychiatry Residency: Washington University Department of Psychiatry, St. Louis, Missouri
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship: UCLA Department of Psychiatry, Los Angeles, California
Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry
Fellow, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

In his career, Dr. Viesselman has practiced in the private sector, Kaiser, and state and county health systems. He is dedicated to utilizing the most effective treatments in those he is privileged to help. He has been a specialist for over 40 years with special expertise in psychiatric diagnosis, evidence based clinical practices, mood and anxiety disorders, psychiatric systems of care, medical administration, and psychopharmacology. He has served as principle investigator in clinical psychopharmacology research trials and was formerly Medical Director for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division, Department of Health, State of Hawaii. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in both Child and Adult Psychiatry.

Senior Residents

Senior residents are licensed physicians in their last year of psychiatry specialty training. Our residents from UCI medical center rotate with us on a 12 month basis.

Naomi Bikle, M.D.

CAMPUS RESOURCES

Counseling and Health Services; Counseling Center; Career Center; Health Education; Dean of Students; Ombudsman; Campus Recreation; Campus Assault Resources and Education (CARE); Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center; Campus Police

WEB LINKS

Feeling stressed? If you'd like to try some guided deep breathing and relaxation experiences, check out http://www.dartmouth.edu/~healthed/relax/downloads.html. Thank you to the Health Promotions staff at Dartmouth University (which is not affiliated with UCI) who generously permitted use and link to their excellent resource page.

Do you want more information about mental illnesses and behavioral disorders? Go to www.nimh.nih.gov, the site for the National Institutes of Mental Health, and check out the “Health Topics” section on the main page to start! For information about common health problems, preventive health information and healthy lifestyle habits, WebMD at www.webmd.com.

www.ulifeline.org This is an online resource center for college student mental health and emotional well being. Check out “Get the Facts” and “Factsheets” about depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, stress, alcohol and drugs to start.

Help us save lives. www.save.org : Suicide Awareness Voices of Education. Prevent Suicide. Treat Depression. Also see, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, www.dbsalliance.org

Is there anxiety or stress in your life? If so, check out www.adaa.org : The Anxiety Disorders Association of America has a special section on College Life. Click on the tab at the bottom of its home page to start.

Are thoughts of your body image and food running your life? See the National Eating Disorder Association’s parent and family network resource at www.edap.org to start.

Ever wonder about drugs and alcohol? The National Institute on Drug Abuse www.nida.nih.gov has more specific information on drugs of abuse.

www.healthyminds.org This is website by the American Psychiatric Association with resources and information.

Are you concerned about a developmental or childhood problem? “Facts for Families” are single page information sheets on a variety of topics. See this website by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to start: www.aacap.org.

www.nami.org: The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a national, state and local grassroots organization. Get involved!

www.activeminds.org: This is the organization for mental health advocacy specific to college campuses. We have a chapter at UCI!