Patients are primarily seen via telepsychiatry (i.e. through HIPAA compliant video conferencing). Limited in-person appointments available upon request.

Yes, we see kids as young as 5 years old.

Yes, we see patients between the ages of 5 – 50 years old.

In a nutshell -- psychiatrists prescribe medication, psychologists do not prescribe medication; both can provide psychotherapy. They often work together to provide comprehensive mental health care. Read below for more details.

• Psychiatrists: They are medical doctors (MD/DO) who have attended medical school (4 yrs) then specialize in psychiatry by completing psychiatry residency (3-4 yrs). They can choose to specialize further by completing fellowship training (1-2 yrs) in different areas, like children/adolescents, geriatric populations, or addiction. Many focus on medical treatment of psychiatric illness, i.e. prescribing medication or ruling out medical conditions contributing to mental health issues, but can also provide psychotherapy. A “board certified” psychiatrist means they have met national standards for their specialty by passing their specialty board certification exam.

• Psychologists: They have a doctoral degree in psychology (PhD/PsyD) after completing post-graduate training (4-7yrs), a pre-doctoral internship (1 yr), and post-doctoral training (1 yr). Psychologists can also specialize further in certain issues, like eating disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders, or trauma. While they do not prescribe medication, they are highly trained in psychotherapy and administering assessments that help clarify diagnoses.

In addition to 4 yrs of medical school and 3 yrs of adult psychiatry residency, Dr. Ponce de Leon completed 2 yrs of fellowship training in treating children, adolescents, and their families at University of Southern California. This means she has the added experience of observing how mental illness develops in childhood, learning how to work with patients and their families, and interfacing with different systems of care to advocate for her patients.

Our clinic only prescribes stimulant medication for ADHD after completing a comprehensive evaluation and assessment that occurs over 2-3 visits. Patients must also have at least one in-person appointment per year to comply with current Ryan Haight laws.

We do NOT prescribe benzodiazepines (i.e., Xanax, Klonopin), opioid medication ( i.e.,Suboxone, Buprenorphine), or medical marijuana. Click here for a full list of benzodiazepines and a full list of opioid medication.

We do not provide Emotional Support Animal letters, Court ordered or Custody Evaluations, and Substance use disorder/addiction treatment. We also do not fill out disability forms for patients that are new to our practice, i.e. must be established for at least 1 year.

No, YourStory Psychiatry is a cash pay, private practice, i.e. we are an “out-of-network provider”. We can provide a superbill upon request which you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.

Please see the ‘Services’ section for more info on fees.

A superbill is a document that lists the services you have received at an appointment. Depending on the insurance provider, patients can submit this document to their insurance for partial or total reimbursement after seeing an out-of-network provider.

Not sure if your insurance plan offers these benefits or would accept a superbill? We recommend calling your insurance plan, requesting the ‘Benefits Department’, and asking if they would cover the following CPT codes for an out-of-network provider:

• Initial evaluations: 99204, 99205, 90833, 90836, 90838, 90792

• Follow-Ups: 99213, 99214, 99215, 90833, 90836, 90785, 99417

• Phone Consults: 99441, 99442, 99443

Yes! Start the process by filling out the “Consultation Request” form HERE