The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation provides mental health services custom-tailored to the needs of the individual who turns to us for help. The department is staffed by:

• Psychiatrists
  
• Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs)
  
• Marriage, Family and Child Counselors (MFTs)

These professionals are further assisted by a support staff. Together, the team works extensively to make sure that the needs of PAMF patients are met.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who are board certified in psychiatry. They specialize in the study, prevention and treatment of mental, emotional and addictive disorders. PAMF’s therapists received degrees from accredited schools of medicine and completed a three year minimum of residency training in psychiatry. Their training includes extensive study in subjects such as neuroscience, biology, pharmacology and biochemistry. In addition to counseling patients and performing psychotherapy, psychiatrists can prescribe medication and conduct physical examinations and medical evaluations due to their focus in the field of medicine.

LCSWs are professionals who obtained a master's degree in social work. They generally have more training looking at all aspects of their patients’ lives (living conditions, income, mental illness) and have a better understanding of community and government resources that will better aid their patients and meet their goals.

MFTs are mental health therapists who generally obtained a master's degree in psychology or counseling and have been trained in psychotherapy and family systems. Their training is usually more therapy-based, and they focus on diagnosing and treating emotional and mental disorders within the context of couples and family systems.
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