Jennifer Downey, MD, practices general adult psychiatry, psychodynamic psychiatry, and psychoanalysis in her office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  She is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. 

            Dr. Downey does two things in her office—Assessment and Treatment 

 Assessment: 

If you make an appointment to see Dr. Downey, you will first discuss with her your concerns and symptoms, any health problems you may have, and any previous treatment you have received..  She will share the results of her assessment with you and discuss her recommendations regarding what your difficulties are and what treatment is most likely to help you.

Treatment:           

Treatment with Dr. Downey always has a talking (psychotherapy) component.  Psychotherapy in her office is individual and confidential.  Psychodynamic psychiatry simply means that Dr. Downey will consider the life experiences you have had as well as how to use the relationship between clinician and patient to advance the treatment.  Also,  she considers the possibility that a person can have problems that have forgotten-about or unconscious aspects. 

The combination of psychotherapy with medication often helps people recover more fully.  Dr. Downey often uses medication with patients but not always.  Some people do extremely well with psychotherapy alone.

Special Expertise:

1)     Women’s health problems

2)    Sexuality, especially sexual orientation and gender

3)    Emotional aspects of physical illness

4)    Parenting

5)    Problems of people in the health professions

While many people seek Dr. Downey out for problems like these, her practice is not limited to them.   Details about Dr. Downey’s  education and publications may be found elsewhere on this website.