Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To schedule an appointment, call 713.798.4857.
For more information, visit the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences website: http://www.bcm.edu/psychiatry

Our Services Our Physicians Location

The Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine is dedicated to delivering outstanding, comprehensive mental healthcare to our patients, and to working within the community to reduce the stigma of mental illness for patients and their families.

As part of a world-renowned medical school, we offer the finest educational programs for mental health trainees of all disciplines, including instructing general physicians about the prevalence, seriousness and treatment of psychiatric disorders. We are equally committed to the pursuit of excellence in basic, clinical and translational research initiatives related to mental illness.

Our Services

Baylor Psychiatry Clinic

We offer patient care through Baylor Psychiatry Clinic, including comprehensive assessments and treatment for psychiatric, psychological and relationship difficulties. Our services include medication management and individual, marital, group and family psychotherapy. We offer care for the following patient needs:

Mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder
Anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive, panic or phobic disorders
Personality disorders
Eating disorders
Psychiatric disorders related to women's reproductive events
Marital and family conflicts
Relationship problems
Evaluation and treatment of organ transplant donors and recipients
Work-related problems
Brain injury related problems
Child and adolescent problems

Baylor Psychiatry Clinic is also actively involved in the community, offering screening programs for depression, anxiety and eating disorders, as well as support groups for grief and loss, post divorce problems and other mental health issues. In addition, the Clinic provides speakers to address mental health topics of interest to community groups.

Specialty Clinics

In addition to our general clinic, Baylor Psychiatry Clinic also offers a variety of subspecialty clinics to address specific problems or disorders. Specialized services are provided in the following areas:

Mood Disorders - Specialized assessments, research, pharmacotherapy and specific psychotherapy techniques for depression and bipolar disorder.
Anxiety Disorders - Integrated medication and therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder and post traumatic stress disorders.
Psychological Evaluation Services - Personality testing and neuropsychological assessments are available.
Focal Evaluations - For professionals in crisis and complicated diagnostic or treatment problems referred to the Clinic by other mental health professionals. These are conducted by a multidisciplinary team over a two- to four-day period.
Marital and Couple Psychotherapy - Assessment and treatment of relationships, including marital and couple therapy and pre-marital counseling.
Sexual Abuse Treatment Program - Specialized treatment of sexual abusers and other deviant behavior. Group therapy and adjunctive treatment is provided.
Eating Disorders - Specialized assessment and treatment of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Individual and group therapy is available as well as pharmacotherapy.
Child and Adolescent - Evaluation and treatment of children, including individual and family therapy, parenting, pharmacotherapy and psychological testing, with a focus on disruptive behavior, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and eating disorders.

Our Physicians

Ranjit C. Chacko, M.D., professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, also serves as deputy chief of Psychiatry at The Methodist Hospital. Dr. Chacko specializes in adult psychiatry, psychopharmacology and somatic therapies, with subspecialties in geriatric psychiatry and neuropsychiatry. His special interests include electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), refractory mood disorders and psychosomatic therapies. Dr. Chacko earned his medical degree from the University of Ceylon in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He completed his residency in psychiatry at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, where he served as chief resident in psychiatry. He is board certified in psychiatry and neurology, as well as geriatric psychiatry.

Lois C. Friedman, Ph.D., is associate professor and associate director for the Psychology division of the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director of the Psychology Internship Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). She also serves as director of Psychosocial Oncology at the BCM Breast Care Center. Dr. Friedman specializes in the psychological aspects of breast cancer and individual, group, marital and family therapy. She earned her M.S. and her Ph.D. from the University of Houston, followed by an internship at Baylor College of Medicine.

Heather S. Goodman, M.D., Ph.D., is assistant professor for the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and serves as the director of the Psychiatric Counseling Service for Students program at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Goodman specializes in adult psychiatry with interest in depression, anxiety and pregnancy/fertility/adoption-related issues. She earned her medical degree and her Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine.

Robert G. Harper, Ph.D., associate professor of the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, specializes in clinical neuropsychology evaluations and general clinical psychology evaluations. His special interests include neuropsychological evaluation of elderly patients, the evaluation of children and adults for learning disorders and attention deficit disorder (ADD), organ transplant evaluation, fitness for duty assessment, assessment of complex clinical syndromes, and behavioral medicine. Following undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Harper earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Texas in Austin. He completed a postdoctoral residency in medical psychology at the University of Oregon Medical School.

Jennifer E. Pate, M.D., is an instructor for the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. She also serves as medical director of the Intensive Outpatient Program of the Psychiatry Service at Ben Taub General Hospital. Dr. Pate specializes in adult psychiatry with clinical interests that include psychiatric issues associated with organ transplants, traumatic grief, chronic or terminal medical illness. She earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).

Michele K. York, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. York earned a master’s degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Her extensive training includes an internship in clinical psychology/neuropsychology, a postdoctorial fellowship in neuropsychology and a neurobehavioral fellowship, all at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. York’s clinical specialties include neuropsychological evaluation of adults with movement disorders, including patients with deep brain stimulation; pre- and post-surgical evaluation of patients with epilepsy; language mapping during awake surgery for epilepsy and tumors; and differential diagnosis of dementias.

Hours of Operation

Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Appointments

To schedule an appointment, call 713.798.4857.

For More Information

Visit the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences website: http://www.bcm.edu/psychiatry

Location

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Baylor Psychiatry Clinic
Houston Medical Center Building
6655 Travis, Suite 500
Houston, TX 77030

Everything went so smoothly, from my initial phone call to the nursing care I received. The reception area staff is a real asset - they are extremely friendly and professional.