Psychiatry

15204 Omega Drive

Suite #100 Rockville, MD 20850

Primary Care Psychiatry Program

Our Primary Care Psychiatry allows children who are experiencing emotional or behavioral health concerns to receive basic psychiatric care within their medical home. You must be referred to one of our primary care providers to participate in the program.

People often mistake the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist or a therapist. Psychiatrists are medical practitioners specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, particularly with regards to medication management. Psychologists or therapists receive different post-graduate degrees and are responsible for doing psychotherapy to manage emotional or behavioral problems. Dr. Lauren Zohler, DO, is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist, who can evaluate your child and initiate a psychiatric treatment plan. Dr. Zohler does not offer therapy services. The goal of our program is for Dr. Zohler to diagnose and develop a psychiatric treatment plan for your child. Then, once stabilized, transfer them back to their primacy care doctor for chronic management. If your child requires more long-term psychiatric care or is prescribed medications that would necessitate more long-term follow-up (see a list of medications below), then your child may be referred to an outside psychiatrist for continued management.

Appropriate patients for our program include:

Must be an active patient at Potomac Pediatrics
Patients who are currently seeing a psychiatrist and are stable on their current medications and can safely transfer to the primary care setting (see a list of medicines which do not fit into this category).
Patients with symptoms of anger, sadness, irritability, worries or school performance issues that need an initial assessment.
Patients with ADHD who are currently being treated by our physicians and are not responding adequately to medication.

How does it work?

To be considered for our program you must complete an intake form with pertinent information, such as prior psychiatric treatment, previous medication trials, and a list of current concerns that you and your child wish to be addressed.

Once the intake form is completed, Dr. Lauren Zohler our psychiatrist, will evaluate your child, confirm the diagnosis, if one exists, and develop a treatment plan. The next steps will either be follow up visits with her or transfer back to your pediatrician with treatment plan recommendations. Patients referred to the psychiatrist who has significant ongoing diagnostic or therapeutic challenges will be ineligible for our services and will be referred to an outside psychiatrist or other mental health providers. Our goal is to stabilize your child on the new treatment regimen and transfer them back to their pediatrician who will oversee their continued treatment.

This program is exclusive to existing patients that have an established medical history with Potomac Pediatrics. Non- patients who are already established with a pediatric practice outside of Potomac Pediatrics, looking to switch to Potomac Pediatrics to gain access to this service will not be accepted by nor referred to Dr. Zohler.

Private patient discussions are confidential and protected under the law, they will not be shared with the parent unless Dr. Zohler is concerned for the patient’s safety.

The following medications are not appropriate for our Primary Care Psychiatry program:

Tabela Responsiva com Rolagem

Mood Stabilizers:	Antipsychotics:	Benzodiazepines:
Lithium	Risperidone	Xanax
Depakote	Abilify	Ativan
Lamotrigine	Seroquel	Klonopin
	Latuda	Valium
	Zyprexa
	Geodon
	Haldol
	Rexulti

Forms

INITIAL FORMS Forms for Children ages 12 and older:

Forms for Children ages 11 and under:

Forms for any age:

OTHER FORMS

Potomac Pediatrics will always be fully focused on helping your child and you to overcome any healthcare hurdle, with innovative, comprehensive and compassionate care.

Questions?

301-279-6750