Psychiatry
PARK AVENUE MENTAL HEALTH
Vassilis Panagopoulos, MD
Psychiatrist & Neurology Physician
Dr. Vassilis Panagopoulos, MD is a Yale and Washington University in St. Louis-trained dual board-certified Psychiatrist currently serving as the Director of Tranquil Days Behavioral Health. He holds certifications by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in both Adult and Addiction Psychiatry. He offers both medication management services (prescribing medication for behavioral health) as well as psychotherapy services (counseling). His Addiction Psychiatry subspecialty extends his psychiatric skill-set to serve the needs of his patients in multiple domains but also to assist the community in very frequently encountered problems such as tobacco and alcohol use problems.
Dr. Panagopoulos was born and raised in Athens, Greece. He completed medical school at the University of Patras Medical School in 2006 with a honorary distinction for being among the 5 highest-ranking medical students of his class. He completed his residency training as an Adult Psychiatrist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, USA in 2012. He then expanded his training by completing the Addiction Psychiatry fellowship of Yale University at New Haven, CT, USA. He was formerly employed at the St. Louis Veterans Administration Healthcare System as a Staff Psychiatrist for almost 2 years taking care of Veterans with addiction and multiple other psychiatric problems. During his tenure at the VA, he served as a Clinical Instructor at Washington University School Of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA, and was heavily involved in teaching residents and medical students about addiction and psychiatry. Dr. Panagopoulos has expertise in several different psychotherapeutic techniques including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Group Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. He has an enthusiastic interest and significant related experience in the application of modern technologies in the daily clinical practice of psychiatry through the practice of telemedicine, as evidenced by the fact that he has worked over telemedicine for almost a decade for major US institutions including several Dignity Health Hospitals, El Camino Hospital at the Mountain View and Los Gatos campus, as well as Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley.
We offer outpatient psychiatric services for adult patients exclusively over videoconferencing (telemedicine) with the patient located at their own home. The services are provided in English, Spanish and Greek (native speaker). The mental health problems we treat include: major depressive disorder (clinical depression), anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcohol or substance use problems (addiction), gambling disorder (previously known as pathological gambling), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), personality disorders and a lot more. Given Dr. Panagopoulos’ expertise in Addiction Psychiatry, smoking cessation services are also provided. The treatment is tailored to the individual needs of each patient always in accordance to the latest scientific guidelines and the principles of evidence-based medicine. Dr. Panagopoulos often treats patients with both medications and psychotherapy at the same time, which can be a powerful combination with synergistic effects.
Dr. Panagopoulos particularly enjoys working with successful, young professionals and entrepreneurs and supporting them in conquering their full potential. Thanks to his tenure at great institutions around the Silicon Valley, including El Camino Hospital Mountain View and Los Gatos as well as Stanford Tri-Valley Hospital, Dr. Panagopoulos is well versed in the specific challenges faced by this population of young professionals and entrepreneurs. In this context, Dr Panagopoulos follows an integrative approach inspiring clients to improve their lifestyle, nutrition and exercise choices, as well as sleep habits. He assists them to navigate in the rough waters of a demanding work environment and the unpredictability of entrepreneurship, thus enabling them to strengthen their resilience and achieve peak performance. In our practice, we frequently utilize evidence-based meditation techniques as tools to boost inner peace and tranquility. At the same time, if a medication is indicated, Dr. Panagopoulos as a dual board-certified psychiatrist will go ahead and prescribe it.
Please note, that we do offer early morning and late evening appointments (5 am-9 am PST, 9 pm to midnight PST; subject to availability). This works very well for the busy schedule of the professionals that we serve. That way you don’t have to miss a minute from work to see your psychiatrist!
In summary, the services offered include psychiatric assessment/consultation, medication management, psychotherapy (counseling, talk therapy), family education sessions and even career coaching for young, aspiring professionals. At Tranquil Days Behavioral Health, your mental well-being is our utmost priority!
Costs:
Tranquil Days Behavioral Health operates as a cash-only practice, facilitating seamless payments through our online payment portal. The cost for a 60-minute initial evaluation is $500, and for a 25-minute follow-up appointment is $250. We are not in-network with any health insurance companies. This approach removes any limitations imposed by health insurance companies, enables Dr. Panagopoulos to focus on clinical care only and offer a superior level of care in terms of duration and frequency of visits. At Tranquil Days Behavioral Health, we take our time to listen to you, your unique story and circumstances. We value you as a unique individual and provide you with our undivided attention.
A superbill can be provided upon request so that you can seek out-of-network reimbursement for the services provided from your insurance company. The level of reimbursement varies widely by insurance company and is not guaranteed.
A complimentary 10-minute phone conversation is offered to new patients with the goal of answering specific questions you may have and determining if I would be an appropriate option for your treatment.
Services not offered:
1. Prescriptions for controlled substances: Please note that Dr. Panagopoulos does not provide prescriptions for controlled substances due to federal restrictions related to practicing over telemedicine. Examples of controlled substances include but are not limited to stimulants (e.g. Adderal, Concerta etc), benzodiazepines (e.g. Xanax, Klonopin etc), opioids (methadone, Suboxone). If Dr. Panagopoulos feels that such treatment is necessary, he can recommend these medications to your primary care physician in a collaborative care model. Dr. Panagopoulos does provide treatment for opioid use disorder (opioid dependence/opioid addiction) with non controlled substances such as naltrexone and psychotherapy (but not with methadone or buprenophine/Suboxone).
2. Forensic psychiatry evaluations: Dr. Panagopoulos does not complete forensic psychiatry evaluations or legal testimony, but would be happy to recommend an excellent independent forensic psychiatrist who does.
3. Child and adolescent evaluations: Dr. Panagopoulos does not assume the care of children and adolescents. A child and adolescent psychiatrist would be recommended.