Tell me a bit about Dr. Salzer’s training and accreditations.

Dr. Salzer is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania where she studied the Biological Basis of Behavior. She then attended Cornell Medical School and completed an Internship in Psychiatry at New York Hospital/Payne Whitney (now Weill Cornell). She completed her Psychiatry residency at Harbor UCLA Medical Center before returning to New York City.

Dr. Salzer worked extensively with Ground Zero rescue workers and Volunteers before starting a private practice in the Wall St. area. Alicia Salzer MD is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Does Dr. Salzer accept any insurance?

Dr. Salzer reserves a portion of the practice for clients with United Healthcare/Oxford/Oscar. If you have this type of insurance, please contact the practice to see if there is room for more clients with this type and if so, please provide an image of your insurance card so that we may submit claims on your behalf.

What if I have another type of insurance?

If you do not have Oxford, Oscar or United, Dr. Salzer is out of network for your plan. In these cases, clients pay at the time of service, but Dr. Salzer will provide a monthly bill indicating treatment rendered and all the coding needed for you to submit for reimbursement should you have an out of network benefit through your insurance. Payment is typically made via credit card or Health Spending account card.

Does Dr. Salzer provide both therapy and psychiatry medications?

Yes. If both are desired and indicated, you may enjoy the convenience of addressing both needs within the same session.

What kind of clients see Dr. Salzer?

Having maintained an office in the Financial District of NYC for many years, Dr. Salzer’s practice is largely comprised of corporate professionals of all ages, and their families. A typical patient might be an executive with anxiety, sleep problems, depression or a substance related issue. Or a young professional struggling to balance family and work. Or someone coping with infidelity or marital issues. Dr. Salzer works well with high achieving adults who are encountering problems at their job, such as social anxiety which is interfering with their ability to excel at work, or who are finding that the emotional demands and long hours at their job are taking an emotional toll. Dr. Salzer works extensively with clients struggling to maintain a positive healthy outlook as they strive to make partner or pass licensing exams and find the rigors of their professional life overwhelming.

Many of Dr. Salzer’s clients have come to rely on unhealthy habits as a way of coping and come to treatment seeking help with addiction to marijuana, alcohol, cocaine or pills, or find themselves overeating, binge eating, compulsive gambling, compulsive sexual behaviors or engaging in other unhealthy behaviors.

I’m having infertility issues, is that something Dr. Salzer is familiar with?

Dr. Salzer has extensive experience with clients who have experienced infertility or miscarriage as well as clients undergoing In Vitro Fertilization or assisted reproductive technologies. The challenges of navigating this path to creating a family and the process of learning about creating a child with donor sperm, a donor egg, or a surrogate or deciding if adoption is right for your family are all issues she has experience with.

If you are wondering if this practice might be a good fit for you, please reach out.

Does Dr. Salzer treat children?

No. Dr. Salzer is an Adult Psychiatrist and typically treats adults 18 years and older.

What should I expect at my first visit?

The first session is 45 minutes long and will consist of sharing with Dr. Salzer why you are seeking treatment. Dr. Salzer, in addition to learning more about the struggles symptoms and challenges you have faced will also wasn’t to know what your other experiences with therapy and psychiatry have been like so that she can learn what works best, and what doesn’t work for you. Dr. Salzer will also complete an extensive Psychiatric History consisting of past episodes and treatment, family history of similar issues, medical and substance abuse history, and a social history so that she may have a context of who you are, what you do with your life, what your plans and goals are and who the important people are in your life. (Collecting this history will be ongoing in subsequent sessions as well). By the end of the first session Dr. Salzer will share her synthesis of your issues and concerns, make sure you are in agreement and begin to share a plan of what steps might be of benefit going forward. There will be some time to ask brief questions before determining if it’s a good fit and if you would like to schedule another session.

Does Dr. Salzer prescribe Medications at the first session?

No. The first session is an opportunity to understand the issues at hand, determine if it’s a good fit and determine next steps. It is unlikely and inadvisable that a diagnosis will be made in this one session and Dr. Salzer may want to clarify the diagnosis, assess current symptoms and determine the ensure the safety of any medications before prescribing. Therefore if you are about to run out of medications, please obtain a prescription from your previous provider of your primary care provider as a bridge until your intake with Dr. Salzer has been completed.

But what if I’ve been on my medications for a long time and just need a refill?

As is the standard of care in Psychiatry, Dr. Salzer does not prescribe medications before establishing a comprehensive awareness of the clients diagnosis, medical issues, and any other issues that relate to the symptoms and diagnosis. Dr. Salzer reserves the right to determine that a medication is safe and appropriate before prescribing, and may decline to prescribe if she feels that a medication is potentially harmful, being inappropriately used or is not medically necessary.

Does Dr. Salzer Prescribe controlled substances such as ADHD Rx’s and sleeping pills?

Yes, where medically indicated and appropriate and where they will be used safely and appropriately. Please be advised that Controlled substances require that a client be seen monthly with no exceptions. Controlled substances cannot be “called in” to a pharmacy if you have not seen the doctor in the past month. Dr. Salzer reserved the right to decline to prescribe any medication that she feels is being used in a manner that is unhealthy or unlawful.

Does Dr. Salzer prescribe medical marijuana?

No, Dr. Salzer is not licensed to prescribe medical marijuana.

Does Dr. Salzer diagnose and treat ADHD?

Yes. If there is a history of ADHD and you have a copy of prior testing, Dr. Salzer, after completing a Psychiatry Evaluation, can treat your ADHD as well as offer behavioral treatment for ADHD consisting of tricks and skills to help with time management, organizing tasks, initiating tasks, completion of tasks with fewer errors, conquering procrastination etc. If there is no proof of prior testing, Dr. Salzer can offer ADHD testing and diagnostics as part of your treatment.

Is Dr. Salzer an LGBTQI affirming treatment provider?

Yes, as a longtime member of the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists (AGLP), Dr. Salzer has a long history of activism and advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQI community. She directed and produced a documentary for the American Psychiatric Association about the efforts of religious groups to “cure” people of homosexuality and the outcomes and harm those “treatments” may cause. Dr. Salzer has extensive sensitivity and awareness of the sexual, relational and cultural aspects unique to LGBTQI folks as well as the challenges and issues facing this community as they navigate relationships, religion, sexuality, self acceptance, coming out, creating family, etc.