Testimonials – Functional Psychiatry

Dr. Dworkowitz is a tremendously caring, extremely knowledgeable clinician. She thoughtfully gathers information on each patient in a way that is scientifically supported and she uses that approach in combination with her keen assessment skills to tailor a specialized treatment plan. Her ability to ask vital questions in a deeply respectful way creates a feeling of security and trust. She is a strong leader who is confident in her ability to make critical decisions involving patient care. She is also a valuable and collaborative member of our treatment team as she is responsive, supportive and communicates effectively. We feel incredibly fortunate to have had the benefit of her vast expertise, her patience and her unwavering commitment to treat behavioral health issues with a holistic approach.

Before finding Dr. Val, we spent about 15 years seeing very reputable specialists in the same field at both MGH and Children's Boston. I feel so grateful to have been referred to her by another amazing clinician. Dr. Val's commitment to her patients is reminiscent of the best doctors a few decades ago, but her knowledge and progressiveness is unparallelled. She goes above and beyond for her patients and as both my kids have said "has the best smile"....it's impossible to find someone so smart, committed and caring.

Dr. Valeria Dworkowitz is outstanding! At only 4 years old, our daughter was plagued with anxiety. We started with a neuropsychologist who recommended Dr. Val to us. She immediately jumped in to understand our daughter’s case and gave us great research & resources to help us along the way. Dr. Val also prescribed various biochemistry testing to see what vitamin deficiencies our daughter had. Immediately we saw a difference in our daughter- and to hear her say that she doesn’t feel nervous all the time anymore, has us beaming! It’s a beautiful thing to find medical professionals who are in it for the right reasons and genuinely care about their patients, even the littlest of ones! Our daughter is thriving thanks to Dr. Val and we are so lucky to have found her! I recommend her to everyone, as her knowledge, experience, and expertise was the pivotal point in helping our daughter!

I am so glad I found Dr. Val and cannot thank her enough for all of her help in guiding me to being well. I have had lifelong issues with anxiety and bipolar disorder, but found myself not improving much over the years despite seeking help through several practitioners. I was recommended to see Dr. Val by a family friend and found her whole-body, biochemical approach to mental health to be refreshing and more helpful than I could have expected or hoped for. Through asking me questions and having me do some labwork to assess my biochemistry and gut health, she came up with a comprehensive plan of supplements, medication and supportive care to help me feel better. In just the span of a few months, my mental health improved dramatically and I found myself in a much better place than when we started. My anxiety is at an all-time low and I am more stable than I’ve been in many years. I am so grateful for Dr. Val’s continued compassionate care in supporting my mental health, and cannot recommend her enough to anyone seeking to improve their mental health and well-being.

To say that my therapy with Dr. Val has been life changing would be an understatement. We've used several therapy modalities - including EMDR - and I am now the healthiest (emotionally and mentally) I have ever been in my life. Dr. Val is empathetic, patient, intelligent, intuitive, and supportive, and her work with me has been life-saving.

My daughter had been treated with a few different antidepressants over the past 2 years for what was thought to be depression, anxiety, and OCD. Nothing really worked. Her symptoms ranged from getting hysterical over minor issues such as a messy kitchen to full blown crying and fits of rage. Everything seemed to irritate her. She began seeing Dr. Val and was diagnosed with definite OCD. My daughter was placed on a low dose of abilify and a lithium supplement. Life changed drastically for everyone almost immediately. Juli became calmer, and actually happy. She could begin to verbalize things that were upsetting to her such as a messy kitchen and gone were the hysterical rages and out of control crying. My daughter is now in her 1st year of college and managing her work and herself very well as she continues on this perfect combination of medications.

When I first saw Dr. Val I had been on and off of various medications throughout the years and didn't feel like any had really worked. The thing that struck me immediately about Dr. Val is that she asked a lot of up front questions and really listened to my history and issues. She then ran a series of tests and labs to determine the best medication and supplements for me. Her holistic approach showed that not only was my body not responding to the antidepressants I had been on, but I also was Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D deficient. After several months on her prescribed medication and recommended supplements, my overall mood, focus and energy is distinctively better. In addition, she is one of the easiest physicians to connect with, schedule appointments and get advice. I feel supported by her on my mental health team would recommend her to anyone.

Dr. Val is a one of a kind doctor! I had tried a variety of medications throughout my life that never seemed to help my symptoms of depression. I was starting to believe that I would have to accept to live with it. As soon as I met with Dr. Val I knew she was different from any other prescribers I’ve seen. She did a thorough evaluation and started recommending not only medications/supplements, but books to read and lifestyle changes. Within a couple of weeks I was already starting to feel better with Dr. Val’s recommendations. I was shocked how quickly I started to feel better and even more thrilled that she didn’t throw medications at me without explaining the reason behind everything she recommended.

Before working with Dr. Val, I was really struggling with depression, anxiety and my energy level. Once I started working with Dr. Val, she reassessed my medication and found things that were a far better fit for me. I now have much more energy, clarity and just generally feel happy in my life. She is not only a resource for diagnosis and medication, but also shares books, supplement recommendations and has a wealth of knowledge about gut health and the way it effects mind-state. Dr. Val makes me feel like a person that matters. For the first time, I don’t feel like just another patient that’s getting a generic diagnosis. I feel heard and seen. I feel encouraged to seek further therapies. I feel like I’m getting better each day.