SPECIALTY CARE

Psychosis & Schizophrenia

Specialized, compassionate care for psychosis and related experiences.

Experiencing psychosis can be confusing, frightening, and isolating. You deserve care that is compassionate, collaborative, and grounded in evidence.

Our approach

Care built on curiosity, respect, and hope

At Palim Health, we approach treatment with curiosity, respect, and hope, recognizing that every person's experience is unique. Our goal is not simply to reduce symptoms, but to help people build meaningful, connected, and fulfilling lives.

Care is coordinated across therapy, assessment, and psychiatry so that the people supporting you are working together — and so that your treatment reflects your goals, your pace, and what matters most to you.

Specialized

Advanced training in psychosis-specific treatments

Collaborative

You remain the expert on your own experience

Coordinated

Therapists and psychiatrists working as one team

Conditions & experiences

We work with individuals experiencing

You do not need a diagnosis to reach out. If any of the following feels familiar, we can help you figure out what kind of support fits.

  • First episode psychosis

  • Schizophrenia 

  • Schizoaffective disorder

  • Hallucinations and unusual perceptual experiences 

  • Delusions and unusual beliefs

  • Paranoia

  • Negative symptoms, including social withdrawal and reduced motivation

  • Psychosis related to mood disorders

  • Psychosis resulting from medication or substance use

  • Recovery following psychiatric hospitalization

  • Co-occurring anxiety, depression, and trauma

Our services · 01

Psychological Assessment

Understanding what is happening is often the first step toward effective treatment.

Psychosis-focused evaluations

We offer evaluations for individuals experiencing unusual thoughts, perceptual changes, or concerns about emerging psychosis. Assessments may help clarify diagnosis, identify strengths and areas of difficulty, guide treatment planning, and inform recommendations for additional services.

When clinically indicated, we also provide comprehensive assessments that offer a deeper understanding of longstanding patterns of thinking, feeling, relating, and coping — particularly valuable when symptoms are complex or multiple diagnoses are being considered.

Visit Assessment and Testing →

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Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS)

A specialized, research-supported interview designed to evaluate individuals who may be at risk for developing psychosis. The SIPS helps identify emerging symptoms, distinguish them from other mental health conditions, and determine whether specialized early intervention services may be beneficial.

SIPS can be especially valuable for adolescents and young adults experiencing subtle but concerning changes, including:

  • Unusual thoughts or beliefs

  • Mild perceptual disturbances

  • Increasing suspiciousness or paranoia

  • Changes in thinking or concentration

  • Declining academic, occupational, or social functioning

  • A family history of psychotic disorders combined with recent changes in functioning

Early identification allows individuals to receive appropriate support before symptoms become more severe, and can improve long-term outcomes.

Our services · 02

Individual Therapy

A collaborative space to better understand your experiences, reduce distress, strengthen coping skills, and move toward your personal goals. Treatment may focus on reducing distressing experiences, but it will also focus on building strengths and positive life experiences.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp)?

CBTp is a psychotherapy developed specifically for individuals experiencing psychosis, and it is recommended by numerous international treatment guidelines as an effective component of care. Treatment is collaborative, respectful, and individualized. Rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction, CBTp helps people pursue their personal goals, build meaningful relationships, and create lives that feel fulfilling.

CBTp helps individuals

  • Better understand their experiences and symptoms

  • Reduce the distress associated with voices, unusual beliefs, or paranoia

  • Develop coping strategies for difficult experiences

  • Identify patterns between thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and symptoms

  • Strengthen confidence and resilience

  • Improve daily functioning at work, school, and in relationships

  • Reduce hopelessness and increase a sense of control

  • Recognize early warning signs of relapse and create plans for maintaining wellness

CBTp can be helpful alongside medication or as part of a broader plan that includes individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, and psychiatric care. Research also indicates CBTp can be useful without medication as a component of treatment. Your provider will collaborate with you to determine whether therapy, medication, both, and/or alternative services are most likely to help you reach your goals.

Individualized care

Treatment tailored beyond a single model

Most often treatment begins with a CBTp framework. Because our providers who support individuals experiencing psychosis hold a high level of specialty training, they frequently integrate additional approaches so care is highly individualized.

  • Compassion Focused Therapy for Psychosis (CFTp)

  • Trauma-integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (TICBTp)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

  • Other evidence-based approaches

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Our services · 03

Medication as part of coordinated care

Medications are among the most effective treatments for reducing symptoms of psychosis and lowering the risk of relapse, especially when paired with psychotherapy. For many individuals, medication provides a foundation that makes it easier to engage in therapy, strengthen relationships, pursue education or work, and work toward personal goals.

At Palim Health, medication management is most often integrated with psychotherapy. Our psychiatrists collaborate closely with therapists to ensure treatment is coordinated and individualized. We recognize that medication decisions are highly personal, and we work with each client to understand their experiences, discuss options, weigh pros and cons, monitor effectiveness, and address concerns about side effects or long-term treatment.

Our services · 04

Family Therapy & Family Education

Psychosis affects more than the individual experiencing symptoms — it often impacts partners, parents, siblings, children, and other loved ones. It is common to have questions about what psychosis is, what to expect, and how to support someone while also caring for yourself.

Why family involvement matters

Family psychoeducation is one of the most well-established interventions for psychotic experiences. Research consistently shows that when families receive education, support, and practical communication skills, individuals experiencing psychosis often have better outcomes — including reduced risk of relapse and hospitalization, improved treatment engagement, and stronger family relationships.

Every family is different. Some participate together in ongoing family therapy, while others benefit from a few psychoeducational sessions focused on learning about psychosis and developing practical tools to support recovery.

Our goal is to help families move from feeling overwhelmed and uncertain to feeling informed, connected, and confident — while maintaining their own well-being.

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Our services · 05

Couples Therapy

Psychosis can place unique stress on intimate relationships. Couples therapy can help partners navigate communication challenges, build trust, strengthen emotional connection, and work together toward recovery while supporting both partners' well-being.

Treatment philosophy

Respect, collaboration, and genuine curiosity

We know that many individuals experiencing psychosis have encountered stigma or felt misunderstood. Our clinicians strive to create a therapeutic relationship grounded in respect, collaboration, and genuine curiosity.

Rather than debating whether an experience is "real," we work together to understand how it affects your life, identify what is most important to you, reduce distress, and increase your ability to pursue your goals.

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Ready to take the next step?

If you have questions or would like to schedule a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation, please reach out.