There are some new advertising partners I am especially pleased to introduce. Not only because of the important work they do, but because of the people behind that work.

 

Arise Psychiatric Medical Group was founded five years ago by Dr. Albert Ma, Lissette Ma, and Dr. Kingwai Lui. Albert and Lissette are also our Seven Oaks neighbors, and after quietly building a thriving practice, they are excited to finally introduce themselves and their mission to our neighborhood through the magazine.

 

“For far too long, psychiatry has carried a stigma of cold clinical rooms, one-size-fits-all answers, and judgment.  We’re here to change that. We want people to see the human side – the personal side – of psychiatric care,” Lissette told me.

 

Spend a little time with this remarkably down-to-earth team, and you quickly understand what she means. Arise was created to be a place where patients feel comfortable, respected and genuinely heard. From the welcoming office staff to the providers themselves, their goal is to replace fear or uncertainty with compassion, understanding and hope.

 

Dr. Albert Ma is board-certified in child, adolescent and adult psychiatry and has served the Bakersfield community for more than 15 years. He received his medical degree and psychiatry training from the University of Illinois and completed his child psychiatry fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Ma is deeply involved in educating future psychiatrists and has helped develop three psychiatric training programs here in the Central Valley. Away from medicine, he is a father of four, an avid gamer and a professional photographer (whom you might find behind the camera at local community events).

 

Dr. Kingwai Lui is also board-certified in child, adolescent and adult psychiatry. After completing his medical education in Southern California, his residency at Kaweah Delta and a child psychiatry fellowship at the University of Arizona, he chose to return to the Central Valley, an area where the need for mental health providers remains significant. Like Dr. Ma, he is passionate about teaching as well as patient care. Outside the office, he enjoys everything from Marvel comics and video games to basketball, snowboarding, hiking and, by his own admission, eating.

 

Together with Lissette, Arise’s chief administrative officer, they have built a growing, multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners and therapists serving children, teens and adults through both in-person and telehealth appointments.

Arise offers medication management and psychotherapy for individuals, couples and families. Its providers help patients experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, grief, insomnia, trauma, panic disorder, relationship difficulties, work-related stress and many other emotional or behavioral challenges. The practice also offers specialized expertise in autism, mood disorders and women’s mental health. 

 

Their mission feels especially meaningful as we approach the holidays. While this season brings joy to many, it can also magnify loneliness, grief, family stress, anxiety or depression. Arise wants our neighbors to know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. And receiving mental health care does not have to feel cold, clinical or intimidating.

 

Sometimes the first step toward feeling better is simply finding someone who will listen. At Arise, that is where care begins.

 

 

A New Option for Treating Depression

One of the more innovative therapy services now offered at Arise is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, better known as TMS.

 

The name may sound a little intimidating, or perhaps even like something right out of science fiction. But the treatment itself is surprisingly straightforward. TMS is a noninvasive therapy that uses carefully targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain involved in mood regulation.

 

It is most often considered for people with depression who have not experienced enough relief from medication, therapy or other traditional treatments.

 

The treatment itself is surprisingly simple, and we’ll see if I can make some sense of this in my layman’s terms. Patients relax in a comfortable chair while a small device placed gently against the head delivers magnetic pulses to specific areas of the brain. There are no needles, no surgery and no need to be put to sleep. When the session is over, most people can simply get up and continue with the rest of their day. Treatment usually involves a series of visits, but all of this is determined after a friendly consultation with one of the providers.

 

Arise offers TMS to qualifying adults as well as certain adolescents following a thorough evaluation and can deal with such conditions as major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, anxious depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

 

It may not be the right answer for everyone, but for individuals and families who have struggled to find an effective treatment for depression, it may offer something incredibly important: another reason to hope.