IN Sewickley Winter 2019 | Page 23

SPONSORED CONTENT BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT SPONSORED CONTENT STEPPING STONES PSYCHIATRIC CARE Child and Adolescent Therapy, and a Whole Lot More W ith more than 13 years of private practice under his belt, Dr. Muhammad Shaikh has seen it all in the psychiatric arena. But at Stepping Stones Psychiatric Care, he focuses on the Child and Adolescent population, aiding them in the problems they’re facing in today’s stress-filled environment of balancing school and home obligations. “Our goal is to help people when they’re going through rough times,” Dr. Shaikh said. “A lot of times, behavioral issues in a child will affect the whole family. We have patients as young as 4-years-old, but most often, a 6- or 7-year-old will start to have behavior issues, detentions, etc.at school. Family members sometimes have to take time off from work to meet with teachers or administrators and it goes downhill from there. With older kids and teenagers, 1 in 5 are having psychiatric problems with depression, anxiety, cyber bullying, all of it. Aggravated depression problems can escalate to suicide and there’s an epidemic of that going on right now, too.” SSPC has two convenient locations, both of which offer a professional and inviting atmosphere. While their focus is on childhood and adolescent care, Dr. Shaikh said the practice does have patients who are older, mainly those seeking cognitive behavior therapeutic outcomes for post traumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related issues. “We’re not a drug and alcohol clinic, but we do see patients with a drug and alcohol abuse comorbidity,” he said. “Because of that, we have licenses to treat people with suboxone and nasal ketamine, which is a new and improved way of delivering that drug to patients with severe, drug resistant depression.” As a smaller practice, Dr. Shaikh has three licensed therapists working alongside him to help with the caseload, but takes pride in the time he spends with his patients. “Other places are very quick to get patients in and out because the clock matters more,” he said. “All of my patients would tell you that I spend a decent amount of time with them, talking with them and making them feel comfortable. They sense that I do care about them and their mental health, and that little bit of extra time can make a world of difference to them.” In return, patients at SSPC are not just getting a doctor to help them through their treatment plans, they are getting an advocate that they can depend on. Dr. Shaikh is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. SSPC Bridgeville office is located at 80 Emerson Lane, Suite 1303, Bridgeville, 15017. Their second location is at 1800 Pine Hollow Rd, Suite 3D, Mckees Rocks, 15136. For appointments or more information, call 412.221.7770, or go to their website at sspcare.com. SSPC accepts UPMC, Highmark and Medicaid insurance plans, as well as private pay arrangements. SEWICKLEY ❘ WINTER 2019 21