The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Veteran psychiatrist opens area practice
ROXBURY » A nationwide shortage of child psychiatrists has meant many children can’t get the help they need or must wait weeks, even months before they do.
A search of several online databases turns up just four in Litchfield County. The shortage means that many who do see children aren’t accepting new patients or hurriedly conduct quick medication checks to tweak dosage.
But Dr. Stephen Herman, who recently opened an office in Roxbury and has been practicing for more than 30 years, won’t be hurr ied.
“Psychiatry, in many people’s minds, is just for medication. When I started, we were doing a lot of therapy and I really love to do that. Even when you’re doing med checks, you still have a responsibility to a child and an adult. You still need to spend time. The visit should not be a quick one. It should be one in which you carefully monitor the medication and make sure the person is safe,” Herman said from his new office above the Roxbury Market & Deli. “I take it very seriously.”
Herman has practiced in New York and Connecticut, seeing children, adolescents and adults, doing consulting for schools. Much of his experience is in forensic psychiatry, a specialty field that involves serving as an expert witness in court cases — usually in child custody disputes, sexual abuse allegations, post-traumatic stress disorder in older people and juvenile delinquency. He continues to work one day a week in New York in that capacity.
And while Herman focused on that for years, in addition to teaching at Weill College of Medicine of Cornell University, he is now looking forward to settling into clinical practice in Roxbury.
“I’m hoping to build a practice in Roxbury and I particularly want to see young children. I see children as young as 3 years old, as well as adults,” he said. “One of the things a psychiatrist can do is prescribe medication when necessary but I am very conservative, particularly concerning children and adolescents. I only prescribe when absolutely necessary.”
Being a medical doctor, he said, helps Herman to discern whether mental health symptoms might have be a manifestation of a physical illness.
Instead, he uses play as a tool. A third of his office is taken up with a play area with child-size chairs, drawing tools, toys and a dollhouse.
“Children communicate through play and there are a lot of themes in their lives that they can express through play. They can’t be as verbal as older people can be,” Herman said. “Children can say amazing things in their play.”
He also said it’s helpful sometimes to communicate with young children through play and to suggest to them what their own play might be about.
Herman, who was born in Bronx, New York, and now lives in New Milford, began his career as a pediatrician but soon went back to school to pursue certification in psychiatry. He has worked in a New York emergency room, at a foster care agency, an Illinois court task force on child protection and delinquency and as a mediator in child custody cases. He’s given numerous presentations on child and adolescent psychiatric issues, written a book for divorcing parents, published in dozens of journals and won a lengthy list of awards. Detailed information is at www.childforensics.com.
Having dealt with difficult issues in children and adults for decades is one reason Herman said he enjoys working with children.
“It’s generally more optimistic,” Herman said. “It’s a challenge, particularly when they’re young and express themselves through play. It’s very hard to communicate with young children in a therapeutic environment.”
But despite being challenging, there’s often a huge payoff.
“I’ve enjoyed when I can see people getting better. There’s not much greater joy than seeing a child or an adult doing better and less overwhelmed by mental illness. Still, after 35 years of practice, it’s still thrilling for me.”
For more information about Dr. Stephen Herman, call 917-5965704 or email sherman8@earthlink.net. He does not participate in any insurance plans but will help patients fill out forms for outof-network coverage. His office is at 26 North St., Suite 5, Roxbury.