Ianna Hondros-McCarthy, DO
My name is Dr. Ianna Hondros-McCarthy and my goal is to help people struggling with their mental health build a better understanding of how they came to be where they’re finding themselves now, and help them design a path forward that is achievable and compatible with their strengths.
If you or your child is struggling with a mental health issue, my goal is to work together with you to design a path forward using:
A thorough background assessment.
A thorough screening of what symptoms you are experiencing now.
Ordering blood work to identify possible organic causes of mental illness.
Working with your team (PCP, other specialists, therapist, etc.) to coordinate care so everyone is on the same page.
Reviewing what the best steps forward would be to bring you closer to your health, through behavioral modifications, talk therapy, alternative therapies, and/or medication management.
Continuing to reassess how your progress is going, and make changes to your treatment plan as needed.
My ideal patient is one who is open to exploring more about themselves, and who is ready to commit to designing a treatment plan that will not only work for them, but will lead them towards a state of mind where they don’t feel it is imperative to keep seeing me or any omental health specialist.
I’m well suited to a patient who is ready to put in time and effort, with my support along the way, to figure out what is causing the mental health struggles they are dealing with, and then collaboratively design and embark on a path towards a more balanced version of themselves.
How I Work
I believe it’s important to take time to understand your personal history, your family history, what your daily life looks like, and where things may not feel like they’re functioning optimally.
I then filter that information through my many years of training (4 years of a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in peace and conflict studies, 4 years of medical school, 3 years of adult psychiatry residency, and 2 years of child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship, for a total of 13 years of specialized training in the medical and mental health fields), to come to a formulation of how I landed on a diagnosis and potential treatment plan.
I take the time to review my draft of findings and check in with whether that fits well with you or if you think there are things I’m missing or not getting right. I take the time to consider altering the diagnosis and treatment plan until it feels properly tailored to you.
I value collaborating with your other providers because I believe that as social creatures, we do best when we’re taking other perspectives into account to help solve an issue, and when everyone caring for you is on the same page.
I can provide psychotherapy as well as psychopharmacologic medications and have experience in many different psychotherapy modalities to help me offer recommendations in terms of what might be the best treatment fit for you.
Some Personal Background
Born and raised in Lowell, MA with immigrant roots, I valued my education within the public school system that fostered a strong appreciation for the diversity within this community. Something one of my teachers in medical school once told me that has always stayed with me was, “if you were born with their genes and were brought up in their environment, you’d likely be struggling with the same things that they are.” Bringing a sense of compassion and a drive to understand how someone got to the mental health struggles they are dealing with is what I value most in my practice of psychiatry. That’s why I take more time than most physicians to delve into a patient’s history, try hard to understand their perspective, do my best to make sure they are in agreement with what my findings are, and build a treatment plan alongside them, rather than doing it all for them.
As a mother myself, I can strongly relate to wanting my child to have the best possible care and I will work hard to provide that for your child, if you are seeing my for my pediatric specialty.
When I’m not working in my private practice, you can find me working within a community clinic in downtown Lowell, teaching fellows at Tufts Medical Center, riding my bike around town, hanging out in the ceramics studio at the makerspace, hiking in the woods or singing my infant’s favorite songs in the grocery store if he’s overtired or hungry.
My Professional Background
I attended medical school at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating in 2018. I then completed my Adult psychiatry residency and Child and Adolescent fellowship at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. Since completing my training, I worked as a hospital consultant and inpatient physician at multiple hospitals (Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA, Backus Hospital in Norwich, CT, Cambridge Health Alliance in Somerville, MA, and Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, MA).
I have been involved in sustainability efforts in hospital systems, serving on the Sustainability Committee at Baystate Medical Center, presenting on topics such as how climate change impacts health and the healthcare system, how greenspace affects our health, and how climate change is affecting adolescent mental health. I have published articles in academic journals and more local publications on these topics, as well as giving a talk on some of these topics at a national psychiatric conference. Other research topics I’ve worked on include assessing and implementing collaborative care models for mental health within a pediatrics office in Chelmsford/ Dracut, MA, nutrition’s role in psychiatry, and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment as a modality for treating mental health conditions.