It is fortunate that interest, knowledge, and awareness of mental disorders have been ever-increasing during recent years. Nevertheless, it is not unusual that stigmas and misperceptions are prevalent even among very educated people.

Clinicians of the C.O.P.E. clinic all have common beliefs. Most importantly, we believe that each patient is unique and deserves a customized approach and treatment. Throughout history however, many intellectuals and scientists have erroneously tried to find a “one fits all” understanding of human mind and behavior, as well as a panacea treatment for these problems. At one time, childhood traumas and family dynamics were blamed as the root of all mental illness.Psychoanalysis was invented in order to cure such problems. Another school of thought related human behavior to a person’s current environment, including his/her socioeconomic circumstances and family situations. In more recent decades “chemicals” or genes were assumed to be responsible for behavioral difficulties, instilling hopes that an increase in dosage of an antidepressant by itself would solve the problem and automatically creates a state of normalcy. Although all of these ideas stem from some truth, there has never been a single answer to this everlasting mystery.

At the C.O.P.E. clinic, we keep a very open mind during our evaluation and create a customized, well balanced treatment plan for our clients. Patient education is also one of the vitally important parts of the treatment. We believe that a patient who is completely aware and involved with the treatment has a much higher chance of responding.