Meet Dr. Weisheng Renee Mao

Dr. Weisheng Renee Mao is a Board-Certified psychiatrist  She specializes in seeing patients who wish to understand their mental health within the larger context of their physical health and life experiences.  She offers evaluations, talk therapy, medication management, supplements, nutritional counseling, acupuncture, and cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia.  She offers in-person treatment in Alexandria, VA, and virtual treatment for patients living in VA and DC.  These services are part of a whole-person, mind-body approach to mental healthcare.

 Treatment Process

Dr. Mao offers free 15-minute phone consultations, which can be booked through her website.

Once you have decided to become a patient, your treatment begins with a 45-minute intake, which will be a deep dive into your life history, including mental and physical health.  You may require 1-3 intakes in total to complete an assessment and plan, depending on the …complexity of your situation.  Dr. Mao will give an initial diagnostic impression during that intake, though definitive psychiatric diagnoses are best made over time.  Based on your needs and goals, she will then create a treatment plan which may include any of the following services:

• Talk therapy: 50 minutes sessions at least once a week dedicated to understanding and working through your feelings
• Nutritional counseling: 50-minute sessions to review your nutrition, identify areas of change and gradually implement those changes in a way that is sustainable and enjoyable
• Medications/supplements: 50-minute sessions to discuss starting, stopping or maintaining medications and/or supplements
• Acupuncture: 50-minute sessions
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: 50-minute sessions for 6-10 weeks to treat insomnia as an adjunct or potential replacement for pharmaceutical treatment

Dr. Mao does not accept insurance or Medicare.  As such, she is an OUT-OF-NETWORK PROVIDER.  She will provide an invoice at the end of each session that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement through your out-of-network benefits. "In addition, Dr. Mao requires a $280 deposit to schedule your first intake, which will be held in the event of cancellation with less than 48 hours’ notice." 

Education and Training

Dr. Mao completed the George Washington University’s prestigious 7-year BA/MD program.  She graduated summa cum laude from George Washington University with a BS in Economics, then matriculated to the George Washington School of Medicine and Health, where she received her MD.  She subsequently completed her Psychiatry Residency at the George Washington University.  While in residency, she completed the AcuMed Integrated Structural Acupuncture Course for Physicians. 

Professional Memberships

·      Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis

·      American Psychiatric Association

·      Washington Psychiatric Society

Awards

·      George Washington Confucius Institute Shih Scholarship

·      Jerry M. Wiener Award in Psychiatry, George Washington School of Medicine

·      AMA Journal of Ethics, Conley Ethics Essay Contest, Honorable Mention

·      Washington DC Academy of Medicine Annual Bioethics Essay Contest Winner

·      Departmental Honors in Economics, George Washington University

·      Summa cum laude, George Washington University, Washington, 

Publications

·      Editor, AMA Journal of Ethics. Ethics in Mental Health and Oncology. May 2017, Volume 19, Number 5: 411-513

·      Mao, W.R. (2017, May 01). Unexplored Ethical Issues at the Intersection of Mental Health and Oncology. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/2017/05/fred1-1705.html

·      Mao, W.R. (2017, September 01). Patients and Doctors Should Give Each Other the Benefit of the Doubt. https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2017/09/patients-doctors-give-benefit-doubt.html

·      Mao, W.R. (2017, September 09). I Vow Not to Call My Patients "Difficult". Here's Why. https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2017/09/vow-not-call-patients-difficult-heres.html

·      If. cream city review, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Issue 40.2

·      Langan R.C., Huang C.C., Mao W.R., Harris K., Chapman W., Fehring C., et al. Pancreaticoduodenectomy Hospital Resource Utilization in Octogenarians. American Journal of Surgery. 2016, Jan; 211(1): 70-75.

To Book a Free Consultation please visit the website for more information!!