Khenu Singh MD - Jungian Psychoanalyst & Psychiatrist

Hello and welcome to my practice! Let me share a little about myself and my training. I am a certified Jungian Psychoanalyst and involved with the SF Jung Institute. I am also a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and am Board-certified in General Psychiatry. I've been an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco and have now shifted my focus to private practice and some ongoing community psychiatry work.

I share this to convey that I'm well seasoned, with over a decade of psychotherapy experience and with specific training in a depth approach that seeks to engage the uniqueness and inner resources of each patient. I work in an integrative manner and work well with the interface of spirituality, culture, art and the psyche. I work with a broad range of individuals from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, and with a broad range of sexual orientation and professional background. I've worked with everyone from businessmen and lawyers, to clergy and spiritual practitioners, prostitutes and felons, scientists, therapists and physicians, as well as a good number of musicians and artists.

I do some psychiatric medication evaluation and medication monitoring and a good deal of psychotherapy. In addition to my Jungian focus, I draw from a broad training and range of psychotherapy modalities, including cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, transpersonal, existential, expressive music and art therapies, as well as from a variety of contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives.

Ultimately, my therapeutic approach is not bound by a theoretical framework and depends on the nature, needs and wants of each person who I am with. I seek to attend to what is pressing for attention in each moment and though I find it important to give room and space for a process to emerge of it's own rhythm and pacing - often a welcome downshift from the hectic pacing of modern life - I don't shy from being engaged in a thoughtfully active manner. Overall, I have a psychotherapy orientation aimed towards supporting the inner resources and healing capacity of each individual. I believe there can be meaning in illness and struggle that can co-exist with the darkest pains, and that it can be important to be in the presence of another when we are engaging with those pained places. Tending to, facilitating and witnessing the emergence of joy, play and creativity becomes important in the work with many of those I work with.

Though there are many in my practice who are not on psychotropic medication, for some, such medications can be useful to manage severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, significant mood and anxiety symptoms, as well as for those with bipolar and psychotic disorders, and those with true ADHD. At the end, I am collaborative and thoughtful when introducing psychotropic medications and will sometimes recommend medications in conjunction with psychotherapy, in ways that are supported by the current evidence-based literature and my clinical experience.

KHENU SINGH, M.D.

CURRICULUM VITAE:

EDUCATION:

1991-1994 Rice University, Houston, TX

1994-2000 Baylor College of Medicine - M.D. Degree

2000-2003 University of Washington - Psychiatry Residency

LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATION:

2003 Medical License, California

2003 Drug Enforcement Administration License

2006 Board Certification in Psychiatry

PRINCIPAL POSITIONS HELD:

2003-2006 Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco

2006-2008 Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco

2006-2013 Psychoanalytic Candidate, SF Jung Institute

2013-now Certified Jungian Psychoanalyst

2008-2013 Staff Psychiatrist, Richmond Area Multi Services (RAMS)

2013-now Staff Psychiatrist, Alameda County Behavioral Health, Santa Rita Jail

ANCILLARY POSITIONS HELD CONCURRENTLY:

2003-2008 San Francisco General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry:

Attending Psychiatrist, Emergency Department Case Management Program

2003-2007 San Francisco General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry:

Attending Physician, Consultation-Liaison Service

2003-2007 San Francisco General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry:

Attending Psychiatrist, Ward 86, HIV Outpatient Program

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION: (Selected Items to Illustrate Professional Interest and Training)

2001 “Kundalini, Alchemy, and Individuation,” Jung Society, Seattle

2002 “Transpersonal Psychiatry: Clinical Applications,” APA Meeting, Philadelphia

2003 “Psychoanalysis and Postmodernism,” Northwest Institute for Analytical Psychology

2004 “Psychoanalysis and Homosexuality: New Directions,” AGLP Symposium, New York

2004 “PTSD and Severe Mental Illness,” APA Meeting, New York

2004 “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychosis,” APA Meeting, New York

2004 “Bridging Across Culture and Generation,” APA Meeting, New York

2004 “Psychiatric Issues in the Management of HIV,” APA Meeting, New York

2004 “Complexities of Chronic Pain: Psychiatric Issues,” APA Meeting, New York

2004 “Psychotherapy Issues and South Asian Women,” APA Meeting, New York

2004 “From Research to Practice: Treating BPD,” APA Meeting, New York

2004 “African Mythology,” Jung Institute, San Francisco

2004 “Cross-Cultural Psychotherapy,” McGill University, Montreal

2005 Huichol Shamanism Workshop Arizona

2006 Taking Psychiatry to the Streets UCSF

2006 Affect and Symbol Formation Jung Institute, San Francisco

2006 Symbol Formation in Infancy Jung Institute, San Francisco

2006 Symbol Formation in Adolescence Jung Institute, San Francisco

2007 Symbol Formation and Later Life Jung Institute, San Francisco

2007 Refugee Trauma UCSF

2007 Huichol Shamanism Workshop Arizona

2008 Archetypal Images

2008 Archetypal Theory

2008 The Self

2008 Religious Function of the Psyche

2008 Symbols of Transformation

2008 Alchemical Studies

2008 Jung on Active Imagination

2009 Mysterium Coniunctionis

2009 Aion

Note: I stopped updating the continuing medical education after 2009 for space purposes; I mainly include this to give some partial expression to the types of training I've had, in addition to more typical, general psychiatry and psychotherapy

BOOK CHAPTERS:

2006 K. Singh, H. Ochitill. Personality Disorder and HIV Infection. In Psychiatric Aspects of HIV/AIDS. Edited by F. Fernandez, P. Ruiz. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. LINK (to PDF)

2007 K. Singh, H. Ochitill. Immune-Compromised States and Consult Psychiatry. In Handbook of Consultation Psychiatry. Edited by J. Streltzer, H. Leigh. New York: Springer. LINK (to PDF)

2015 K. Singh, H. Ochitill. Immune-Compromised States and Consult Psychiatry. In Handbook of Consultation Psychiatry (revised for 2nd Edition). Edited by J. Streltzer, H. Leigh. Springer.

PAPERS:

2006 D. Elkin, K. Singh. Narrative Medicine. San Francisco Medicine, Journal of the San Francisco Medical Society. 2006 September; 79 (6): 18-19. LINK (to web version)

2006 K. Singh, F. Lu. A Punjabi Man “Attacked” by a Spirit: Bhoot-Preta – A Culture-Bound Syndrome for the DSM-V?

2008 K. Singh. Jung for the Indian Psyche. Towards a Philosophy of Reflection, Self-Awareness, and Healthy Psychological Practice, India Currents. 2008 February: 60-61. LINK (to web version)

2013 K. Singh. The Unstruck Sound: Archetypes of Rhythm and Emotion in Indian Alchemy and Jungian Analysis, Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche. 2013; 7 (2): 35-61. LINK (to online version)

TEACHING & PRESENTATIONS:

2004 “Empirically-Validated Applications of Meditation in Psychiatry,” Consultation-Liaison Service

2004 “Antisocial Personality Disorder Spectrum – Psychodynamic and Other Perspectives,” Emergency Department Case Management Program

2004 “Bhoot-Pret: A Cultural Formulation and Culture-Bound Syndrome for the DSM-V,” UCSF/SFGH

2004 Film screening (“Sangam” and “Knowing Her Place”) and discussion addressing South Asian cultural and mental health issues. Co-presented by the California Chapter of the Indo-American Psychiatric Association (IAPA) and the South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA)

2005 “Mindfulness Meditation and Psychiatry,” Consultation-Liaison Service

2005 “Jungian Dream Work in a Public Clinic Setting,” Emergency Department Case Management Program

2006 “PTSD in Primary Care,” General Medicine Clinic, UCSF/SFGH

2006 “Mindfulness Meditation and Psychiatry,” Consultation-Liaison Service

2006 “Jungian Dream Work in a Public Clinic Setting,” Consultation-Liaison Service

2007 “The Wounded Healer – Acknowledging the Physician’s Inner Patient,” Consultation-Liaison Service

2007 “Integrating Expressive Arts into Psychotherapy and the Clinical Encounter,” Consultation-Liaison Service

2007 “Illness Narratives and Medicine,” General Medicine Clinic, UCSF/SFGH

2009 "Jung and India - Indian Classical Music, Alchemy, and Active Imagination," San Francisco Jung Institute Extended Education Program

2010 "Spirituality in the Clinical Relationship," Training for Citiwide Case Management

2012 "Dreams in General Psychiatry, Jungian Perspectives Along the Royal Road," Seminar for San Mateo Psychiatry Residents

2015 “Unconscious to Unconscious Communication – Experiences of the Uncanny in Clinical Work,” Seminar for San Mateo Psychiatry Residents

2015 “Psychoanalysis and the Uncanny,” Seminar for clinicians at Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail Mental Health Program

2016 “Indian Perspectives on Jungian Analysis,” CEU event for SF Jung Institute Analyst Member’s Meeting

I work in a person-centered manner and from an integrative approach - looking at the person as a whole being, not as an isolated set of symptoms or as a diagnosis. I do believe that in addition to profound suffering, crises can offer opportunities for growth.

My treatment recommendations are developed in collaboration with my patients. I am available for individual psychotherapy, psychiatric medication evaluation and management, as well as a combination of these and other treatment modalities.

Psychotherapy:

In psychotherapy, I work collaboratively to identify goals and the initial nature of the work. The work usually evolves organically in relationship to the fundamental uniqueness of the person in therapy with me. I strive to provide a safe, empathic and non-judgmental environment where difficult and painful material can gradually be expressed and safely experienced. I adjust my style based on the evolving needs and uniqueness of the person in the room with me. I listen closely and often help identify personal and relationship patterns, with the knowledge that more awareness of one’s personal “shadow” - those semi-conscious or unconscious aspects of our personality - can lead to an improvement in relationships and a deeper and more nourishing engagement with life.

I can facilitate short-term work (12-24 sessions) focused on managing anxiety, depression and relationship issues, as well as longer-term work (several months to many years) focused on increasing self-awareness, working through deeper issues, and forging and maintaining a relationship with one's deeper nature.

I work well with dreams, with the attitude that they often present unconscious material seeking consciousness. I invite some to express unprocessed feelings and other states through a variety of art modalities. The integration and relation to this material can lead to more full development of the personality, a sense of wholeness and authenticity, and can be a deeply personal, spiritual process.

I work well with patients who are experiencing spiritual crises and existential conflict and help them to integrate these experiences into their daily lives.

My family is from North India and I am a second generation Indo-American. This has led to experience in working with unique issues and struggles faced by persons of South Asian descent, as well as immigrants of other cultural backgrounds.

Other potential areas of focus include:

improving self-care for busy professionals, including other therapists
processing loss and facilitating the grieving process
working with end-of-life issues
understanding and managing anger
working on forgiveness and acceptance of self and other
developing a better relationship with one’s inner world
constructing culturally resonant rituals to facilitate psychological and spiritual work
integrating peak experiences such as Kundalini awakenings, near-death experiences, psychic openings
reflecting and learning from particular dreams

Medication Evaluation and Monitoring:

I am experienced in both the pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment of mood (depression and bipolar disorder) and anxiety conditions (post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder). I have experience in assessing and treating adult ADHD. I also have a significant amount of experience in treating schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions.

Overall, I'm a patient-centered psychiatrist who sees the importance of the person and not just the diagnosis. I attend to the multiple layers involved in human experience, including in psychiatric conditions – from biological, psychological, interpersonal, environmental, to the existential and spiritual.

Medication Evaluations involve an initial 60-90 minute evaluation. Depending on the complexity, I might ask for previous records and to communicate with prior providers. Sometimes one evaluation is sufficient and medications can be followed by a primary care physician. Sometimes I follow patients every month for 30-60 minutes for medication follow-ups and supportive therapy. Often times, I will make recommendations for psychotherapy and other holistic interventions, including herbal remedies, meditation techniques, and a variety of other interventions.

I do not accept insurance, but I can provide bills for you to submit to your own insurance as an “out of network” provider. I ask to be paid by cash or check at the beginning of each visit.

My usual rates are:

Initial Psychiatric Medication Evaluation - $550 for 80 minutes
Psychiatric F/U Visit - $160 for 25 minutes and $250 for 50 minutes
Psychotherapy - $250 for 50 minutes (for both initial and follow-up sessions)
Consultation - $250 for 50 minutes (for therapy supervision, case consultation, and most other forms of consultation)

For new patients, I typically ask for a pre-payment deposit for the first session, at the full rate for an initial appointment. Please note that my cancellation policy is one week. If you cancel prior to one week, I will refund your deposit in full. If you cancel with less than one week's notice, then you will not be eligible for a refund. Please feel free to discuss these policies directly with me as needed.

You can make a payment below, to secure your appointment. As well, existing patients who wish to pay any balance owed can do so here (please note that for credit card payments, there will be an added 2.9% charge to cover my cost with Paypal - this appears as "tax"):

Please feel free to contact me to explore whether I might serve your needs. It is typical for us to talk by phone for 10-15 minutes to get a feeling for one another, for me to hear a bit of what is bringing you to therapy or analysis, and for what you desire in our potential work together. If after talking it feels right to both of us, we can then set up an initial appointment. I appreciate that it can take courage to reach out, that this can be a significant commitment and will attend to this with sensitivity.

My Office Phone is: (510) 594-7668

The office is located on 3155 College Avenue, Berkeley CA. This is 1/2 mile (a pleasant 10-minute walk) from the Rockridge BART station.

Select Publications and Writings:

The Unstruck Sound: Archetypes of Rhythm and Emotion in Indian Alchemy and Jungian Analysis -LINK (to online version)
Jung and the Indian Psyche - by Dr. Khenu Singh - LINK (to website version)
Immune-Compromised States and Consult Psychiatry - by Dr. Khenu Singh and Dr. Herb Ochitill - LINK (to PDF)
HIV and Personality - by Dr. Khenu Singh and Dr. Herb Ochitill - LINK (to PDF)

Psychiatric and Psychoanalytic Links:

San Francisco Jung Institute - LINK

Some Recommended Readings:

"In Search of Self in India and Japan : Toward a Cross-Cultural Psychology" - by Dr. Alan Roland
"The Sacred Heritage: The Influence of Shamanism on Analytical Psychology" - by Donald Sandner and others
"Religion and Synchronicity" - by Dr. Robert Aziz
"The Tao of Psychology" - by Jean Shinoda Bolen
"Facing the Dragon: Confronting Personal and Spiritual Grandiosity" - by Dr. Robert Moore
"The Art of Loving" - by Erich Fromm
"The Inner World Of Trauma: Archetypal Defenses of the Personal Spirit" - by Donald Kalsched
"Shame and the Origins of Self-esteem: A Jungian Approach" - by Mario Jacoby