I found Dr. Cohen on Yelp in December when I was battling a particularly nasty bout of depression. My usual refuges of eating healthier, exercising, or diving into hobbies weren't improving my mood. I lacked motivation, excitement for activities I once loved, and felt incapable of working, so after months of suffering I called Dr. Cohen. I've seen therapists off and on at various stages of my life, typically to talk about how I was currently feeling or my childhood. Though it was nice to talk to someone, I never felt like I made progress, developed coping tools or learned why *like clockwork* I'd spend 1/2 the year in a depressed state. In just a few months since seeing Dr. Cohen, I've had several breakthroughs which have helped me to understand the source of my depression. I'm also learning to be mindful of my triggers, so that I don't feel completely consumed by my emotions. I've been able to return to work and I've gone from being a withdrawn, shell of myself to feeling the full variety of my emotions. I'm still in recovery, but I'm learning to be patient with myself, to be kinder to myself, and to be more flexible. I wish I'd had Dr. Cohen earlier in my life, but I'm thankful to be in her care now and have her support. If you're ready to earnestly put in the work to get better, do yourself a favor and give her a call today. read more

For the plus side, I think she's a decent listener and she would be a good therapist for people that mostly have their lives together and have a lot of money to spend on therapy. I think for any struggling individual, I would strongly recommend avoiding her as a doctor/therapist. Dr. Cohen saw my mother 1-4 times a month over the course of a year. To list out all of the unprofessional, uncaring, ways Dr. Cohen has treated my mother and me as clients would take too long to write and too long to read, so I'll try to stick with the bigger issues. 1. Dr. Cohen discharged my mother from her care due to her and me being "too difficult of clients" before going on a month-long vacation. I believe Dr. Cohen's health isn't what it once was, and I believe at this point in her career she is only looking for "easy" cases. 2. After discharging my mother from her care, Dr. Cohen kindly gave us a few months of prescription refills. After I was unable to get them extended by a few urgent care doctors and came to Dr. Cohen for help, she refused to extend any refills. I offered to pay for another session in exchange for one last extension. She reluctantly agreed, called the pharmacy to extend the prescription by one final month, and then charged me $900 for 3 sessions. This is months after discharging us from her care and she has never seen us since, the only care she has given us was a phone call to the pharmacy. *EDIT* Dr. Cohen has since refunded us $900 after seeing this yelp review and receiving calls from my credit card company. 3. Dr. Cohen prides herself on therapy over drugs. Her website and my first meetings with her convinced me that she was someone I could trust to really attempt to fix problems rather than increasing drug dosages. I was wrong. For every new issue that came up, Dr. Cohen's first response was to recommend increasing medication dosages. For my mother's drowsiness during the day, the first thing she recommended was to increase her sleeping medication rather than focusing on behaviors that could have impacted her sleep (caffeine intake, lack of exercise, etc.) Aside from those big 3 issues, there were a handful of minor issues that I've seen in some other yelp reviews. 4. She often, and unnecessarily, takes client time to fumble with technology. She is very clearly not technically proficient, yet she insists on using client time to attempt to set up apps / open google spreadsheets, etc. She doesn't come prepared to sessions and doesn't want to do any of this outside of client time. 5. Despite my mother's native tongue clearly not being English, Dr. Cohen speaks overly academically and focuses more on expressing herself vs. being understood. Her language was often either pretentious or condescending, with little in-between. 6. After almost every session, she encouraged me to write a Yelp review. Maybe just a pet peeve but I don't think you should give subpar service and then ask your customer to write a review. Overall, I think there are people out there that Dr. Cohen is capable of helping. However, I genuinely do not believe that Dr. Cohen is capable of helping people that are actually in need of help. For that reason I believe her to be the most disappointing medical professional I have ever come across. read more

For twenty years, if not longer, I have suffered from a deeply treatment-resistant form of Major Depression, against which nothing has historically worked. I have tried everything from CBT to traditional therapies, a dozen different psychiatric medications, Intensive Outpatient treatments, and even Trans-cranial Magneto-Therapy, all without much if any effect. I have, at times, been deeply suicidal, or otherwise barely able to function normally at my job or in my life in general. I truly thought that it was impossible for me to improve at this point, having tried everything I could think of. But then I met Dr. Cohen. In less than four months of treatment, Dr. Cohen has completely shattered this paradigm. My major depressive episodes have all but evaporated, going from multiple times a week to disappearing entirely for more than two months. She has changed my view on not just my depression but on the root causes of it, guided me into and through a medical leave of absence from my job that turned out to be the best decision I've made in decades, and has even helped immeasurably with my other outstanding family obligations and issues that I am attempting to resolve. There is more work to do, of course, but the turnaround from six months ago is beyond amazing and borderline unbelievable. I truly did not ever think I would be able to get to where I am now, and it is thanks to Dr. Cohen. In my extensive experience with mental health practitioners, Dr. Cohen is far and away the most effective, professional, and helpful Doctor I have ever consulted, and I honestly don't know that I would be here at all today if not for her. read more

For me, Dr. Janice E. Cohen is no ordinary psychiatrist; she is extraordinary. I say this because, since my college years, I have been struggling with a very difficult to diagnose mental condition. Over the course of my life, I have seen several psychologists and psychiatrists, and they just couldn't figure out what was going on with me. During college, for example, a campus doctor asked me if I was attracted to men, rather than women. I promptly answered, "No, I like women." He then said, "Oh, that's good; then you're not gay." I guess that doctor was not much help to me. Throughout my life, starting in my college years, I have experienced many episodes of insomnia, night after night of sleeplessness, finally getting to the point where I could not function, and then, somehow, magically I would feel ok again. In my mind, I normalized these insomnia episodes, as something I would just have to live with; I would say to myself, "Oh, just another attack of the 'somnies'." What I did not realize, however, was that during these episodes of insomnia, I was experiencing varying degrees of mania, and thereby damaging the relationships with my loved ones. The mania symptoms worsened during my late 40's and into my 50's and early 60's. Around age 50, I recognized that something was seriously wrong with me, and I started seeing psychiatrists; they were not bad, but they really did not help. One psychiatrist, whom I saw for about 3 years, was particularly kind and friendly, but did not challenge me at all, just kept me on the same medication at various dosages. Needless to say, he really did not help. Finally, in the year 2010, at age 59, I found Dr. Cohen by doing an internet search. After perusing her website, I thought she might be a right fit for me, and how right I was! What distinguishes Dr. Cohen from the other psychiatrists I have seen is her thorough, analytical and interactive approach to treatment. She started with obtaining my personal history, drug treatment history, asking me in detain to describe the mania symptoms I was experiencing, their duration and amplitude, even going so far as to chart the mania episodes on a 1 to 5 scale. Being analytical myself, I produced detailed graphs of the amplitudes and durations of all the major episodes, as I remembered them from my college years to the present. Then, after accumulating all this data, she and I, collaboratively came up with a treatment plan. It involved changing the drug treatment to one that finally worked effectively, and also, at the same time, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). As a result of the CBT, when facing a tough challenge, which could seem overwhelming, instead of letting worry and anxiety paralyze me, I learned to take effective actions until tru progress was achieved. The combination of the correct medication for me individually and the CBT has turned my life around to the point that I can confidently say that I am almost cured, generally needing very little, if any medication. The manic episodes I am experiencing not, at age 68, are much less frequent and with much less amplitude than they were before I started treatment with Dr. Cohen. For this amazing improvement in my mental stability, I am extremely grateful. I don't think that without Dr. Cohen's help that I could have achieved the degree of success in overcoming this perplexing mental condition, this hypomania, that I have achieved so far. I also realize that, due to the nature of mental illness, the fact that mental illness does not all of a sudden go away, like the flu or a cold, that is, it gradually subsides as the brain heals itself, I intend to continue treatment with Dr. Cohen, during this recovery phase. Hopefully, one day in the not to distant future, I can claim that I am 100 percent cured. I personally believe in the body's innate ability to heal itself from any kind of sickness or injury and that includes mental illness. In closing, I will say that Dr. Cohen does charge a high rate, and she may, at times, appear to be a bit unorganized with papers and such. However, I forgive her for this relatively minor flaw in her practice, because, for me, Dr. Cohen is no ordinary psychiatrist, she is truly extraordinary, and for that extraordinary ability as a psychiatrist, I am truly grateful. read more

Hopefully ZERO STARS will post cuz frankly, the woman is the least professional psychiatrist I've ever encountered. Who takes 10 minutes to photocopy an insurance card? Oh, but that's ok, cuz there was that interesting magazine to flip through even though the copier was done. Also, little bit of advice, don't EVER tell someone they should go to a "support group" even though you haven't finished intake. For $250/hour, I was hoping for someone who knew a couple things like: 1) someone who is in emotional distress 2) the SF "party scene" Don't bother. Go find someone who actually gives a damn about you and your mental health. read more

For the past few years I had been suffering from an escalating anxiety issue. My GP has prescribed some meds, but I felt it best to talk to someone who specialized in this sort of thing so I could be sure I was on the right treatment path. What I got was so much more. Dr. Cohen is kind and attentive and is willing to take the time to explain a multitude of factors that could be contributing to an issue along with multiple routes of potential mitigation, rather than simply handing out prescriptions and sending you on your way. She made it clear upon our initial interview that we wasn't the type of doctor that you see once or twice a year to "regulate" medications, but has an entirely more thorough approach that has actually lead to a few modifications to my treatment that have helped immensely. I couldn't say enough that would express that it's clear that she cares not only about the health of her patients (from my experience), but about what she does in general. She always has something new to share about approaches, and clearly stays up-to-date with what's going on her field so she can remain as relevant as possible, unlike many doctors who find a rhythm that works for them and then simply follows that path with every patient (something I've experienced before). What I was looking for was someone to help me sort out why I was experiencing anxiety and what I got was someone who clearly cares about my well-being an is committed to finding the correct *current* treatment plan that can lead to a recovery -where the end goal (for me at least) is to eventually be anxiety free as well as drug free. I couldn't recommend her any more highly. read more

Dr. Cohen is well qualified as a psychiatrist and is a compassionate, well informed extremely articulate Doctor. Her knowledge is well rounded and she generously provides one with thorough medical advice along with vital life guidance. She has treated me at my worst stage of depression and illness and has helped me gain stability. Dr. Cohen is also a great mediator and open to working with issues of gender, creative development and mind body wellness. I highly recommend her to someone looking for a collaborative, engaged and very experiences Dr. read more

Fantastic psychiatrist really listens super caring really appreciate her approach, very knowledgeable about medications but does not overuse. read more

I saw Dr. Cohen after I had a really bad fall that required two surgeries as a result of my injuries. The fallout of the accident was that my body started exhibiting symptoms similar to what many people know as post traumatic stress. Since I had never experienced this before, it was difficult to know what path to take. Dr. Cohen was willing to try many things, both from a traditional medicine standpoint and a natural/homeopathic view. She never looked down on anything I researched or wanted to try. As a result, I got through an excruciatingly awful part in my life a lot easier than I would have without her help. She is easy to talk to, offers great advice and is extremely supportive. I feel very lucky that I found her when I did. read more

Dr. Cohen has had a significant positive impact on my life, and I will remain grateful to her. I came to her at a transition point (after leaving a job and taking personal time) when I wanted to focus on personal challenges and grow, and she provided me with the care I needed. Dr. Cohen is very intelligent and has great depth in her discipline. She is also very caring and kind. We were able to be focus on and drive to resolution of acute matters, but she also took a holistic approach to offer me integrated care. Over a short period of a couple months, I was able to make a personal step-change and have seen sustained health progress. I would recommend Dr. Cohen as a care provider. Thank you, Dr. Cohen. read more

Dr. Cohen is one of the most professional, thoughtful and kind physicians I've ever met. She really listens and makes me feel like she genuinely cares about my well being. I never feel rushed and always feel like she is willing to invest the time needed regardless of her schedule. I would highly recommend Dr. Cohen to my friends and family. read more

I've been seeing Dr. Cohen for the last few months and have nothing but positivity to preach about her practice. I came to Dr. Cohen in a time of utter crisis. After countless psychiatrists and therapists, and dismissal of key symptoms I've struggled with since the age of 15, I was wary​ of even seeking help any further. I stumbled upon Dr. Cohen's website and gave her a call. Right off the bat, Dr. Cohen spent about an hour on the phone just to hear my story, and what issues were the most pressing. She didn't rush to get me off the phone, instead,​ she gave me thoughtful advice on how to deal with my crisis until she had an appointment opening. Dr. Cohen is a fantastic listener, very positive, very understanding, and has incredible resources as well. She's connected me to group programs to begin DBT courses, helped me address substance abuse problems, and best of all- doesn't throw medication at me. As someone who has been through the wringer with drug trial after drug trial, I truly appreciate her approach to the ​treatment being in my hands first before turning to drugs. A lot of my symptoms have become significantly more manageable by simply practicing mindfulness, something I've never had much experience with prior to Dr. Cohen. To be clear, she isn't anti-medication​, but having her propose an ​alternative treatment that I haven't been introduced to prior was a very important step in​ my progress. I'd also like to add that I do not use/like yel​p but was compelled by her excellent services to make this review an exception. read more

I love her. She is amazing, and here's why: my initial visit, she met with me, spoke with me for quite a while, and set a plan for how she was going to help me, based on my own needs and what i was okay with. she would argue with me on all of my stupid pitfalls, and she got me to open up!--who else is going to set me straight? ultimately, she helped me overcome a huge part of my major depression, and i recommend her to EVERYBODY. read more

This doctor has changed her scope of practice and is no longer seeing patients. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I was not able to make an appointment. I am giving her five stars because she actually picked up the phone when I called to inquire and spent at least ten minutes listening and provided a referral. I thought she went above and beyond. I'm bummed she's no longer seeing patients because I found her to be very kind on the phone. read more

I say no. Dr. Cohen is not a compassionate, warm and caring practitioner. Her own psychological troubles were palpable. Why I didn't grab my check and run out the door is beyond me. I blew it. She charged $700 for a 2 hour session that was a complete and total waste of time and money. I am incensed and outraged that I was essentially robbed of this money. I did agree to pay it and I was a fool. She was like a tall glass of ice water; lacking heart, humor and sensitivity. She is not a bad person...just limited professionally by her own struggles. She should retire. Don't bother. read more

Dr. Cohen is absolutely awesome. She's so kind and so knowledgeable--I would give her 10 stars if I could. Honestly, she has been a godsend and cares so much about her patients that she even gives out her cell phone number (which just proves how committed she is to supporting them)! I have always found her uber professional and one of the things I like best is that she is an advocate for my health and I know that she is always in my corner. She is actually working with another doctor of mine to get to the bottom of some health issues I've been experiencing. Also, she is totally willing to listen to your needs and wants and will work with you on your own health care plan -- whether that involves nontraditional medicine or Western medicine. She's made great recommendations that have set me back on the right path -- thanks Dr. Cohen! read more

I've been a patient of Dr. Cohen for several years and will continue to see her. She is compassionate, an excellent listener, and an adept medical doctor. Dr. Cohen is methodical and well informed - it is clear that she stays up-to-date on her research and training. read more

I got injured at work and was out for five months without getting better. I'd gone to several doctors to try to treat the panic attacks I'd started having since my injury, but to no avail. Out of desperation, I checked out Yelp for recommendations for psychiatrists, and saw Kat C's review. I figured that I didn't need a doctor that was knowledgeable of the SF party scene, so I checked out Dr. Cohen's website and gave her a call and talked to her for well over a half hour about the panic attacks I'd been having and how I wasn't able to return to work. Dr. Cohen made an appointment to see me ASAP. I saw her weekly over the period of a month, and she was able to prescribe me an effective mix of medications that put a lid on the panic attacks, worked with me to devise a goal-oriented treatment plan, provided a lot of support navigating the worker's comp system, worked with me to determine reasonable accommodations that I needed to return to work, and helped me to handle the harassment that I endured after I returned to work only a month after I started seeing her. Dr. Cohen is a resource that not only provided medical care, but advised me of rights that I had as an injured worker, and provided contacts to attorneys when I ran into problems that she didn't have an answer for. In my experience, Dr. Cohen has been as much of a life coach, adviser, and mentor as she is a doctor as we've navigated through my recovery from my injury and has helped me to move beyond the anger, anxiety, and depression that I had since my injury and has helped me to improve my relationships with my family and friends. With her help, I was able to get out of a very bad mental state, and start functioning again. Dr. Cohen has absolutely improved my life, and I am extremely grateful for her help. read more

I first met Dr. Cohen when she was my sister's psychiatrist at San Francisco's Mental Health Rehabilitation Facility. As the conservator for my sister for over twenty years, I have been closely involved with her care and have met many psychiatrists. Dr. Cohen's professionalism, dedication, knowledge, warmth, and experience set her apart from all the other psychiatrists that I have come in contact with. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Cohen's for over two years now and my experience in her care has been one-hundred percent positive! I have found her to be intelligent, professional, and compassionate in our sessions. In my experience, I have also felt her to be a very strong advocate for my interests. She has help me navigate various bureaucratic quagmires in order to get adequate support for my illness, for example, by communicating with my other doctors, or by helping me negotiate reasonable accommodations at my work. Dr. Cohen is very knowledgable about the whole gamut of treatment options and takes a careful and individually tailored approach when she suggests any kind of therapy or pharmaceutical treatment. For example, her work with me included Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, with elements of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, and treatment of my more debilitating symptoms with medication. In all of these endeavours I felt that Dr. Cohen made an effort to explain clearly the theory and the data behind the effectiveness of all of her recommendations. Dr. Cohen has provided me with a whole range of skills and tools to help me manage my difficulties and move forward in my life with more vigour and confidence. I would highly recommend Dr. Cohen to any patient because I feel that she really takes the time to get to know her patients and develop a unique plan and strategy for addressing their most pressing issues and dealing with everything that comes up along the way. Most importantly for me, while the typical experience with many doctors is that they are a source of knowledge and support, Dr. Cohen goes beyond that by working as a teammate and collaborator in her patients' recovery by treating them directly with respect and dignity. Her sensitivity, self-reflection, and candor are among her best professional traits. If you value these characteristics in a doctor, especially a psychiatrist, then Dr. Cohen may be right for you! read more

When I met Dr. Cohen, I was dealing with the loss of my sister to Bipolar Disorder, my own depression & anxiety, and food issues that were interfering with my daily functioning and quality of life. I am now married with a beautiful daughter. I am successfully managing my depression and enjoying my life. I was diagnosed 22 years ago with major depression, and have had experience with various psychiatrists, psychologists, and other types of therapists. I am impressed with Dr. Cohen's ability to keep our therapy sessions "on track" - she gently, but purposefully keeps me from going off on tangents. Dr. Cohen always performs a "check in" to get an overview of my symptoms at the beginning of a session. She then works with me to develop "tools" for managing my particular symptoms. Dr. Cohen helped me learn the difference between a legitimate feeling of sadness and the sadness that resulted from my depression. Learning to speak openly about my feelings, use my tools, my medication, and check in with the doctor regularly has increased my enjoyment of life. I now am able to manage my depression effectively; it no longer runs my life. read more

"I have been seeing Dr. Cohen for two years now. She has been my life saver. Over the past two years, she has worked very closely with me to work on my care plan. During this time, she has helped me to establish independence from my family, which included moving into my own apartment and having my own car. She has also been a huge supporter and ally when it comes to making very difficult personal decisions. Dr. Cohen and I discuss the pros and cons first, and based on that conversation, she helps me decide on the option that works best for me. Her strong belief in me that I am capable of doing anything no matter how hard it may be, has led me to successfully return to school after a long break. Before I met Dr. Cohen, I had gone to a lot of doctors that were not a good fit for me. None of them were good at working with me when it came to managing my medications or my personal life. They would tell me what was best for me, without my input, as if my opinion didn't count. But with Dr. Cohen, I do count--I am a person first, and a patient second, not the other way around. She has shown me that there is more to me than just a mental illness. I am defined by more than just my illness. I would like to thank Dr. Cohen for helping me to realize that and so much more about myself." read more

Dr. Janice E. Cohen MD is the most professional, caring and committed physician I have had the great fortune to become acquainted with in some time. I have been seeing Dr. Cohen professionally for this past year. From the first time I spoke with her by telephone, I knew I had found the best therapist for me. She took the time to listen and work me into her already bulging practice as one of her full time clients. Dr. Cohen's approach to therapy is customized to the individual needs of the patient; she takes a very holistic view in order to truly give me the tools I need to manage my concerns and challenges in life. She is a highly educated, well read, thoughtful professional. She has always taken a very mindful approach with me. I have benefited greatly from her care. Dr. Cohen is also always willing to listen or have a conversation with me / and or my husband regarding my progressing care. For me Dr. Cohen has been a God send; I am more than grateful for her ongoing care and guidance. By working with her diligently and honestly, my life has improved immeasurably. I would recommend Dr. Janice E. Cohen MD to anyone serious about therapy and improving their own personal circumstances. read more

After 10 years of therapy, I can honestly say that I met someone who has changed my life for the better. Most of the doctors I have visited in the past tend to throw medication at you and hope for the best. Dr. Cohen did no such thing; rather she took a detailed inventory of my symptoms and issues and only after a few sessions did she decide to put me on medication. The thing that surprised me most, however, is that she actually asked me my thoughts on the medication before we made the decision. I think this is Dr. Cohen's best quality, she does not act as if she is the one in command of your treatment, rather she approaches it as a collaborative effort. She has never made me feel as though I had to listen to her because she is the professional, she always asks my input when we discuss different forms of treatment. Dr. Cohen is the first doctor I have ever been to who has actually cared about my progress. I have heard her say "I am so proud of you" more times then I can count, and I owe my recovery to her dedication and belief in my ability to get better. I went from a crying, hysterical mess that couldn't even go to work and thought of suicide often to a woman who loves her life and is finally able to experience and cherish it to the fullest. The best part? It has lasted. Instead of the quick fix medication, we came up with a comprehensive plan that includes so much more then just meds. I have been stable for well over a year thanks to her. I'm not sure what Kat C.'s problem is, nor am I sure why someone would want a therapist who is well versed in the SF "party scene," but I simply cannot understand how she could make such an evaluation after only one visit. As anyone in therapy knows, it takes multiple sessions to get to know your doctor and become used to their style. I cannot recommend Dr. Cohen enough. I literally owe her my life. She is an extremely smart, dedicated and passionate individual who not only cares for her patients but who will go as far as necessary in order to ensure their recovery. In conclusion: SHE RULES! read more

Dr. Cohen is the best! She has literally transformed my life! After cycling thru a half dozen providers over a period of 3 years, I finally found someone who was able to help me get my life back on track and feel like a valuable member of society again. She worked with me to create a personalized plan which included a combination of therapy, activity and nutrition. In less than a couple of months I was enjoying life again after what seemed like a very long time. She has shown me you have to plan for success and has taught me how to work through and overcome any obstacles that come up. She's not just a doctor, she's a life coach! read more

After 3 failed therapist attempts, I was introduced to Dr. Janice Cohen through my wife and she really pulled me out of the darkest place I never thought I could go. Within a week of 3 sessions, I started to have hope and feel better. She has helped me rise up from a bedridden panic stricken man in his 30's to helping me tackle my life's biggest challenges on my own again. In short she set a care plan into motion that worked for me and helped me stay on course to recovery. Now I'm back...and my family and myself love it! To any naysayers about her out there, she may not be the right fit for you but if you let go and let Janice, she'll tell you the truth and fix you. read more

I've been in and out of the therapy for well on 30 years but I never found a Doctor who took the time and had the compassion to really get to the root of my issues like Dr. Cohen. Simply put she completely changed my life. Together we established a treatment plan uniquely tailored for me, my body chemistry, and my condition and went through careful monitoring and talk therapy sessions to make sure we were on the right track. I highly recommend her. Don't believe the negative reviews from the little club kids - they're not interested in really dealing with their issues in the way you can with Dr. Cohen. She saved my life and my happiness and for that I am very very grateful. read more

Dr Cohen is truely the best psychiatrist! She not only focuses on my emotional needs, she actually makes sure my physical health is maintained too. It's very hard to find a psychiatrist that shows this kind of care... read more

A day hasn't gone by over the past 3 years that I haven't thought how lucky I am to have had Dr. Cohen as my provider. Her individualized approach to treatment and focus on self-empowerment are some of the major factors behind my recovery from depression and an eating disorder. She worked with me in creating my own treatment plan and we discussed in detail what I would be comfortable with while taking the necessary steps towards recovery. Moreover, she was my advocate when other providers (doctors, RD's, etc) were less than adequate. All in all, I worked with Dr. Cohen for 18 months and STRONGLY recommend her to everyone!!!! read more