My experience is with the coordinator, Marla, and unfortunately not with Dr. Orenstein. I called to inquire about making an appointment for myself, a new patient, and was met with complete unprofessionalism from Marla. She stated that they "were not going in that direction" of taking on new patients... odd way of saying "no" but that's fine. I then asked if they have any referrals to offer she laughed and said they didn't do that... then went on to explain that I would have to meet with the doctor to get a referral. It's not odd for a doctor to refer other professionals in their field; I've received referrals from other doctors before. Such a terrible experience for anyone suffering from anxiety or any other mental illness. Marla should consider another profession if she can't show consideration for the type of clientele that would call a psychiatrist's office. read more

Dr. Orenstein has been my doctor for the better part of a year and has been extremely helpful with my anxiety issues as well as my ADHD. After my first meeting I was still undecided and continued looking for doctors but made another appointment anyways and during that second meeting the basis of an extremely dynamic and trusting relationship formed. Dr. Orenstein primarily practices psychopharmacotherapy which means that he treats psychological disorders with medication in conjunction with talk therapy; however, he has admitted that this approach does not work for everyone/every condition and also offers alternative suggestions. The extent of his knowledge about psychopharmacology is extreme and he ensures that his patients are well aware of possible side effects and follows the guidelines of informed consent. One such example of an alternative therapy was suggesting exposure therapy for my driving anxiety. He suggested I try going on long driving sessions and document any changes in my mental state as time progressed. Within 2 months of following this advice (I was limited to driving on the weekends) I was able to overcome the majority of my driving anxiety and actually procure a driver's license. Additionally Dr. Orenstein follows the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Guidelines for Ethics and Practice, erring on the side of caution. The office does this--in part--through their office policy that does not allow patients to be seen that are/have been romantically involved with a current patient or family members of current patients unless they are seeking therapy jointly (in the same session). Marla handles his scheduling and the administrative duties of the practice and does a wonderful job of accommodating busy schedules. If you have a restrictive schedule they will do their best to work around your availability and will even go as far as asking more flexible patients if they would consider moving their appointment (I have offered to change my appointment on several occasions). Overall, Dr. Orenstein is an extremely competent and effective psychiatrist who is very patient oriented. read more

When I was stricken with overwhelming anxiety in the fall on 2018, I had trouble finding any psychiatrist who would help. Although Dr. Orenstein was not officially accepting new patients, he responded to the urgency in my case and made room for me in his schedule. He took the time to understand what was at the root of my problem and prescribed medication that has helped me tremendously. He told me if I had questions along the way with treatment to call him any time. I did communicate with him several times and he was always there to respond with good advice. Now about seven months later, I am feeling almost back to normal and thankful for Dr. Orenstein's care. I am sure I would not be back on a positive mental track without him. read more

Dr Orenstein has helped me for 30 years. He is caring loyal and very thorough. He has the ways of a chemist. He has kept me functioning through up and downs. He responds to your body;s needs. I do not know if you can get on his schedule. But give it a go. His associate is Marla and she is very best coordinator ever. read more

Staff is rude and unprofessional. Given a choice between this guy as a new doc or somebody else in the city with same credentials, I would gladly not chose him to avoid the rude staff. I understand the doc might be great, but why subject your self to rude and unprofessional staff if you don't have to. I received a text stating I had an appointment the following day with Dr Orenstein. Not recognizing the name I called to verify it was for me or for my wife, I often get her reminders since I am the primary insurance holder. I asked Marla what kind of practice this was to see if it rung any bells. Marla said she couldn't give out any patient info after I verified my number and name. I willingly gave her my info to verify my identity and all I was asking is to understand what kind of doctor what the doctor practiced to ensure I had forgotten about an appointment or my pregnant wife didn't have another follow up with a new doc (on the high risk track so many appointments thus far). I asked again and she became more flustered and progressively more rude stating she could not tell me what kind of practice it was declaring it to be patient info. I tried to explain that knowing what the practice was is not patient info and was trying to explain if I knew what it was, I could understand if there was a mix up and we in fact should be seeing the doc. In the middle of my explanation, she hung up. To sum it up again, they in error contact me, I gave them my info, they wouldn't provide me with any indication that one its not some sort of scam or if it was an appointment that I really needed to go to that I might have forgotten about. As I inquired about info that I easily googled after the fact and is public knowledge (in no way shape or form PII or personal), she got more rude and flustered until she hung up. Why couldn't she just take the extra second to explain what the practice was to help the person out that they contacted initially? I texted back stating there was no reason to be unprofessional and rude. Instead of stating it was a misunderstanding, Marla went on the offensive stating she wasn't flustered and I essentially am wrong for inquiring about the nature of the text. Im very sorry for trying to figure out why somebody is contacting me, especially when its possibly about my wife's and or new baby's health. Marla stated to never to contact her, the patient (?????) or the clinic ever again. Is this proper behavior of individuals that are going to be helping you with your mental health????? In my opinion the office environment is a reflection of the level of care. I don't know the doc, and he might be great, but I wouldn't take the chance. read more

My husband began suffering from intense and crippling anxiety that made him deeply paranoid and suicidal. This had only happened to him once before many years ago, so we were both deeply worried and at a loss about what to do. Seattle seems to have a serious shortage of psychiatrists and I couldn't find anyone willing to take on new patients or who could see us right away. I found Dr. Orenstein's name online. I spoke to his associate Marla, who listened closely and then told me: I'm confident that Dr. Orenstein can help your husband. (Just hearing that, after hitting so many dead ends, gave me hope.) My husband began seeing the doctor, who listened patiently, gave sound advice and guidance, and helped him to get on the right medication at the proper dosage. Today, thanks to Dr. Orenstein, my husband is his former confident and funny self again. When we had questions, the doctor was always available to talk over the phone in addition to scheduled appointments, which was very helpful, since it helped minimize the costs of treatment. It's clear that Dr. Orenstein is an expert at treating anxiety disorders, and I feel fortunate that I managed to find him at such a desperate time. I am deeply grateful to both Marla and Dr. Orenstein for helping my husband. read more

Compassionate and competent II'm one of those people who never thought that I'd need psychological help. But after watching my husband die, I saw that I was wrong. I was a changed woman. My state of mind was morbid, tormented. I paced the floor at night for months. My family became alarmed. After months and months of this, I finally relented. My son recommended a doctor who was an expert in medication. Unfortunately, just as I feared, the pills she gave me made me ill. After trying one pill after another and feeling sick each time, I pretty much gave up. Months late, during a routine health check up, my primary care doc brought up my mental state. He had known my husband and could see that I wasn't myself. I had been having terrible headaches, and I cried in his office. When I explained that pills were not for me, he urged me to see Dr. Orenstein. Of course by this point I was sceptical that anyone could help me. However I was wrong. When I finally dragged myself to Dr. Orenstein and told him my story, he surprised me by telling me that I had been overdosed by my previous psychiatrist even though i was treated with the smallest size pills they make. Apparently, according to Dr. O, it wasn't necessary to experience side effects to get relief using antidepressant drugs.He told me to start with just a crumb of the smallest dose of the mood elevator sertraline. I raised the dose by something like a 1/16th of a pill every three days. Amazingly enough, on what amounted to less than a quarter of a 25 mg pill, I actually noticed that I was starting to sleep better. My appetite returned. That terrible knot in my stomach that had been tormenting me for the past year or more abated. I have been so much better, it's truly amazing. Everyone around me notices. And it happened on just a fraction of a pill. The dose has gradually been raised, and now I am actually taking a whole pill, which is 25 mg. That same dose had made me sick as a dog in the past. Now it is causing no problem at all. I can't say enough about the compassionate way that Dr. Orenstein handled my case. He is a true "mensh". read more