Home › Healthcare Professional Consulting
Consultation for mental health professionals and physicians on patient communication, treatment challenges, and professional development.
Expert Guidance for Professionals
With decades of clinical and academic experience, Dr. Gardner offers consultation to mental health therapists, psychiatrists, and physicians who are navigating complex patient situations, looking to strengthen their clinical approach, or seeking guidance on professional challenges.
Drawing on his background in psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and traumatic brain injury, Dr. Gardner provides thoughtful, nuanced consultation that goes beyond surface-level advice — helping colleagues think more deeply about their patients and their practice.
All consultations are conducted via secure video conference or phone, offering flexible, accessible support for healthcare professionals throughout the San Diego region and beyond.
Areas of Consultation
Thoughtful discussion of complex or challenging patient cases, including treatment planning, diagnostic considerations, and therapeutic approach.
Difficult-to-treat patients and stuck therapeutic relationships
Psychiatric and psychodynamic formulation
TBI-related behavioral and emotional presentations
Medication-behavior intersection and psychopharmacology guidance
Practical guidance on improving doctor-patient and therapist-patient communication — building stronger therapeutic alliances and achieving better clinical outcomes.
Engaging difficult or resistant patients
Delivering difficult news and sensitive diagnoses
Improving treatment adherence and shared decision-making
Managing countertransference and professional boundaries
Guidance for healthcare professionals seeking to grow their practice, navigate career transitions, or strengthen their leadership and clinical skills.
Practice development and growth strategies
Career transitions and professional identity
Preventing and recovering from professional burnout
Leadership effectiveness and team communication
Why Dr. Gardner
Dr. Gardner brings a rare combination of board-certified psychiatry, psychoanalytic training, and extensive experience in traumatic brain injury — making him uniquely equipped to advise colleagues across a wide range of complex clinical and professional situations.
He has served as a voluntary associate clinical professor at UCSD, Medical Director of brain injury rehabilitation programs, and has been recognized repeatedly as one of San Diego's Physicians of Exceptional Excellence.
Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology
Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
Graduate, Adult Psychoanalysis — San Diego Psychoanalytic Society and Institute
Former Voluntary Associate Clinical Professor, UCSD School of Medicine
Medical Director, Brain Injury Rehabilitation Programs
Top Doctor, San Diego Physicians of Exceptional Excellence (multiple years)
Remote Consultations Available
All professional consultations are conducted via secure video conference or phone — making expert guidance accessible to healthcare providers wherever they are located.
Reach out to discuss your consultation needs. All sessions conducted via video conference or phone.