Psychiatric Care | Santa Monica, CA
Psychiatric Care in Santa Monica, CA
Finding an experienced psychiatric provider in Santa Monica shouldn’t mean choosing between quality care and convenience.
Serving Santa Monica, Venice & Marina del Rey
Blue Ocean Mental Health provides board-certified psychiatric care to Santa Monica, Venice, and Marina del Rey residents from our nearby Los Angeles office, with telepsychiatry available to patients throughout California. Led by Esder Shin, PMHNP-BC, our practice offers psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and evidence-based treatment for anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other conditions that affect daily life.
In person
At the Los Angeles office
11850 Wilshire Blvd #200A, a short drive from Santa Monica, Venice, and Marina del Rey.
Telepsychiatry
By secure video visit
The same evaluations, medication management, and follow-up care, available to patients throughout California.
What Treatment Looks Like
Evaluation
Psychiatric Evaluation in Santa Monica
A psychiatric evaluation is the starting point for effective treatment. During your evaluation, Esder Shin reviews your symptoms, personal and family mental health history, and current medications to build a complete clinical picture. This process helps clarify a diagnosis, rule out overlapping conditions, and identify the treatment approach most likely to work for you. Read more about our psychiatric evaluations.
GeneSight testing
For patients whose symptoms haven’t responded to previous treatment, Blue Ocean Mental Health offers GeneSight pharmacogenomic testing, a genetic test that shows how your body is likely to metabolize certain psychiatric medications. Reviewing these results before starting a new prescription helps narrow down options instead of relying on trial and error.
Attention & Focus
ADHD Evaluation and Treatment in Santa Monica
Adult ADHD often looks different from the childhood version most people picture: missed deadlines, trouble sitting through meetings, a mind that won’t settle at night. As a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Esder Shin evaluates attention, focus, and executive functioning symptoms to confirm a diagnosis and rule out conditions that can mimic ADHD, such as anxiety or sleep disorders.
Treatment plans may include stimulant or non-stimulant medication, with close monitoring during the first weeks to adjust dosing and manage side effects. Follow-up visits track how the medication is working at home, at work, and in relationships, not just on a symptom checklist.
Mood
Anxiety and Depression Treatment in Santa Monica
Anxiety and depression are among the most common reasons patients contact Blue Ocean Mental Health, and the two frequently occur together. Treatment starts with understanding how symptoms show up: racing thoughts, physical tension, low motivation, sleep changes, or withdrawal from things you used to enjoy.
Esder Shin combines medication management with brief supportive therapy, giving patients both a clinical treatment plan and a space to talk through what’s contributing to their symptoms. Adjustments are based on how you’re responding, not a fixed schedule, so treatment keeps pace with how you actually feel week to week.
Ongoing Care
Medication Management in Santa Monica
Medication management is an ongoing relationship, not a single prescription. After an initial evaluation, follow-up appointments monitor effectiveness, side effects, and any changes in your symptoms or health history that might call for an adjustment.
Because some patients haven’t responded to standard medications, or stopped treatment altogether due to side effects, GeneSight testing is available to help identify options with a better likelihood of success. Whether you’re starting medication for the first time or adjusting a long-standing prescription, appointments are structured around your response to treatment.
Care From Home
Telepsychiatry for Santa Monica Patients
Telepsychiatry, psychiatric care delivered remotely through a secure video appointment, gives Santa Monica patients access to the same evaluations, medication management, and follow-up care available in person, without a commute across Los Angeles traffic. Prescriptions are sent directly to your pharmacy after each visit.
Licensed to treat patients throughout California, Blue Ocean Mental Health offers virtual appointments to residents of Santa Monica as well as patients further afield in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Many patients start with an in-person evaluation and shift to telepsychiatry for routine follow-ups, though fully virtual care is available from the start as well.
Your Provider
Meet Your Santa Monica-Area Psychiatric Provider
Esder Shin, PMHNP-BC, a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner licensed to diagnose and treat mental health conditions, sees patients for anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, and panic disorders. Her approach pairs medication management with functional medicine principles and behavioral health strategies, with particular attention to complex medication management and diagnostic clarification.
Patients in Santa Monica can see Esder Shin in person at the Los Angeles office or connect through telepsychiatry from home. Either way, care is built around a personalized treatment plan rather than a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Insurance & Scheduling
Insurance, Location, and Scheduling in Santa Monica
Blue Ocean Mental Health is located at 11850 Wilshire Blvd #200A, Los Angeles, CA 90025, a short drive from Santa Monica, Venice, and Marina del Rey. The practice accepts most major insurance plans, including Optum, BlueCross BlueShield, Cigna, Cigna Evernorth, Aetna, United Healthcare, United Healthcare Shared Services, Meritain Health, Health Net, Carelon Behavioral Health, UMR, and Surest.
The Office
11850 Wilshire Blvd #200A
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Scheduling
To schedule a psychiatric evaluation or ask about insurance coverage, call (323) 744-5605 or book an appointment online. New patients can typically be seen within a short timeframe, whether for an initial evaluation or an urgent medication concern.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a psychiatric provider near Santa Monica accepting new patients?
Yes. Blue Ocean Mental Health is located at 11850 Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles, minutes from Santa Monica, and Esder Shin, PMHNP-BC, is currently accepting new patients for both in-person and telepsychiatry appointments.
What happens during a psychiatric evaluation?
A psychiatric evaluation involves a detailed review of your symptoms, medical and family history, and current medications to reach an accurate diagnosis and build a personalized treatment plan. Evaluations typically take place during your first visit and set the direction for any follow-up care.
Can a psychiatric nurse practitioner prescribe ADHD and other psychiatric medications?
Yes. As a board-certified PMHNP-BC, Esder Shin is licensed to diagnose mental health conditions and prescribe and manage psychiatric medications, including ADHD medication, in California.
Do you accept insurance for psychiatric care in Santa Monica?
Blue Ocean Mental Health accepts most major insurance plans, including Optum, Aetna, Cigna, BlueCross BlueShield, and United Healthcare. Contact the office to verify your specific plan and benefits before your first visit.
Is telepsychiatry as effective as in-person psychiatric care?
For many patients, telepsychiatry is just as effective as in-person care for evaluations, medication management, and follow-up visits. Appointments are conducted through a secure video platform, and prescriptions are sent directly to your pharmacy.
How soon can I get an appointment for psychiatric care near Santa Monica?
New patient appointments are often available within a short timeframe. Call (323) 744-5605 or book online to check current availability for an evaluation or medication management visit.
Santa Monica, CA
Book a psychiatric evaluation
Call (323) 744-5605 or book online. New patients can typically be seen within a short timeframe.
