Psychiatric Care | Venice, CA
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Serving Venice, CA
Venice has a reputation for wellness and creativity, but finding quality psychiatric care in Venice that accepts insurance and has near-term availability is another matter.
Serving Venice, Marina del Rey & Santa Monica
Blue Ocean Mental Health treats patients from Venice, Marina del Rey, and Santa Monica at our nearby Los Angeles office, and offers telepsychiatry to patients throughout California. Esder Shin, PMHNP-BC, provides psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and ongoing care for anxiety, depression, ADHD, and related conditions.
A short drive from Abbot Kinney Boulevard and the Venice canals
How Care Works
Evaluation
Psychiatric Evaluation in Venice
A psychiatric evaluation is where treatment starts, whether you’re seeking psychiatric care for the first time or switching providers after an evaluation elsewhere. Esder Shin walks through your symptom history, prior diagnoses, medications you’ve tried, and any relevant family history, then uses that information to reach a working diagnosis and outline next steps. More on our psychiatric evaluations.
GeneSight testing
When a patient has cycled through several medications without relief, GeneSight pharmacogenomic testing, a cheek-swab test that analyzes how your genes affect your response to specific psychiatric medications, can help identify which options are more likely to work before you start one.
Attention & Focus
ADHD Evaluation and Treatment in Venice
Venice’s mix of freelancers, artists, and Silicon Beach tech workers means a lot of patients describe the same pattern: strong ability to hyperfocus on projects they care about, and real difficulty starting or finishing tasks that don’t hold their attention. As a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Esder Shin evaluates attention, impulsivity, and organizational symptoms against full diagnostic criteria, since anxiety and sleep problems can produce a similar picture.
Once ADHD is confirmed, treatment usually starts with a trial of stimulant or non-stimulant medication. Early follow-up visits fine-tune the dose and watch for side effects, and later visits shift toward checking whether the medication is holding up under real deadlines, not just in conversation.
Mood
Anxiety Treatment in Venice
Anxiety shows up differently from person to person: constant low-grade worry, physical symptoms like a racing heart or tight chest, or a pattern of avoiding situations that used to feel manageable. Esder Shin’s evaluation covers how anxiety affects sleep, work, and relationships before recommending a treatment plan.
Treatment often combines medication with brief supportive therapy sessions, giving patients a place to work through specific stressors rather than treating anxiety as a single, generic diagnosis.
Mood
Depression Treatment in Venice
Depression treatment begins with a clear picture of how symptoms are showing up: low mood, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, appetite or sleep changes, or trouble concentrating. Esder Shin also screens for related conditions, since depression frequently overlaps with anxiety or shows up as a side effect of an existing medication.
From there, medication management and brief supportive therapy are adjusted based on your response over the following weeks, with the goal of noticeable improvement rather than just symptom suppression.
Ongoing Care
Medication Management in Venice
Medication management doesn’t end after the first prescription. Follow-up visits track how well a medication is working, watch for side effects, and make adjustments as your symptoms or circumstances change.
For Venice patients who’ve had a hard time finding a medication that works, GeneSight testing offers additional data on drug metabolism, which can shorten the trial-and-error period that often frustrates patients before they find an effective regimen.
Care From Home
Telepsychiatry for Venice Patients
Telepsychiatry, psychiatric care delivered through a secure video visit instead of an in-person appointment, gives Venice patients full access to evaluations, medication management, and follow-up care without driving into Los Angeles or hunting for parking near the beach.
Because Blue Ocean Mental Health is licensed throughout California, telepsychiatry is available to Venice residents as well as patients living farther away, including the Bay Area. Many Venice patients complete an initial evaluation in person, then switch to telepsychiatry for ongoing medication management visits.
Your Provider
Meet Your Venice-Area Psychiatric Provider
Esder Shin, PMHNP-BC, a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, treats anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, and panic disorders. Her approach blends medication management with functional medicine principles and behavioral health strategies, with particular expertise in complex medication management and diagnostic clarification for patients who haven’t had success elsewhere.
Whether you’re looking for an experienced psychiatric provider in Venice for the first time or switching providers after treatment that didn’t work, Venice patients can see Esder Shin in person at the Los Angeles office, a short drive from Abbot Kinney Boulevard and the Venice canals, or connect virtually through telepsychiatry.
Insurance & Coverage
Insurance, Location, and Scheduling for Venice Patients
Blue Ocean Mental Health’s office is at 11850 Wilshire Blvd #200A, Los Angeles, CA 90025, a short drive from Venice, Marina del Rey, and Santa Monica. 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
Call (323) 744-5605 or book online to schedule a psychiatric evaluation or ask about coverage. New patient appointments are typically available within a short timeframe.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is psychiatric care available in Venice, CA for new patients?
Yes. Esder Shin, PMHNP-BC, sees Venice patients at Blue Ocean Mental Health’s Los Angeles office, a short drive from Abbot Kinney Boulevard and the Venice canals, and is currently accepting new patients for both in-person and telepsychiatry appointments.
What should I expect from a psychiatric evaluation?
A psychiatric evaluation covers your current symptoms, past diagnoses, medication history, and relevant family history, and typically results in a working diagnosis and a proposed treatment plan. Most new patients complete their evaluation during the first visit.
Can Esder Shin diagnose and treat adult ADHD?
Yes. As a board-certified PMHNP-BC, Esder Shin evaluates adult ADHD symptoms, rules out overlapping conditions, and prescribes and monitors stimulant or non-stimulant medication as part of ongoing care.
What insurance plans does Blue Ocean Mental Health accept?
Blue Ocean Mental Health accepts most major insurance plans, including Optum, Aetna, Cigna, BlueCross BlueShield, and United Healthcare. Call the office to confirm your specific plan before scheduling.
Is telepsychiatry as effective as in-person psychiatric care?
A telepsychiatry appointment covers the same evaluation, medication management, and follow-up care as an in-person visit, conducted over a secure video platform with prescriptions sent directly to your pharmacy.
How quickly can a new patient in Venice get an appointment?
New patient appointments are usually available within a short timeframe. Call (323) 744-5605 or book online to check current openings for an evaluation or medication management visit.
Venice, CA
Book a psychiatric evaluation
Call (323) 744-5605 or book online. New patient appointments are typically available within a short timeframe.
