Phyllis J. Heffner, MD

Columbia, MD - Phyllis J. Heffner, MD, is being recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a Top Chief Executive Officer of Holistic Child Psychiatry, LLC. as Founder and Sole Practitioner.

Dr. Phyllis Heffner of Holistic Child Psychiatry in Columbia, Maryland understands that mental health challenges are related to physical, psychological and social factors. Using modalities such as Neurofeedback and HeartMath, patients gain greater awareness of their brain and body functions to improve health, performance, and mood and brain functioning. Integrative treatments, such as Frequency Specific Microcurrent, PEMF, Photobiomodulation, Advanced Nutrient Therapy and Biomedical treatment for Autism, are used to treat the underlying causes of the presenting symptoms rather than just treating the symptoms themselves to allow for real healing. They support healthy nutrition and over-all lifestyle, which includes eating healthy and supplying the body with nutritional supplements with appropriate use of herbs and essential oils, in addition to exercise, adequate sleep and stress management all are effective in treating mental health conditions. Dr. Heffner uses many integrative treatment methods to treat the conditions patients are experiencing, often being able to avoid, reduce or eliminate the need for psychotropic medications.

Dr. Phyllis J. Heffner is not only the owner and sole practitioner of Holistic Child Psychiatry, but she is also an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner and Board-Certified in General, Child, Adolescent Psychiatry through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Being in the field for 33 years, her area of expertise is functional and integrative psychiatry and specializes in complex conditions and cases like attention problems, depression, anxiety and autism as well as Mold Illness, Lyme disease and other Vector-Borne Illnesses, Environmentally Acquired Illnesses, and PANS/PANDAS. Dr. Heffner entered Psychiatry training in 1986 after discovering that it was a field she enjoyed in medical school. Due to her health obstacles that did not respond to conventional medical treatments, she began her path into Functional and Integrative Medicine and Psychiatry in 2011. Dr. Heffner has a desire to help others and understands there are primary physical factors that cause dysfunction in mental health such as allergens, hormone imbalances, infections or imbalance of the microbes in the gut, toxins, diet, and nutrition, and each patient’s lifestyle and stress level.  

An academic scholar, Dr. Heffner graduated with Penn State University College of Medicine where she received her Medical Degree. She was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She continued to the University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill to complete her General Psychiatry Residency, and to the University of Maryland Medical Center/Sheppard Pratt Hospital combined program for her Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. From there she has earned a Fellowship with the American Psychiatric Association and is a member with the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute for Functional Medicine, International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness, ILADS, MAPS, National Academy of Environmental Medicine, PANDAS Physicians Network, American Association of Restorative Medicine, Physicians for Informed Consent. 

Dr. Heffner’s greatest inspirations are Taghi Moderessi, MD, who was a leading Infant Psychiatrist at UMMS and Neil Nathan, MD, who inspired her to make the change from an employed conventional child psychiatrist to one that works with all age groups in an integrative and functional medicine manner and helps those that have not been successfully helped. Her advice for those starting in healthcare is to look broader than just one body system because the entire body is integrated, works together and is very complex. And keep looking, listen and believe the patient because they often know what is wrong for their mind and body.

Outside of her professional career, Dr. Phyllis J. Heffner volunteers at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. 

For more information please visit https://www.holisticchildpsychiatry.com or http://www.holisticadultpsychiatry.com