Since joining the field of medicine many years ago, I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to many wonderful role models. I have also taken note of a great number of situations where I have felt both healthcare teams and clinics as a whole have fallen short of what I believe patients deserve. Through witnessing these experiences, in addition to my own self reflection and growth, I have developed my approach as both a physician and for what I want this clinic to represent. When working with me, the following are the core principles and values that I strive to exercise during our time together:  

• Communication & Timeliness– All too often people reach out to their various doctors offices asking for a call back from the doctor and find that it either takes several days, weeks, and sometimes they do not hear back at all. This clinic is run differently. Patients communicate directly with the doctor – there is no middle person for messages to get lost with. Additionally, we see timeliness as a core part of effective communication, meaning that my patients can rest assured that they are a priority and that they can expect to hear back from me promptly.   
• Respect & Engagement – All too often patients go to see their doctor and find that they are being looked across from a big bulky desk while the psychiatrist is hidden behind a computer screen for the majority of the visit typing away.  This is not how I practice. I come into our visits prepared, and I do not type notes when I am with my patients. I have intentionally removed the desk from where we have our chats to facilitate a more comfortable, ‘at home’ feel.  When you are with me, you have my undivided attention.  
• Empathy – Everyone is going through life for their first time. We all have different backgrounds and unique struggles. Fostering an empathetic and non judgemental environment is paramount. 
• Patient Autonomy – Frequently healthcare professionals behave paternalistically and “talk at” their patients. My approach is different from this. I believe in empowering patients and that their ideas and concerns should be not only heard, but actively incorporated into the plan for their treatment. Visits with me are very much conversational and reciprocative, not unidirectional.  
• Seeing the Forest, Not Just the Trees – I believe that mental health and psychiatry is not limited to just one part of the body – it is the complex interplay of many different systems. Similarly, I do not believe that all of the answers to psychiatric challenges reside inside of a pill capsule. I take a less is more approach whenever possible when it comes to medications and incorporate non pharmacologic therapies when possible. My goal is to have the patients that I work with thriving, not over or unnecessarily medicated. 

Living a balanced life is important. When Dr Spaedy is not seeing patients in the clinic he loves being a part of all things outdoors. When the weather is nice he enjoys riding his bike near the beach, visiting local farmers markets and fruit farms, and taking his dog Jess on walks. He also recently passed his 20th year as a scuba diver. On rainy days he can be found reading at local coffee shops and catching up on comedy shows on television. 

Dr Spaedy is originally from central Missouri. Growing up he had a passion for raising animals. While in his younger year he originally aspired to become a veterinarian, he found his true passion was in treating people. He spent eight years in Kansas City Missouri, completing both his undergraduate and medical school education at the University of Missouri in Kansas City during that time. Initially in medical school he planned to pursue a career in gastroenterology or cardiology. Half way through medical school, however, he had his first exposure to the field of psychiatry and almost immediately knew that it was his true calling. After medical school, he moved to a coastal town of central New Jersey where he trained at a large university teaching hospital, Hackensack Meridian Health’s Jersey Shore University Medical Center. While he greatly enjoyed treating adults, he wanted to make sure that he was well rounded in his knowledge base of all ages. After residency, Dr Spaedy pursued subspecialty pediatric psychiatry training also through Hackensack Meridian Health University Medical Centers. Separate from his training experience, Dr Spaedy has worked as an outpatient physician at a community mental health clinic where he cared for patients with more severe mental health conditions. Additionally, he previously provided regular coverage  to a local hospital’s 30 bed inpatient psychiatric unit, evaluated psychiatric emergency cases in the hospital’s ER, and performed psychiatric consultations requested by the internal medicine services. Currently he works as an outpatient physician in Boca Raton Florida at Beach View Psychiatry.