We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Margaret Miller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Margaret, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I struggled a lot finding purpose in my early twenties, mostly because I had a myriad of interests that did not really seem compatible career-wise. The one common thread however was people and their stories. Whether through art or reading I found I had a deep curiosity about the experiences of others. When my own family experienced a mental health crisis I was first able to see the impact that social workers had on others. I found myself immersed in the world of mental health for the first time, and a sense of joy developed when I saw people experience the freedom to speak their mind without fear of judgment. Whether in therapy myself or with my family, the removal of shame and stigma from the equation was really liberating. This ultimately led me to social work school and then to Columbia for a DNP in psychiatry.
I worked in a hospital for years and really valued the moments I connected with people and made space for their stories in an otherwise chaotic environment. People are complex and after a while I felt like the limited time I was getting with each patient was frustrating. I ultimately decided to found my own practice where I could focus on mission-driven psychiatric care that is accessible, tailored to each individual person and accepting. Since then it’s been really rewarding working with patients. In short, my patients give me purpose. Their experiences drive what I do and why I do it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Currently I founded and now run Greenwich Avenue Psychiatry with two partners – Dr. Paroma Mitra MD and Kara Grayson LCSW. We together wanted to create a safe space for people to put mental health first without stigma or shame, and to embrace mental health as part of normal wellness. Mental illness touches literally everyone in one way, shape or form, but there continues to be secrecy and stigma attached to it. Our mission was to overcome this and normalize a person’s mental health journey.
In founding my practice I get to dictate the terms which I love – that we can meet people where they are in their lives and make getting mental health care something to be proud of. I don’t have to rush or pack my schedule like I did in the hospital. Instead I take my time and return patient phone calls and messages as soon as possible. I am available to people and I embrace their goals rather than setting my own for them. That synergy is magical. When someone is really invested in working with me and exploring their own mind, I am so grateful to be a participant.
Our brand of psychiatry goes beyond symptoms of an illness. We want our patients to feel well and build resilience. And we want them to feel proud of mental health and the agency they have over their own experience. Moving mental health forward as a practice but societally is something I want to be a part of.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I can remember presenting patients in team meetings at the hospital and boiling down their lives to discrete details that didn’t capture the situation at all just because I was worried about time. It was not until one of my favorite supervisors and mentors stopped me and asked “how does the patient see the problem” that I began to reflect on what I was doing. I had to develop the ability to listen. Listening and being present in the moment with a patient were the two skills that jump started my career in the right direction. I also would say being humble enough to ask if you don’t know or understand something. I think in medicine and even among therapy providers there is this feeling that you have to be able to solve problems and understand everything or you won’t be able to help. This is just not true – it’s a journey for providers of care as well. If you don’t know or don’t understand something, just ask!
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
We opened our practice in late 2023 so I would say the biggest area of growth has been around running my own business and managing a very hectic schedule! I think initially I had a lot of imposter syndrome and I was not sure I could do well on my own. I had to challenge those thoughts a lot. But finding success pretty quickly also came with a steep learning curve. Logistically coordinating a business with all that entails has been a totally new thing for me and a new skill set to nurture. I have had to be really kind to myself and remind myself its okay to make mistakes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://greenwichavenuepsychiatry.com
- Instagram: @greenwichavepsych
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/psychiatrists/margaret-miller-greenwich-ct/1226037
Image Credits
Natasha Miller
