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Medical/medication management of common outpatient mental health conditions. Our goal is to minimize the doses and amount of medications needed to effectively treat your condition.
Studies have shown the benefits of animal-assisted therapy in different healthcare settings.
Nature is a powerful healer. Your visit can be held outdoors, if you so choose, here in beautiful Old San Juan or at nearby Escambrón beach.
Brain Boutique, a medical practice focused on mental health, was created in 2023. It was designed with a very specific purpose: to provide medical mental health care in a beautiful, patient-centered setting. This is an innovative medical practice, where we focus on delivering the evidence-based healthcare you need, how you need it. Our environment is about your comfort and your personal journey, while being sensitive to individual perspectives, cultures, belief systems, and healthcare equity. This is a protected space in a beautiful historic building, full of charm and grace, built in the 1700s. Brain Boutique also has full-functioning practice capabilities outside of our physical office, throughout the many gorgeous outdoor spots within the walls of Old San Juan, as well as on the beach, where you can also choose your visit to be conducted at. An integral part of our medical practice is our licensed therapy dog, Tommy, who is available to all of our patients during their visit.
Our boutique approach allows us to provide comprehensive, patient-centered, evidence-based care with a holistic approach to health and wellness.
Get personalized and timely medical care without leaving home, thanks to our virtual consultations.
We understand the logistics of Old San Juan, and the absence of Primary Care Medicine. We have the option to see patients for general medicine needs, improving access to care.
I was in a dark moment in my life. The first step was to accept that I needed help (often the most difficult to do). I was uncertain as to where to turn to. During my first visit with Dr. Cuadrado, I realized that I had found someone that was sincerely empathic and undoubtedly well versed in her craft. Which each subsequent visit, my first impression was solidified. I trusted her guidance and recommendations regarding my quest towards favorable mental health.
La Dra. Cuadrado cambió mi vida por completo. Gracias a ella recuperé las riendas de mi vida, aprendí a poner límites y a superar mis miedos. Puedo recomendar ciegamente sus cuidados.
Anteriormente había visitado otros psiquiatras y sentí que me apresuraban , me interrumpían cuando trataba de explicar lo que me estaba pasando, y me daban una receta y ya. No sentía deseos de buscar a otro psiquiatra pues con la experiencia que tuve con ellos , pensaba que volvería a lo mismo. Tengo un diagnóstico de ansiedad generalizada y el tratarme con prisa causa el efecto opuesto a tranquilizarme. Hasta que encontré a la Dra Ivette Cuadrado, con ella tuve la conexión exacta que buscaba en un psiquiatra. No es fácil hablar sobre la salud mental , es retante abrirse a hablar algo personal con un extraño, más retante es explicar como te sientes , cuando uno mismo no puede entender lo que siente (fisiológicamente) y mucho menos explicar lo que piensa , pues no sabe como manejar las emociones actuales. Con la Dra Cuadrado no sentí que debía “rebuscar” palabras para que me entendiera, ella me dio el espacio y el tiempo para expresarme , sin interrumpirme , sin hostigarme, sin juzgarme y sobretodo sin apresurarme. Su presencia me hizo sentir , bienvenida, cómoda, incluida y aceptada. La Dra Ivette C , muestra empatía y respeto ,es extremadamente profesional , puntual y te ESCUCHA!!! La Dra Cuadrado hizo un plan de tratamiento específico para mí, tomando en cuenta mi opinión y mis intereses y está pendiente de mi progreso en mi salud mental. Su nueva oficina en El Viejo San Juan es hermosa!! Original y elegante. La oficina brinda la sensación de paz y buena vibra. Su perro terapeuta Tommy es un angel de 4 patas. Mi experiencia con la Dra Cuadrado fue excelente y de gran importancia para estar y sentirme como me siento ahora. Altamente recomendada , Dra Ivette Cuadrado, gracias por tanto.
Dr. Ivette Cuadrado, a Medical Doctor, has been an advocate for both patients and physicians in the continental US and Puerto Rico. A former member of the Board of Trustees of the OK State Medical Association, she worked in the legislative committee alongside other physicians and policymakers to protect the access to care of underserved patients, and the practice of Medicine of her fellow physicians. Her medical education is extensive and diverse. Following completion of her MD degree, she initially specialized in Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, and later moved to Los Angeles to complete a fellowship in PET/CT, a specialized cancer imaging modality. She then lived and practiced in rural California for years before moving her practice to Oklahoma. Once there, she had a busy rural medical practice while simultaneously directing a rehabilitation facility and practicing as a nuclear medicine doctor.
The extensive need for adequate medical mental health management, and the lack of it, led her to pursue a fellowship in Primary Care Psychiatry back in California. Once completed, she immediately started working with a federally funded multispecialty clinic as the first physician in their behavioral health department. The practice soon thrived, and the best referral -word of mouth from her own patients- kept it growing exponentially. She was able to successfully manage a wide range of previously unmanaged and unaddressed mental health conditions in the outpatient setting, as well as complex patient situations such as community tragedies, incest, post-partum period, post-incarceration period, and the despair commonly seen in many parts of the nation.
After her success in rural medicine in the US, she decided to come back to Puerto Rico and open her private medical practice in Old San Juan, where there had not been a medical clinic for the residents, visitors, and employees that come to the old city daily. She is involved and invests in the community, and continues to successfully practice primary care mental health and nuclear medicine. “My career path has not been linear but has always connected and been in continuous movement and growth” she explains. “Nuclear medicine has taught me a very deep understanding of molecular pathways, which I was able to apply to primary care psychiatry to understand and manage the molecular applications of pharmacologic treatments in mental health disorders. It’s all science, well-studied and well-described. What has made me different and made me successful has been how my life experiences allow me to connect with my patients and make them feel seen, understood, validated, and respected.” The best, and most rewarding, feedback from her patients: “Doctor, I am so glad I found you. Thank you”.
Tommy, a licensed and certified Therapy Dog, has a career in mental health that has taken him from rough winters in rural Oklahoma to the warm beaches of Puerto Rico, living his best dog life. He has worked as a therapy dog since passing rigorous training and obtaining his license in 2020, and has helped countless patients in both medical and community settings. He has provided support and comfort to pediatric patients, autistic patients, survivors of community tragedies, patients with active symptoms of depression and anxiety, and grieving patients. He has been with Dr. Cuadrado since he was 8 weeks old, and has always had a natural talent for sensing where his help is needed. He loves love, and is proud to have a career and live a life of purpose.
