Frank A. Fetterolf, M.D. LLC

I've dedicated my life to understanding and caring for the mind. Childhood curiosity drew me to study at Cornell University, which ranged from the philosophy of mind to neurobiology of behavior. After studying neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, I decided to attend medical school. Here, I fell in love with psychiatry because of my fascination with patients' stories and their unique ways of enduring them. I sought my graduate medical education at the Western Psychiatric Hospital of UPMC, one of the nation's largest and most renowned university-affiliated psychiatric hospitals. Clinically, I specialize in integrating evidence-based (e.g., medication and behavioral therapy) and patient-centered (e.g., traditional and Ericksonian hypnosis) treatment. The empirically supported behavioral protocols include written exposure therapy for trauma, dialectical skills for emotion regulation, activity schedule reviews for ADHD, chronotherapy for sleep, and behavioral activation for depression. My medication prescribing is a collaborative endeavor, informed by the latest meta-analyses and randomized control trials. My approach to problem-solving will utilize your existing attributes while evoking natural processes of learning and adaptation. I place a person's symptoms in the context of understanding them as an individual, considering their development, personality, and life narrative. Hypnosis and/or hypnotically derived methods are central to my practice. CERTIFICATION Psychiatry American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Clinical Hypnosis American Society of Clinical Hypnosis TRAINING Residency UPMC Medical Education Psychotherapy Pittsburgh & Columbia University Psychoanalytic Centers EDUCATION M.D., with Honors in Psychiatry Geisinger Commonwealth Medical College B.S., with High Honors in Biological Sciences and Cognitive Studies Cornell University Forensically, I provide expert psychiatric consultation to Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. I have provided expert opinions related to trial competency and criminal responsibility in over 90 cases. A few of those have involving courtroom testimony. Building on my experiences at deposition and trial, I have refined my testifying skills through the completion of specialized training for medical expert witnesses. My clinical work providing long-term, comprehensive treatment for trauma has been reinforced by advanced training through the Veteran's Affairs (VA) and the completion of AAPL's course on forensic evaluations of PTSD. As an expert witness, I provide evidence-based independent medical-psychiatric examinations, opinions, and testimony on a range of trauma-related issues such as rape, sexual assault, molestation, incest, adult sequelae of childhood sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociative disorders (e.g., dissociative identity), and personality disorders (e.g., borderline). My evaluations also use standardized measures to assess the conscious and unconscious factors that may affect the validity of a client's claims. CASE EXPERIENCE Violence Risk Assessment • College Student Violence Risk Assessment Psychological Injury Due to Trauma Medical Catastrophe • Sexual Assault • War Zone • Whistleblower • Child Sexual Abuse Disability Due to Psychiatric Disorder PTSD • Substance Use • Conversion Disorder • Borderline Personality Disorder • Panic Disorder • Depression Trial Competence Homicide • Rape • Assault • Child Sexual Abuse • Terroristic Threats • Weapons and Firearms-Related • Driving Recklessly and Under the Influence • Assault • Theft • Bomb Threats • Impersonating Public Servant • Animal Cruelty • Trespassing • Robbery • Arson • Stalking • Drug-Related Criminal Responsibility Familicide • Child Sexual Abuse • Aripiprazole-Related Compulsive Criminal behavior • Terroristic Threats • Theft • Assault • Firearm-Related • Driving Recklessly and Under the Influence