Philosophy of Care

I am interested in discovering each person's unique story behind the diagnosis. I am dedicated to promote health via early identification of the sequelae of trauma (including adverse childhood experiences), and of resources to heal  and break the cycle of abuse and neglect. I support empowerment of victims of oppression (namely women, LGBTQIA populations, refugees, Indigenous populations, and ethnic minorities) by helping each person restore their dignity and reconnect with their inner resilience. This process often entails de-diagnosing people who received erroneous diagnoses often due to unconscious biases. My clinical and educational work incorporates lifestyle hygiene, with an emphasis on narrative approaches (writing, storytelling), mindfulness-based stress reduction, cultivation of joy, and burnout prevention. I seek to help my distressed patients detect their ineffective coping strategies (such as addictions, avoidance, dysregulated sexuality) to restore wholeness and balance in all domains of their lives. As such, I am a de-represcriber of harmful, redundant or ineffective medications and prioritize a strength-based model, using the bio-psycho-socio-spiritual framework.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Giroux is a general adult psychiatrist who specializes in trauma-related conditions throughout the lifespan and she examines how it affects all the body systems, as well as attachment styles. In 2018, with Dr. Andres Sciolla she founded and still co-directs RESTART, a resilience-focused, mindfulness-based stress reduction program for survivors of developmental trauma. She leads group therapy for survivors of trauma. She also offers tele-health consultations for Indigenous populations (teenagers and adults) located across the state. The typical conditions and manifestations she encounters in trauma survivors include panic attacks, generalized anxiety, dissociation, addictions, obsessions, compulsions, chronic depression, suicidal thoughts, personality styles prone to acting-outs, self-destructive coping methods, dysregulated sexual behaviors (promiscuity, addiction to porn, or avoidance and fear after sexual trauma), multiple medical comorbidities (with chronic inflammatory diseases), inconsistent attention span with disorganization, and polypharmacy.

Research/Academic Interests

Dr. Giroux is dedicated to promote recovery and empowerment in survivors of trauma. She develops therapeutic approaches that incorporate storytelling and other portals to resilience. To heighten the awareness of the ubiquity of trauma, she introduced a course in the residency curriculum and she published numerous book chapters and essays. She engages in ongoing education of patients, residents and medical students about resources to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. She is invested in health professionals' wellbeing and frequently offers conferences and workshops to encourage joy cultivation, gratitude, interconnectedness and other meditative/spiritual practices.

Dr. Giroux is the faculty supervisor for Mark and Tanya Schaal Prose and Poetry in Psychotherapy Award (endowment created in 2022) to guide residents as they incorporate the written word in psychotherapy, and she is a regular columnist for Sierra Sacramento Valley Medicine Magazine ("The Mindful Life"). Since 2022, she has been working on  a book on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as co-editor and co-author.

Division

General Psychiatry