Caroline Giroux, M.D. for UC Davis Health

Caroline Giroux, M.D.

Professor, Department of Psychiatry

To see if Caroline Giroux is accepting new patients, or for assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).

Reviews

Specialties

Psychiatry

Trauma

Locations and Contact

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Behavioral Health Center
2230 Stockton Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95817

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Additional Numbers

Clinic Phone

916-734-3574

Clinic Fax

916-734-0849

Physician Referrals

800-4-UCDAVIS (800-482-3284)

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

Undergraduate School

B.Sc., Physical Therapy, Laval University, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada 1996

Medical School

M.D., University of Montreal, Montreal, Québec, Canada 2000

Internship

Psychiatry, Hospital Notre-Dame, Hospital St-Luc (University of Montreal), Montreal, Québec, Canada 2002-2003

Residency

Psychiatry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Québec, Canada 2001-2006

Back-to-school-night Award: “Out of the Box”, UC Davis (November 2), 2018

Junior faculty Award, UC Davis Medical Center, 2017

Outstanding Faculty Award, UC Davis Medical Center, 2017

Back-to-school-night Award: “Floor exercise” (most likely to bend over backwards for a patient), UC Davis Medical Center, 2016

Prize Drapeau for best presentation, University of Montreal, 2005

Giroux C. How can we access our power to heal from and prevent gun violence? J Psychiatry Reform. 2022 May;11(7). https://journalofpsychiatryreform.com/2022/05/31/how-can-we-access-our-power-to-heal-from-and-prevent-gun-violence/

Giroux C. Early Exposure to Pornography: A Form of Sexual Trauma. J Psychiatry Reform. 2021 Dec 7;10(15). https://journalofpsychiatryreform.com/2021/12/07/early-exposure-to-pornography-a-form-of-sexual-trauma/

Giroux C, Hategan A, Bourne C. Reproductive rights on the path of liberation: from deconstructing the concept of control in our society to emphasizing pro-attachment attitudes. J Public Health (Oxf). 2021 Sep 22;43(3):e497-e499. doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdaa017. PMID:32026930.

Giroux C. Narcissistic Abuse under the Microscope. J Psychiatry Reform. 2021 Jul 11;10(10). https://journalofpsychiatryreform.com/2021/07/11/narcissistic-abuse-under-the-microscope/

Azarang A, Pakyurek M, Giroux C, Nordahl TE, Yellowlees P. Information Technologies: An Augmentation to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Among Trauma Survivors. Telemed J E Health. 2019 Apr;25(4):263-271. doi:10.1089/tmj.2018.0068. Epub 2018 Jul 13. PMID:30004318.

Giroux C, Smith WE. Psychotherapy in Late Life. Hategan A, Bourgeois JA, Hirsch C, Giroux C (eds). Geriatric Psychiatry: A Case-Based Textbook, Springer. 2018;1(8):177-200. 

Giroux C, Sciolla AF. Trauma- and Stressor-related Disorders in Late Life. Hategan A, Bourgeois JA, Hirsch C, Giroux C (eds). Geriatric Psychiatry: A Case-Based Textbook, Springer. 2018;2(14):283-304.

Giroux C., Smith WE. Personality disorders in Late Life. Hategan A, Bourgeois JA, Hirsch C, Giroux C (eds). Geriatric Psychiatry: A Case-Based Textbook, Springer. 2018;2(25):535-560.

Ferencz JC, Chaimowitz GA, Giroux C. Geriatric Forensic Psychiatry: Risk Assessment and Management. Hategan A, Bourgeois JA, Hirsch C, Giroux C (eds). Geriatric Psychiatry: A Case-Based Textbook, Springer. 2018;3(29):617-628.

Giroux C. Disaster Psychiatry. Hategan A, Bourgeois JA, Hirsch C. On-Call Geriatric Psychiatry Handbook: Principles and Practice, Springer. 2016;3(23):305-316.

SSVMS 5th Annual Joy of Medicine 2021 Summit: Overcoming Childhood Toxic Stress by Dr. Giroux