Our Story: Innovating for More Effective Psychiatry

Pacific Psych Centers (PPC) was founded by Drs. Jake and Jessica Hollingsworth in 2015 under a different name. In 2020, realizing that we have become much more than a “ketamine clinic,” we updated our identity to reflect that.

Dr. Jake and Dr. Jessica moved to Del Mar in the spring of 2015. Dr. Jake had recently completed eight years of active duty as an Air Force psychiatrist, and Dr. Jessica was preparing to start her residency in Anesthesiology at UC San Diego. After opening an outpatient psychiatric private practice, it didn’t take long for Dr. Jake to realize that he wanted to offer more to his patients than just a quick medication adjustment.

This realization spawned a second clinic, Ketamine for Life (KFL) in which Dr. Jake could administer IV ketamine infusions for depression. Using ketamine for depression and has been an extremely valuable and effective treatment modality for patients who do not find durable results from conventional psychiatric treatments. Dr. Jessica’s expertise as an anesthesiologist has also been an invaluable asset. Subsequently, Dr. Jake consolidated the existing outpatient practice and KFL into one office in Del Mar.

Since the move to Del Mar in early 2017, we have added Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), an FDA-approved interventional treatment for depression, which has proven to be a great treatment option for patients that were not helped by traditional psychiatric medication management. Since adding TMS to our toolbox, we have gradually built in other treatment modalities that can benefit selected patients, including integrative medicine treatments.

Spravato™ (esketamine)

On March 5th 2019, Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ medication, Spravato™, was FDA-approved for the treatment of treatment resistant depression. Spravato™, the brand name for esketamine, is an intranasal version of the S-enantiomer of the ketamine molecule that is used currently in our clinic via intravenous infusion. Since Spravato™ is FDA-approved, some health insurance plans cover the cost of this medication or at least a significant portion of it. You can learn more on our Spravato™  (esketamine) page.

Our Mission

Our mission is to offer psychiatric treatments with a new interventional approach for anxiety, insomnia, ADHD, depression, and other mood disorders. Our direct focus is on ketamine infusions and injections, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS), and conservative medication management, specializing in detoxing and de-prescribing. With dual board-certified expertise and a warm, discreet setting, we help alleviate suffering for ages 18 to 64. Recognizing that one treatment does not fit all in mental health, we continually incorporate new treatment modalities as new research provides evidence for doing so.

Our Vision

PPC considers the needs of each patient individually and tailors the recommended treatment plan based on your unique circumstances. Not every patient is appropriate for every treatment offered by PPC. Some will benefit more from one treatment modality over another, or may find that PPC is not a good fit for them at all. We will always recommend  the course of action that we feel will most benefit the patient.

Being a small, family-operated and owned clinic gives us an advantage that some larger organizations do not have, the ability to be flexible with the services that we offer. We are always looking to the future to see what other treatment options might be beneficial for PPC’s patients. Because we have expertise in both anesthesia and psychiatry, we are able to provide the latest, most cutting edge treatments in the safest way possible.

PPC will continue to grow and expand to meet the needs of patients who haven’t been helped by traditional psychiatric clinics, or who can benefit from a more personalized approach and a variety of treatment options.