Manisha Punwani, MD

I am grateful to have found Dr. Punwani. My son who is severely affected by autism has been a patient of hers since 2012. She is an expert in her field and has been instrumental in helping us get through the difficult adolescent years. She is very accessible and prompt in getting back to us when there is a concern. Additionally, she cares not only about the patient but also the well-​being of the whole family.

As the parent of two children with special needs, I have worked with MANY Therapists and Doctors in the medical, educational and mental health fields. Of them, Dr. Punwani stands out as exemplary among her peers. From the very start our work with her has been successful. After hanging up from our intake call, I finally felt like Id found someone who could meet my daughter where she was-​who saw kids with her combination of strengths and challenges and would know exactly what steps to take, both immediate and long term to improve my daughters quality of life. The first session did not disappoint. Despite my daughter showing some of her most challenging behaviors, Dr. Punwani remained calm and firm with her. Using a unique combination of techniques that goes well beyond traditional play therapy, Dr. Punwani has been able to get key insights out of my 5 year old during every session. She does a good job of balancing treating her alone and including me in therapy sessions. I also appreciate her holistic approach to health providing us coaching in areas including nutrition and family dynamics as well as being my daughter’s therapist and managing her medications. Dr. Punwani is also prompt in returning calls and is supporting us a great deal as we prepare for our Kindergarten Placement IEP. Finally, her unique clinic schedule allows us to see her weekly even though our family is balancing multiple other appointments on a daily basis.

Dr. Punwani is an excellent professional and a talented and intuitive therapist. She goes above and beyond in returning calls, texts, and emails and to accommodate patient’s unique and ever-​changing needs. Thank you for your service, you are much appreciated.

Dr. Punwani cares deeply about her patients and goes above and beyond the call of duty. Our family was very fortunate to have found her at a time of serious crisis when our 9 year-​old had completely shutdown. She has been instrumental in his progress. Our son is now a thriving individual with a whole new perspective on life. We can’t thank her enough for always being quick to respond and making herself available.

Dr. Punwani has been amazing for our son who suffers from anxiety/​OCD. He has made great progress and she is always searching for ways to help him more. I know she loves him and cares about him. I trust her judgement and know that she has my son’s best interests at heart. She is very knowledgeable and experienced and I highly recommend her.

Dr. Punwani has made a huge difference in our lives. The change in my oldest daughter in a year has been incredible! Dr. Punwani really knows how to interact with teens and understands the difference between depression and anxiety driven depression. We have tried other therapists and had no progress. We knew she was the right one the first night we met with her.

We’ve been in Dr Punwani’s practice for close to two years. One thing we knew from the start, was that she practices with a lot of heart.
She puts the child at the center of her concern and care. She listens, asks questions, listens more, and is willing to go to what lengths are required for the child. We’ve had changes in medication, and treatment in order bring about the best recovery possible, and she has been attendant and willing to work with us/​my child, at every turn.
We have delighted in her sense of humor as well (a bonus)
Please contact me if I can provide more reference. This doctor is as good as they come.

She is an intellectual who can quickly diagnose the causes based on facts put in front of her and suggest correct remedies. You can rely on her judgement which comes from her significant experience.

Dr. Punwani is everything a child or adolescent could need from a psychiatrist. She is very empathetic, aware, and committed to her patients. She has helped me with panic disorder during my teenage years far more than anyone else I’ve ever been to. I cannot recommend her or her expertise enough.

My 13 year old son has severe anxiety disorder which was not diagnosed until we saw Dr. Punwani, everyone else thought it was OCD, but Dr. Punwani correctly identified it as severe anxiety disorder and he was using OCD as a coping mechanism. Past treatments had been based on OCD protocol, so not successful. We had tried numerous therapists to no avail. He was nearly completely debilitated by his anxiety (had food avoidance and was losing weight, had OCD symptoms, would «freeze» in the middle of doing something and not be able to reengage). As his Mom, I was extremely worried and frustrated that no one seemed to be able to help him. Then we found Dr. Punwani and after a year of treatment, my son is a different person. He is managing his anxiety disorder very well, is eating again and learning alternative ways to manage his anxiety, so consequently, his OCD symptoms are greatly reduced. Dr. Punwani is a highly skilled psychiatrist who is well versed in childhood mental health issues.

Dr Punwani is very caring and knowledgeable to treat children with anxiety and OCD disorders. She spends a lot of time with her patients and is careful about what medications she prescribes to them. She is an expert in her specialty and we trust her medical advice.