James V. Rives, M.D.

Board-Certified Psychiatrist

Background:

Dr. James V. Rives is a board-certified psychiatrist in Northern VA who treats adults and adolescents (ages 16 and older) with psychotherapy and/or medication.

Education:

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alabama, majoring in music, Dr. Rives earned his medical degree from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He then completed an internal medicine internship at Baptist Medical Centers (Montclair and Princeton Hospitals) in Birmingham, and a psychiatry residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Professional Involvement and Academic Affiliations:

Dr. Rives has practiced psychiatry in Northern Virginia for over 15 years and has served as a clinical instructor in psychiatry for both Georgetown University’s and Johns Hopkins University’s Schools of Medicine, as well as a counseling practicum supervisor for the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He currently serves as Co-Chair of Arlington County Public Schools’ School Health Advisory Board.

Theoretical Orientations and Treatment Approach:

When working with his patients, Dr. Rives utilizes a combination of cognitive-behavioral, rational-emotive, and supportive psychotherapeutic techniques. He is trained in providing highly structured cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and he is conversant in psychoanalytic theory. Dr. Rives also regularly prescribes psychotropic medication when appropriate.

Areas of Clinical Focus:

Dr. Rives’ areas of focus include, but are not limited to, the treatment of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), impulse-control disorders, trauma-based conditions (including PTSD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sleep-related conditions, personality disorders, men’s sexual disorders, psychotic disorders, and psychiatric symptoms of neurological disorders.