Improve Life PLLC

At Improve Life, our mission is to provide you with personalized healing designed specifically to enhance your life. We take the approach of high quality individualized care for a few patients rather than the “assembly-line” approach used to treat a large number of patients. Dr. Waggel specializes in women and adolescent mental health and helping patients to overcome tough life transitions. She works with adolescents, young adults, and women of all ages living with anxiety, depression, relationship problems, stress, self-esteem issues and more.

Each patient will receive a uniquely made healthcare plan by a medical doctor who takes extra time to explore your needs. This model removes middlemen in order to focus completely on your needs. Improve Life’s practice model of one room and one physician leads to a reduction of unnecessary space and elimination of extra staff. Without these extra expenses, the physician is able to spend more time with patients. This relaxed pace leads to improved patient satisfaction and better treatment outcomes. Dr. Waggel is easily accessible and provides all of her patients with her contact information. You see the same doctor every time and you do not have to worry about having to provide the same information over and over again. Appointment dates and times are very flexible and can even be made same-day.

We provide therapy, medication management and wellness strategies to adolescents, young adults, and women of all ages in Northern Virginia. Clients leave with a tangible plan for achieving life goals and finding happiness.

Therapy focuses – Depression, anxiety, self-esteem, personal growth and development, stress, career counseling, chronic illness, life transition, social anxiety and shyness, sleep disturbances, occupational difficulties, attention and concentration improvement, interpersonal skills and effective communication, relationship concerns, marital/family conflict, and mind-body issues

Medication management – If it is found after evaluation that medication would be of benefit, a carefully planned medication regimen will be discussed and carried out under close physician supervision. As Dr. Waggel is both a therapist and a medical doctor, you do not have to schedule a separate visit or pay another fee.

Strategy for wellness – Stress reduction outline, coping skill formulation, nutrition plans, exercise plans, search for underlying issues (food allergies, infections, nutrient deficiencies), chronic fatigue treatment, energy regaining tactics, meditation exercises, spirituality exploration, lifestyle change, and skin health.

Dr. Stephanie Waggel is a physician, author, motivational speaker and founder of Improve Medical Culture (IMC). IMC is a place where healthcare workers and patients can work together to improve the culture that currently exists in the medical field. They recently held a fundraiser to send inspiring messages and coffee to healthcare workers that had to work during the holidays. Dr. Waggel has also created a program to protect the rights of chronically ill doctors and medical students called the Physician Wellness Program (PWP). Dr. Waggel was named a Physician of the Year 2016 by Medscape and she has recently published articles with Physician Family Media and Kevin MD.

Dr. Waggel has lived in the DC area for seven years and I would like to become involved with the Northern Virginia community. Recently, she hosted and was a speaker for the National Day to Prevent Physician and Medical Student Suicide in Washington, DC. The goal of this day was to decrease the stigma of mental illness that is present in the healthcare field and honor those who have taken their lives. This was a national event that over 800 people participated in. Dr. Waggel was also filmed for the movie "Do No Harm" which exposes abuse that takes place in the medical education system. This year, she has been asked to speak for organizations such as Public Citizen, Care2, and One Story. Dr. Waggel is passionate about enhancing medical education, ending mental health stigma, and helping patients improve their lives.

Dr. Waggel typically focuses on achieving life and career goals despite adversity, mental health education, and tips and tricks for premeds and medical students, depression, addiction, stress, sexual assault, discrimination and women’s health issues. She has a huge social media following and, you might say, she is very popular with the under 30 crowd on social media. She greatly enjoys working with young people as she believes helping them to overcome barriers in today’s world will make for a better tomorrow. If you are interested in learning more, please visit www.ImproveMedicalCulture.com There are links to some of her many publications and speeches. If you are interested in scheduling and appointment to see Dr. Waggel, please visit her website www.ImproveLifePLLC.com or contact her directly at (646) 776-0739.