Overview

Safely and effectively tapering psychiatric medications is one of the most complex challenges in modern psychiatry. For many clinicians, it’s a process filled with uncertainty—how fast to taper, what symptoms to expect, and how to support patients through withdrawal best.

In this webinar, Dr. Joseph Witt-Doering, CEO of The Taper Clinic and faculty member at Psychiatry Redefined, will share insights gained from guiding more than 300 patients through successful psychiatric medication tapers over the past five years. Drawing from extensive clinical experience, he’ll outline key protocols, patient selection strategies, and safety considerations that can help clinicians confidently navigate the tapering process.

You’ll learn:

  • Approaches for patients with depression and anxiety—when and how to consider a taper, and how to manage withdrawal-related mood fluctuations.
  • Tapering in complex psychiatric conditions—including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, where stabilization and support require extra care.
  • Working with patients with substance-induced psychosis—unique challenges and multidisciplinary strategies for recovery.
  • How to design a tapering-focused clinic—from patient flow and education to monitoring systems and collaborative care.


This webinar offers practical, experience-based guidance to help clinicians integrate safer, more informed deprescribing practices into their treatment approach—empowering patients to move toward greater stability and wellness.

Instructor

Josef Witt-Doerring, MD

Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring is a board-certified psychiatrist and a leading expert in psychiatric drug side effects and withdrawal. He is the CEO and Medical Director of TaperClinic, where he oversees all aspects of patient care, supervises clinical staff, develops individualized tapering protocols, and works directly with patients experiencing complex withdrawal syndromes. His mission is to provide safe, evidence-informed care for those seeking to reduce or discontinue psychiatric medications.Founded in 2020, the TaperClinic, is one of the only medical practices in the world dedicated exclusively to treating psychiatric drug injury and guiding patients through safe deprescribing. Under his leadership, the clinic has become the largest medical practice in the world devoted solely to psychiatric deprescribing and a trusted resource for individuals navigating severe withdrawal syndromes and medication-related harm.Dr. Witt-Doerring brings a rare and valuable perspective to his work, shaped by years of experience at the intersection of clinical psychiatry, regulatory science, and pharmaceutical drug safety. As a Medical Officer in the Division of Psychiatry at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, he reviewed emerging adverse drug reactions and contributed to updates in drug labeling—gaining firsthand insight into the risks of psychiatric interventions and the systemic blind spots that often leave patients harmed and unsupported.In addition to his work at the FDA, he has held clinical research and drug safety positions at several pharmaceutical companies. He pursued a specialized fellowship in Psychiatric Drug Development at Janssen Research & Development and Drexel College of Medicine, and later trained in Functional and Integrative Psychiatry through the Psychiatry Redefined Fellowship. He went on to complete his psychiatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine and earned his medical degree from the University of Queensland in Australia.With his unique combination of regulatory, research, and clinical experience, Dr. Witt-Doerring leads TaperClinic with a patient-first philosophy, ensuring that every individual receives the time, care, and expertise needed to heal.