What is the difference between a psychiatrist, a psychologist and a therapist?

A psychiatrist is a specialist medical doctor who has completed 4 years of graduate medical school training and 4-5 years of residency training in psychiatry and psychiatric specialties, such as pediatrics. Psychiatrists can diagnose and treat mental health conditions by ordering or performing a variety of medical tests and prescribing medications and other medical treatments.

A psychologist has a doctoral degree and has extensive training in research or clinical practice. Psychologists treat mental conditions with psychotherapy and provide specialized diagnostic testing.

A therapist has a master’s degree in a mental health related field such as psychology, counseling or family therapy. They are qualified to evaluate a person’s mental health and use therapeutic techniques such as talk therapy, behavioral therapy or play therapy. Therapists include licensed mental health counselors, clinical social workers, professional counselors and marriage and family therapists. 

How do I schedule an appointment and what can I expect at my first visit?

The first step is a free phone consultation which will last about 10 minutes in which we will go over what has led you to reach out and some brief background information to determine if I am the best person to serve your child’s or family’s needs or if someone else may have more expertise for your particular needs.

Before our first meeting, you will receive an intake form for you to complete prior to your appointment. Your initial appointment will last approximately 60-90 minutes and will include a thorough review of you and your child’s concerns, comprehensive psychiatric and social history, applicable stressors and past medical history. After reviewing current concerns and relevant history, I will meet with you and your child to review my diagnostic impression and create an appropriate treatment plan that everyone understands and is comfortable with. This may include medications when appropriate as well as referrals to individual or family therapy or other medical specialists when necessary.

Do you take insurance?

Gracefully Anchored Psychiatry is currently self pay only, however you may be provided with a superbill upon request to seek reimbursement through your out of network benefits. We are currently in process of being credentialed with insurance companies and are hoping to be in network with most major insurance networks by fall 2025. We accept all major credit/debit cards. A credit card will be required to be kept on file in order to schedule a new patient appointment and payment will be collected at the start of the initial appointment and at the start of follow-up appointments.

How will we communicate in between appointments?

I will invite you to sign up for the Osmind app which will allow you to communicate with me through a secure portal. Any text or email communication should only relate to scheduling and all clinical information should be relayed via voicemail or the patient portal. Please allow up to 48 hours for your message to be answered. If your questions or concerns cannot be resolved with a quick message or phone call, you will be asked to schedule a follow-up appointment so we can more adequately address your concerns.

I am unable to provide emergency or after-hours clinical care. Any urgent or emergency concerns after hours will require you to call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For any urgent but non-life threatening concerns, you can call 988 for the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.