Questions people ask first

Either. The office is in Jacksonville, and secure video visits are available to anyone physically located in North Carolina. You can switch between the two at any point, in either direction.

Usually 20–30 minutes. How often depends on what is happening: every two to four weeks while something is being started or adjusted, every one to three months once a plan is steady.

Yes, physically located in North Carolina at the time of the appointment. Licensure follows the patient, not the provider, so a visit while you are traveling out of state has to be rescheduled.

A phone, tablet, or computer with a camera and microphone, an internet connection, and somewhere private to sit. You get a link beforehand, with nothing to install and no account to create. If the connection drops, we finish by phone.

Let the office know as far ahead as you can so the time can go to someone else. The cancellation policy is given to you in writing when you book, so there are no surprises.

Tell the office what is going on rather than waiting for your next scheduled visit. Questions about a new medication are always welcome. Small adjustments are a normal part of finding the right fit.

Yes. TRICARE is accepted for both in-person and telehealth visits, and we can verify your specific plan before your first appointment.

Most major carriers in North Carolina, including Blue Cross NC, Medicaid, Medicare, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, and Humana. The insurance page lists the full panel, and we verify your specific plan before your first visit either way.

That depends on your plan: your copay, whether your deductible is met, and your coinsurance. We verify your benefits before the first appointment and tell you what to expect rather than letting a bill do it later.

Yes. Self-pay rates are quoted before you book, and under the No Surprises Act you receive a Good Faith Estimate in writing.

For behavioral health, nearly every plan now does, including TRICARE, Medicaid, and Medicare. We confirm it with your plan when we verify benefits.

Yes. As a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner licensed in North Carolina, controlled medications including stimulants can be prescribed when clinically appropriate. Some require an in-person visit before the first prescription.

Refills are handled between appointments rather than held until your next opening. Send the request through your pharmacy or the office. Controlled medications have defined prescribing periods, so those are timed to your visits.

For antidepressants, sleep and appetite often shift within a couple of weeks and mood typically takes four to six at an adequate dose. OCD usually takes longer, about ten to twelve weeks. Stimulants work the day you take them.

Then it gets changed: a dose increase, a switch, something added alongside, or a step back to ask whether the diagnosis still fits. Needing a second or third trial is the ordinary shape of the process, not a sign that treatment will not work.

Occasionally and carefully. They work quickly and carry real risks with long-term daily use, so they are usually short-term or situational rather than the foundation of a plan. If you already take one, that is a conversation, not a confrontation.

No. This practice provides psychiatric evaluation and medication management. If you already have a therapist we coordinate with them; if you do not, we help you find one rather than leaving you to search alone.

Most major carriers, including TRICARE, cover TMS for depression when certain criteria are met, usually documented trials of medication. We handle the prior authorization.

Adults with depression who have tried antidepressants and want more relief, or who would prefer an option that does not involve medication.

Sessions run about 20 minutes, five days a week, for roughly six weeks, then gradually taper off. The first session is a little longer. Scheduling is built around your work or school.

You relax in a comfortable chair and stay awake the whole time. Most people feel a light tapping on the scalp. There is no anesthesia or sedation, so you can drive yourself home afterward.

Yes, patients from age 6 through older adulthood. For children and teens we ask a parent or guardian to attend the first visit, and we welcome input from school or a current therapist.

Part of the time. With adolescents there is usually time together, time with the parent, and time with the teenager alone, because some things a sixteen-year-old will say to a provider are things they will not say in front of a parent, and that information matters.

Yes, with your written permission. We provide documentation and talk to teachers, counselors, and school psychologists. A form completed by the prescriber usually moves things along faster than a parent making the case alone.

No. This practice does psychiatric evaluation and medication management. Full neuropsychological or academic testing is a different specialty; when a child needs it we say so and refer.

Yes. Your record is protected health information under HIPAA. The exceptions are narrow and apply to every patient: imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else, suspected abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult, and a court order.

Not from us. This is a civilian practice and nothing is reported to an employer or a command. Some situations carry reporting requirements tied to duty status or a clearance, and those are decisions made elsewhere. What we will do is tell you plainly what we are and are not required to share.

With your written permission, yes: to a therapist, a primary care provider, an OB, a pediatrician, the VA, or a new prescriber if you move. Coordinated care generally works better than parallel care.

No. Visits run over a HIPAA-compliant platform and are not recorded.

If you are thinking about harming yourself or someone else, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911. Both are available 24 hours a day. This practice is not an emergency service and does not monitor messages overnight.

Yes, and it is the right thing to do. It is common, it is treatable, and saying it out loud does not automatically lead anywhere you have not agreed to. What it does is change the plan to one that takes it into account.

Call 988 or go to the nearest emergency department. Leave a message for the office as well so the next visit can be moved up, but do not wait on a reply for something that cannot wait.