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Functional Psychiatry for Brookline, MA

Unlike a traditional psychiatric work-up, a functional approach takes the whole person into account, not just a symptom checklist. Harborside uses targeted testing to look for underlying deficiencies and physiological patterns that may be contributing to how you think, sleep, focus, or feel. If you are the type of person who wants to see the data behind a recommendation before you act on it, that is the conversation we are set up to have.

Brookline is full of people who read before they call: graduate students, researchers, clinicians, and professionals who want to understand the reasoning behind a treatment plan, not just be handed one. This page explains how that works.

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Functional Psychiatry for people in Brookline, MA

A lot of psychiatric care starts and ends with a symptom list and a prescription. Functional psychiatry starts earlier than that. It asks what might be driving the symptoms in the first place: thyroid function, nutrient status, inflammation, sleep architecture, hormonal shifts. None of that replaces a standard psychiatric evaluation. It adds to it.

For people in Brookline weighing whether to try a new medication, adjust one that already exists, or figure out why something prescribed elsewhere never quite worked, this approach gives you more information before a decision gets made. That matters to patients who want to be treated as capable adults in their own care, not just recipients of it.

How telehealth care actually works

Harborside Psychiatrics is based in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, and delivers care by video across the state. There is no Brookline office to visit, and there does not need to be. Appointments happen over a secure video platform from wherever you are, whether that is an apartment near Coolidge Corner or an office on campus.

Here is the practical detail. You need a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera and a private place to talk. Initial evaluations typically run longer than follow-ups, since there is more ground to cover the first time, including any relevant history and a discussion of which lab testing might be useful. Follow-up appointments are shorter and scheduled at an interval that fits your treatment plan, often monthly at first and less frequently once things are stable. If a medication is prescribed, it is sent electronically to a pharmacy of your choosing, the same as it would be after any in-person visit.

Lab work, when it is part of your plan, is typically done through an outside lab near you, with results reviewed together at a follow-up appointment.

What we treat

Functional psychiatry at Harborside is used alongside standard evaluation and treatment for conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, mood instability, and sleep disruption. It is also used by people who are not in crisis but who notice something is off: persistent fatigue, brain fog, low motivation, or a mood or focus problem that has not responded fully to a prior treatment approach.

This is not a replacement for psychiatric care when it is needed. It is a way of asking a broader set of questions before deciding what that care should include.

What the first appointment involves

The first appointment is a conversation, not a form to fill out silently. Your clinician will ask about your current symptoms, relevant medical history, sleep, diet, stress load, and any medications or supplements you already take. Depending on what comes up, they may recommend specific lab testing to look for patterns that could be affecting your mental health, such as thyroid markers, vitamin D, B12, iron, or inflammatory markers.

From there, you and your clinician build a plan together. That might include a medication, a referral to the therapy team, changes to sleep or nutrition habits, or further testing. Nothing happens without your input, and the plan is explained in terms you can actually evaluate.

Who our clinicians are

Medication management and functional psychiatry at Harborside are performed by psychiatric nurse practitioners: Rachel Egan, RN PMHNP-BC, who is also the practice’s clinical director, Emily Pardue, RN PMHNP-BC, and Kirstin Ritchie, RN PMHNP-BC. Each is qualified to evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe for mental health conditions, and each brings the functional lens described above into that work. Full bios and credentials for all three are on the team page.

Therapy and eating disorder care are delivered by Harborside’s licensed therapy team: Hannah Legesse, LICSW, Tori Mahoney, LMHC, Jacquelyn Duford, LCMHC ATR, and Lexie Carchedi, LCSW. Depending on what your plan involves, your care may draw on one or both parts of the team.

What it costs

Harborside is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly for appointments. Current fees for an initial appointment and for follow-up visits are listed on the pricing page, and any questions about cost can be answered before you book anything.

Getting started

If you are in Brookline and curious whether a functional approach makes sense for what you are dealing with, the next step is scheduling an initial evaluation. You can ask questions about testing, cost, or how the process works before committing to anything. Visit the functional psychiatry service page or the Massachusetts telehealth hub for more on how care is delivered across the state, including in the Inner Metro region. If anxiety is part of what brought you here, our anxiety treatment page has more detail on that specific approach.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is functional psychiatry the same as functional medicine?

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For mental health crisis support, call or text 988. Harborside Psychiatrics does not provide emergency or after-hours care.

This page is educational and is not medical advice. It does not create a provider-patient relationship. Reviewed by Rachel Egan, RN PMHNP-BC, Clinical Director. Last reviewed: {LAST_REVIEWED}.

[CITATION: National Institute of Mental Health or SAMHSA resource on nutritional and integrative approaches to mental health, to support the functional psychiatry framing]

No. Whether labs make sense is decided together at the first visit, based on your history and symptoms.

Bring it to your first appointment. Existing results can often be used instead of repeating tests.

No. Labs are typically billed separately by the lab itself and may be partly covered by insurance depending on the plan.

Yes. It’s meant to work alongside an existing therapist or primary care provider, not replace them.

Functional psychiatry includes the same prescribing and monitoring, plus a review of physical health factors like sleep, nutrition, and lab markers.

If you need help right now

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For mental health crisis support, call or text 988. Harborside Psychiatrics does not provide emergency or after-hours care.

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