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Functional Psychiatry for Lexington, MA

A traditional psychiatric work-up asks what symptoms you have and matches a medication to them. Functional psychiatry asks a different question first: what is happening in the body that might be driving those symptoms in the first place. Harborside uses targeted testing to look for underlying deficiencies and physiological factors, things like thyroid function, nutrient levels, and metabolic markers, that can affect mood, focus, and sleep, before or alongside a medication conversation.

In Lexington, that approach tends to land with a particular kind of household: parents managing demanding school and activity schedules for their kids while also carrying their own work pressure, often the ones doing the research and making the call after normal business hours. If you are trying to understand why standard treatment has not moved the needle, or you want a fuller picture before starting a medication, functional psychiatry is built for that question.

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Functional Psychiatry for people in Lexington, MA

Harborside is based in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, and delivers care by video across the state, including to patients in Lexington. You do not travel to an office. You need a private space, a stable internet connection, and a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera.

  • Initial appointment: a longer visit, typically 45 to 60 minutes, where your clinician reviews history, current concerns, and whether functional testing makes sense for your situation.
  • Lab and testing coordination: when testing is appropriate, your clinician arranges it and reviews results with you, explaining what they do and do not indicate.
  • Follow-up visits: generally 20 to 30 minutes, spaced according to what you and your clinician decide, often monthly at the start and less frequently once things are stable.
  • Prescriptions: sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice in Lexington or wherever you fill prescriptions.

Massachusetts allows discussion and prescribing of a full range of psychiatric medications, including stimulants and other controlled substances, when clinically appropriate. That conversation is part of the same visit, not a separate referral.

How telehealth care actually works

Functional psychiatry at Harborside is used alongside care for conditions such as anxiety, depression, attention and focus difficulties, mood instability, chronic fatigue paired with low mood, and sleep disruption that has not responded to standard approaches. It is also relevant for people who feel like something is being missed, patients who have tried medication before with limited insight into why it did or did not work, or who want their prescriber to look at the whole picture, not just a symptom checklist, before making a recommendation.

This is not a replacement for medication management when medication is needed. It is a way of gathering more information so that decisions about medication, supplementation, or lifestyle changes are made with better data.

What we treat

Your first visit is a conversation, not a lab draw. Your clinician will ask about your mental health history, physical health history, sleep, diet, stress, and any medications or supplements you already take. From there, they will discuss whether targeted testing is warranted and what it would look for. Nothing is ordered without you understanding the reason for it. If medication is part of the plan, that is discussed in the same appointment, alongside test recommendations.

What the first appointment involves

Medication management and functional psychiatry at Harborside are performed by psychiatric nurse practitioners: Rachel Egan, RN PMHNP-BC, who is also 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 incorporates functional testing into that work when it is clinically relevant. Full bios and credentials for each clinician are on the team page.

Therapy, including eating disorder care, is delivered by Harborside’s licensed therapy team: Hannah Legesse, LICSW, Tori Mahoney, LMHC, Jacquelyn Duford, LCMHC ATR, and Lexie Carchedi, LCSW. Some patients work with a prescriber alone, others work with a prescriber and a therapist together, depending on what the initial evaluation points to.

Who our clinicians are

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

What it costs

If you are in Lexington and want a first appointment, you can book directly online. There is no referral required. During scheduling you can indicate whether you are interested in functional testing so your first visit is set up to address it. If you are unsure whether this approach fits your situation, you can ask before booking.

For more on the underlying service, visit the functional psychiatry hub. For care across the state, see the Massachusetts telehealth page. Lexington is part of the broader MetroWest region Harborside works across; see the MetroWest hub for more. If attention and focus concerns are your main reason for reaching out, the ADHD treatment page has more detail.

Getting started

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For mental health crisis support, call or text 988. Harborside 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. Decisions about testing and treatment should be made with a licensed clinician who knows your full history.

Reviewed by Rachel Egan, RN PMHNP-BC, clinical director, Harborside Psychiatrics. Last reviewed: {LAST_REVIEWED}.

[CITATION: National Institute of Mental Health overview of mental health conditions and treatment approaches, for general education on the conditions referenced above]

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is functional psychiatry the same as functional medicine?

No. It’s psychiatric care from a licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner that also reviews lab work and lifestyle factors, not a separate functional medicine practice.

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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