Skip to main content

Harborside Psych

New Clients
Contact us
(508) 876-3448

Functional Psychiatry for Guilford, CT

A traditional psychiatric work-up asks what symptoms you have and which medication might address them. A functional psychiatry approach asks a broader question: 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 concerns that can affect mood, sleep, energy, and focus, and builds a plan around what it finds.

Guilford is a town with a strong rhythm to it. Along the Sound, households tend to be older and settled, many retired or semi-retired, and a good number split their year between Guilford and somewhere else entirely. For people living that way, care that holds together across the calendar, not just across one season, matters more than almost anything else.

Find a Clinician

Functional Psychiatry for people in Guilford, CT

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

A first appointment typically runs longer than a follow-up, since there is more history to cover. Follow-up visits are shorter and scheduled at an interval that fits your situation, whether that is every few weeks while a plan is being adjusted or less frequently once things are steadier. If a medication is part of your plan, prescriptions are sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice, which is useful if you fill prescriptions in one place for part of the year and another place the rest of the time.

For a household that splits time between Guilford and a winter address, this is the practical advantage of telehealth: the clinician and the plan stay the same no matter which address you are calling from.

How telehealth care actually works

Functional psychiatry at Harborside is used for concerns such as persistent low mood, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, chronic fatigue that affects mental health, sleep disruption, and mood symptoms that have not responded the way someone expected under a more conventional approach. Testing may look at things like thyroid function, nutrient levels, and other markers that can influence how the brain and body are working. The aim is a fuller picture of what might be contributing to how you feel, alongside a conventional evaluation of symptoms.

What we treat

The first visit is a detailed conversation about your history, current symptoms, medications or supplements you take, sleep, diet, and any physical health conditions that might be relevant. Depending on what comes up, your clinician may recommend specific lab work, which is usually done through a local lab near you in Guilford or wherever you happen to be. Once results are in, you and your clinician review them together and talk through what, if anything, they suggest about a plan going forward.

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 Harborside’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. Full bios and credentials for each clinician are on the team page.

Therapy and eating disorder work are delivered by Harborside’s licensed therapy team: Hannah Legesse, LICSW, Tori Mahoney, LMHC, Jacquelyn Duford, LCMHC ATR, and Lexie Carchedi, LCSW.

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. If you have questions about cost, you can ask before anything is booked.

What it costs

If you are considering functional psychiatry, the first step is scheduling an initial appointment. From there, your clinician will let you know whether lab testing is recommended and what it looks for. There is no requirement to have prior records or a diagnosis in hand before you book. You can bring what you have, and the rest gets sorted out in the appointment itself.

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. For guidance specific to your situation, talk with a licensed clinician.

Reviewed by Rachel Egan, RN PMHNP-BC, Clinical Director. Last reviewed: {LAST_REVIEWED}.

[CITATION: link to National Institutes of Health or NIH Office of Dietary Supplements page on nutrient deficiencies and mental health, to support the discussion of testing for underlying physiological concerns]

Contact Us

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.

Contact Us