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Harborside Psych

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Medication Management for Cheshire, CT

Harborside Psychiatrics is based on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and delivers medication management by video to patients across New England, including Connecticut. That distance is not a compromise. It means a Cheshire resident can get an appointment with a psychiatric nurse practitioner without missing a morning at Yale New Haven Health, without rearranging a research schedule, and without sitting in a waiting room off Route 10.

Cheshire draws a lot of people who work in medicine, academia, and the sciences, and who expect their own care to be handled with the same precision they apply at work. That means we write out our clinical reasoning, we talk in specifics about mechanism and evidence, and we do not gloss over a question because it took an extra five minutes to answer properly.

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Medication Management for people in Cheshire, CT

Appointments happen over secure video, using a link sent to your phone or computer, on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone with a camera and a reasonably stable internet connection. No special software or app download is required beyond what your device already has.

An initial evaluation typically runs 45 to 60 minutes. Follow-up appointments are shorter, often 20 to 30 minutes, and are scheduled based on what your treatment calls for. Someone starting a new medication or adjusting a dose may be seen more frequently at first; someone on a stable, long-standing regimen may be seen every one to three months.

Prescriptions are sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice in Cheshire or anywhere nearby in Connecticut. You do not need to pick anything up in person or coordinate paperwork between offices. The practice itself is located in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts; the clinician on your screen is licensed to prescribe in Connecticut and is working from that office when you meet.

How telehealth care actually works

Medication management at Harborside addresses conditions including depression, anxiety disorders, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, ADHD, and insomnia, among other concerns. Some patients come in with a working diagnosis already established elsewhere and want a second opinion on their current regimen. Others are starting from scratch, unsure what is driving how they feel and looking for a clinician who will ask careful questions before reaching for a prescription pad.

Where it’s appropriate, this includes prescribing stimulant medication for ADHD or other controlled substances, following the same evaluation and monitoring standards used in any careful practice. Medication is one part of a broader picture that may also include therapy, sleep and lifestyle factors, and coordination with other clinicians involved in your care.

What we treat

The first visit is a full evaluation, not a quick prescription refill. Expect questions about your current symptoms, your medical and psychiatric history, medications you have tried before and how they went, family history, and what your day-to-day life actually looks like. This is where a psychiatric nurse practitioner builds the clinical picture that guides everything after it.

By the end of that appointment, you and your clinician should have a working plan: a diagnosis or working impression, a decision about whether medication is appropriate, and a sense of how soon you will be seen again. Nothing about that first hour is rushed, and nothing is decided without your input.

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 clinical director and cofounder, 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 carries an active caseload of patients across the states where they are licensed. Full bios and credentials for each clinician are on the team page.

Therapy and eating disorder work at Harborside are delivered by the licensed therapy team: Hannah Legesse, LICSW, Tori Mahoney, LMHC, Jacquelyn Duford, LCMHC ATR, and Lexie Carchedi, LCSW. Some Cheshire patients work with a prescriber alone; others combine medication management with regular therapy, and the two teams coordinate directly when that is the case.

Who our clinicians are

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

What it costs

You can request an appointment online or reach out with questions first. New patients typically complete some brief intake paperwork before the first visit, which helps the appointment itself focus on your history and your goals rather than logistics. From there, scheduling a first evaluation is usually possible within a short window, and your clinician will map out a follow-up schedule once that evaluation is complete.

Getting started

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. For guidance on medication safety and general information on mental health conditions, see the [CITATION: National Institute of Mental Health page on mental health medications, for general patient-facing medication information].

This page was clinically reviewed by Rachel Egan, RN PMHNP-BC. Last reviewed {LAST_REVIEWED}.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a diagnosis already to book an appointment?

No. The first appointment includes a full evaluation, so a prior diagnosis isn’t required to get started.

Yes, with your permission. Many patients keep an existing therapist and use Harborside only for medication management.

It depends on the medication and how you’re responding to it. Some patients are seen monthly at first, then less often once things are stable.

Prescriptions are sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice, the same as they would be after an in-person visit.

Harborside is private-pay and doesn’t bill insurance directly. A superbill is available for out-of-network reimbursement, where a plan allows it.

That’s part of ongoing management. Changes are discussed and made together at a follow-up visit, not on your own.

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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