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Harborside Psych

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Medication Management for Somerville, MA

Harborside Psychiatrics is physically located on Cape Cod, but the team works with patients across Massachusetts by video, including a good number of people in Somerville who split their time between a lab, a lecture hall, a lab bench, and a one-bedroom apartment near Union Square. If you’re the kind of person who reads the clinical literature before you book an appointment, this page is written for you, plainly and without the sales language you’ll find on a lot of mental health sites.

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Medication Management for people in Somerville, MA

A lot of Somerville patients come to us already having done the reading. You know the difference between an SSRI and an SNRI. You’ve looked up half-life and side-effect profiles. You want a prescriber who will talk to you like a colleague, not read from a script. That’s the conversation our psychiatric nurse practitioners are set up to have: specific questions, specific answers, and a plan you actually understand before you agree to it.

Whether you’re managing anxiety around qualifying exams, trying to get a mood disorder under better control while working full time, or adjusting a medication that stopped working the way it used to, medication management here means an ongoing clinical relationship, not a single script written and forgotten.

How telehealth care actually works

Harborside is based in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, and delivers care to patients by secure video, using a standard laptop or smartphone with a camera, a microphone, and a stable internet connection. There’s no special software to buy. You’ll get a link ahead of your appointment and log in from wherever you are in Massachusetts, whether that’s your apartment, your office, or a quiet corner of a campus library.

An initial evaluation typically runs longer than a follow-up, since your prescriber needs to go through your history, current symptoms, past medication trials, and any relevant medical background. Follow-up appointments are shorter and focus on how a medication is working, whether a dose needs adjusting, and what side effects, if any, you’re noticing. Frequency depends on the medication and where you are in treatment: some patients are seen every few weeks early on, then move to monthly or quarterly visits once things settle.

When a prescription is called for, it’s sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice in Somerville or wherever you fill your medications. You pick it up locally, the same as you would from any other prescriber. The only part of the process that happens by video is the appointment itself.

What we treat

Our psychiatric nurse practitioners work with adults dealing with anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive patterns, insomnia, and other conditions that respond to medication as part of a broader treatment plan. That plan might include medication alone, or medication alongside therapy, depending on what you and your prescriber decide together. If you’re dealing with a co-occurring eating disorder, our licensed therapy team is also available for that work.

We’re not going to list every diagnosis we see. If you’re not sure whether what you’re dealing with fits, that’s a reasonable thing to ask about before you book anything.

What the first appointment involves

Your first visit is a full evaluation. Your prescriber will ask about your current symptoms, when they started, what you’ve tried before, your medical history, and anything that’s changed recently in your life or health. You’ll have room to describe what’s actually going on in your own words, not just check boxes.

By the end of that appointment, you should have a clear sense of what your prescriber thinks is going on, what the options are, and what a reasonable next step looks like, whether that’s starting a medication, adjusting one you’re already on, or holding off and monitoring for now. You’ll leave with a plan, not just a diagnosis.

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 clinic’s cofounder and clinical director, Emily Pardue, RN PMHNP-BC, and Kirstin Ritchie, RN PMHNP-BC. Each is qualified to evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe for a range of mental health conditions. Full bios and credentials for each of them are posted on our team page.

Therapy and eating disorder care are delivered by our licensed therapy team: Hannah Legesse, LICSW, Tori Mahoney, LMHC, Jacquelyn Duford, LCMHC ATR, and Lexie Carchedi, LCSW. Depending on what you’re working through, your care might involve one of these clinicians alone or a combination of medication management and therapy.

What it costs

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 our pricing page. If you have questions about cost, you can ask before you book anything.

Getting started

You can request an appointment online or reach out with questions first if you’d rather talk before scheduling. If you’re in Somerville and looking for a prescriber who will treat you as someone capable of understanding your own care, that’s the standard we’re working toward on every call.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a diagnosis already to book an appointment?

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 evidence-based treatment of anxiety and depression, see the [CITATION: National Institute of Mental Health overview of treatment options, for general public health context].

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

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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