Mental healthcare often feels rushed and impersonal. You might spend months waiting for an appointment, only to have a brief, 15-minute consultation that ends with a prescription but no real answers. If you’ve felt like just another number in a system focused on managing symptoms rather than understanding their source, you are not alone. This conventional model, constrained by insurance demands and overbooked schedules, can leave you feeling unheard and without a clear path forward.
At Willow & Stone, we are redefining what a psychiatric evaluation can be. We believe that true healing begins with time, precision, and partnership. Our approach is founded on the principle that you are a whole person, not just a collection of symptoms. Led by Dr. Stacey Forbes, a board-certified and doctorally prepared psychiatric nurse practitioner with advanced training in integrative and functional medicine, our practice offers a different way. We combine evidence-based conventional psychiatry with a deep, scientific exploration of the biological and environmental factors influencing your mental health.
This is a space where your story matters. We dedicate the time to listen, investigate, and collaborate with you. Together, we move beyond symptom suppression to uncover the root causes of your distress, creating a personalized roadmap toward lasting wellness.
An integrative psychiatric evaluation is a comprehensive, whole-person assessment that merges the best of conventional psychiatry with the deep-dive analytics of functional and biological medicine. Unlike a standard evaluation that focuses primarily on diagnosing a condition based on reported symptoms, our functional psychiatry evaluation seeks to understand the why behind your struggles. We believe that symptoms like anxiety, depression, or brain fog are not the problem itself, but signals that something is out of balance in your body’s intricate systems.
Our approach examines your health through several interconnected layers:
We explore your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and personal history. This includes a thorough review of your mental health journey, past treatments, and your unique life experiences. We use this information to understand your subjective experience and build a strong therapeutic alliance.
Your brain doesn't operate in a vacuum. Its function is directly influenced by your body’s biochemistry. We investigate potential imbalances in neurotransmitters, hormones, and your immune system. We also look at nutrient deficiencies, gut health, and genetic predispositions that can profoundly impact your mood and cognitive function.
We consider your exposure to environmental toxins, allergens, and other external factors that can contribute to inflammation and neurological distress. Your diet, sleep patterns, stress levels, and daily routines are all critical pieces of your health puzzle.
Your relationships, community support, sense of purpose, and connection to something greater than yourself are fundamental pillars of well-being. We honor this aspect of your health, understanding that true healing involves nurturing your entire being.
By weaving these elements together, we create a detailed, high-resolution picture of your health. This method of whole-person psychiatry allows us to identify root causes that are often missed in a conventional setting, such as chronic inflammation, hormonal disruptions, nutrient deficiencies, or unresolved gut issues. The goal is not just to name your condition but to understand its origins and empower you with a plan that addresses them directly.
Your journey with Willow & Stone is a collaborative and transparent process designed to make you feel safe, heard, and empowered. We’ve structured our integrative psychiatric evaluation to be thorough, insightful, and entirely focused on you. Here’s a step-by-step look at what you can expect.
This is where our partnership begins. Your initial consultation with Dr. Forbes is unhurried, lasting a full 90 minutes. This protected time allows us to go far beyond a simple symptom checklist. We will compassionately explore:
What brought you to us? We want to understand your struggles in your own words—how they feel, when they started, and how they impact your daily life.
We’ll discuss your complete medical and psychiatric history, including past diagnoses, medications you’ve tried, and what has or hasn’t worked for you.
Understanding your family dynamics, relationships, and support system provides crucial context.
We’ll touch upon key life stages and experiences that have shaped who you are today.
This conversation is the bedrock of our work together. It’s a confidential and judgment-free space for you to share your story openly.
Based on your unique history and symptoms, Dr. Forbes may recommend advanced functional lab testing to uncover underlying biological imbalances. This is a key differentiator of our approach, providing objective data to guide your treatment. Testing is personalized and may include:
Assessing thyroid function, cortisol, and sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) that regulate mood, energy, and stress response.
Identifying deficiencies in essential vitamins (like B12 and D), minerals (like magnesium and zinc), and fatty acids that are critical for brain function.
Measuring markers of systemic inflammation, which is strongly linked to depression, anxiety, and cognitive issues.
Evaluating gut health when digestive symptoms suggest it, since the gut-brain connection is an active area of mental health research.
Offering insights into how your genetic makeup may influence your response to certain medications, supplements, and lifestyle interventions.
Assessing thyroid function, cortisol, and sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) that regulate mood, energy, and stress response.
Identifying deficiencies in essential vitamins (like B12 and D), minerals (like magnesium and zinc), and fatty acids that are critical for brain function.
Measuring markers of systemic inflammation, which is strongly linked to depression, anxiety, and cognitive issues.
Evaluating gut health when digestive symptoms suggest it, since the gut-brain connection is an active area of mental health research.
Offering insights into how your genetic makeup may influence your response to certain medications, supplements, and lifestyle interventions.
These tests are typically completed through simple blood, urine, or saliva samples. Once the results are in, Dr. Forbes will review them with you in detail during a follow-up appointment, explaining what they mean and how they connect to your symptoms.
Lasting wellness is built on a foundation of healthy daily habits. We’ll take a close look at your lifestyle, including your nutrition, sleep quality, physical activity, and stress management techniques.
Crucially, our practice is grounded in a deep understanding of how trauma impacts the mind and body. As a trauma-informed clinician, Dr. Forbes recognizes that past adverse experiences can shape your nervous system, emotional responses, and even your biology. This assessment is conducted with the utmost sensitivity, creating a safe environment to explore how past events may be influencing your present health without requiring you to relive them.
This is where all the pieces come together. After gathering and analyzing all the information—from your personal story to your lab results—we will co-create a comprehensive, multi-faceted treatment plan. This is a living document that we will adjust and refine as you progress. Your personalized plan is truly integrative and may include:
Specific dietary recommendations and targeted nutrient therapy to correct deficiencies and reduce inflammation.
Actionable strategies for improving sleep, incorporating movement, and building stress resilience.
Referrals for specific types of psychotherapy (such as EMDR, somatic therapy, or CBT) that align with your needs.
If medication is appropriate, it is prescribed thoughtfully and precisely, often in conjunction with other interventions. We use a “less is more” philosophy and may use genetic testing to inform our choices.
Evidence-based recommendations for professional-grade supplements to support biochemical pathways and promote healing.
Specific dietary recommendations and targeted nutrient therapy to correct deficiencies and reduce inflammation.
Actionable strategies for improving sleep, incorporating movement, and building stress resilience.
Referrals for specific types of psychotherapy (such as EMDR, somatic therapy, or CBT) that align with your needs.
If medication is appropriate, it is prescribed thoughtfully and precisely, often in conjunction with other interventions. We use a “less is more” philosophy and may use genetic testing to inform our choices.
Evidence-based recommendations for professional-grade supplements to support biochemical pathways and promote healing.
We schedule dedicated follow-up appointments to monitor your progress, review labs, and make any necessary adjustments. Our goal is to be your long-term partner in health.
While anyone seeking a deeper understanding of their mental health can benefit, our integrative evaluation is particularly transformative for certain individuals. We work with teens (16+) and adults who are navigating complex challenges and are ready for a different approach.
This evaluation is especially helpful for those experiencing:
When your mood feels unmanageable and you want to understand the biological drivers behind it.
For those seeking a trauma-informed psychiatric provider who understands the deep mind-body connection and the physiological impact of trauma.
We look beyond stimulant medication to explore factors like nutrient deficiencies, gut health, and inflammation that can impact focus and executive function.
For professionals, parents, and caregivers feeling emotionally exhausted and physically depleted, we look at the sleep, hormonal, and nutritional effects of chronic stress alongside the emotional ones.
If you have tried multiple medications or therapies without finding lasting relief, an integrative approach can uncover the missing pieces of your health puzzle. Often, an undiagnosed biological issue is the barrier to your recovery.
An integrative evaluation offers new hope and a clear direction. It provides a data-driven framework that explains why you feel the way you do, empowering you to take targeted action and finally begin to heal.
Outside Texas, care is direct-pay with a superbill for possible out-of-network reimbursement. See pricing
Choosing a partner for your mental health journey is a significant decision. At Willow & Stone, we have built our practice around the core values of time, precision, and partnership—values often missing in conventional, insurance-driven models.
Some may hesitate because of the time and cost involved. For patients in Texas, we accept insurance and coverage depends on your plan; outside Texas, care is direct-pay with a superbill for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Either way, the longer format allows a depth of care that is hard to fit into a 15-minute visit. The investment is in a thorough, definitive process that aims to provide lasting answers and reduce the long-term costs—both financial and personal—of chronic, unresolved health issues.
Appointments for minors require parent or guardian initiation. Please include the child’s age and primary concern in the Contact Us message.
Our appointments are significantly longer, ensuring you never feel rushed. We dedicate this time to listening to your full story, answering your questions, and building a genuine therapeutic relationship.
We don’t just put a bandage on symptoms. Our functional psychiatry evaluation is a deep-dive investigation into the origins of your distress. Lab-informed insights allow for precise, personalized treatments that go beyond guesswork.
We have cultivated a warm, private, and non-judgmental environment. Your comfort and safety are our highest priorities.
While we serve the local communities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, and the greater DFW Metroplex, our secure telepsychiatry platform enables us to provide care to clients throughout Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Arizona, and Colorado.
Willow & Stone proudly serves clients in Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Mansfield, and the greater DFW Metroplex. Our physical office is conveniently located and easily accessible. We also offer our full suite of services via a secure, HIPAA-compliant telepsychiatry platform to individuals located anywhere in Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Arizona, and Colorado.
Disclaimer: This website provides general information and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The content is for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
You deserve a healthcare partner who sees and hears you. You deserve answers that lead to real, sustainable change. Take the first step toward a new chapter of health and clarity.
You do not need to arrive with your history organized; untangling it is part of the work. But a little preparation means more of the 90 minutes goes to the conversation rather than to piecing together dates. Intake forms are sent before the visit, and it helps to gather:
A full checklist, including what to do if you have no records, is in how to prepare for a psychiatric evaluation. If you are curious about the kinds of questions you will be asked, including routine safety questions, read questions you’ll be asked in a psychiatric evaluation, and why.
The evaluation is the same whether it happens in the Arlington office or by secure video. Telehealth is available to anyone physically located in Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Arizona or Colorado at the time of the visit, which matters for people in rural areas or with schedules that leave no room for a commute. Lab work, when it is recommended, is drawn at a lab near you. Here is how an online psychiatric evaluation works, including when meeting in person is the better choice.
A psychiatric evaluation is a clinical assessment by a prescribing clinician. Its job is to work out what is driving your symptoms and what to do about it. Part of that is ruling things out:
It is not psychological or neuropsychological testing, which is done by psychologists and uses hours of standardized tests; the difference is explained in psychiatric evaluation vs psychological testing. It is also not an evaluation for court, custody, disability or employment purposes; if you need one of those, ask before booking. And it is not an emergency service: if you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger.
For patients in Texas, Willow & Stone accepts insurance, and coverage depends on your plan, so please confirm with our office before your first visit. Outside Texas, care is direct-pay: you pay at the time of service and receive a superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Lab tests are billed separately by the laboratory. Current fees are on the pricing page, and paying for a psychiatric evaluation explains billing codes, superbills, HSA and FSA use, and the good-faith estimate self-pay patients are entitled to.
You leave with a clear summary of what Dr. Forbes thinks is going on, what is still uncertain, and the first steps you agreed on. If labs were ordered, the results are reviewed with you at a follow-up visit and the plan is adjusted to match. Follow-up visits are shorter and focus on how the plan is working. A working diagnosis can change as more is learned, and that is a sign of careful care, not indecision. Read after your psychiatric evaluation: your diagnosis, plan and next steps, and if medication becomes part of the plan, see integrative medication management.
Plain-language guides from Dr. Forbes on what an evaluation involves, how to prepare, and what comes next.
A comprehensive, unhurried intake reviewing your history, symptoms, lifestyle, and relevant physical factors — building a whole-person picture rather than a rushed diagnosis.
The integrative psychiatric evaluation is a 90-minute appointment, far longer than the typical 15-minute visit, so nothing important is missed. Follow-up visits are shorter.
For patients in Texas, yes: Willow & Stone accepts insurance, and coverage depends on your plan, so please confirm with our office before your first visit. Outside Texas, we are a direct-pay (out-of-network) practice and provide a superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
Yes. The evaluation can be done in person in Arlington, Texas, or by secure video if you are physically in Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Arizona or Colorado at the time of the visit. Any lab work is drawn at a lab near you.
Often you will leave with a working diagnosis, but sometimes the honest answer is that more information is needed first, such as lab results, mood tracking, or records from past providers. Diagnoses are revisited as treatment goes on.
Not necessarily. If medication is clearly appropriate and you want it, it can be started after the evaluation. Sometimes the better first step is lab work, sleep or nutrition changes, or therapy. You decide together, and you can be seen without wanting medication at all.
A list of every medication and supplement you take (or photos of the labels), past diagnoses and medications you have tried with how they went, recent lab results, and the questions you want answered. Records from previous providers help but are not required to book.
For patients in Texas, Willow & Stone accepts insurance and coverage depends on your plan. Outside Texas, care is direct-pay and you receive a superbill you can submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Current fees are on the pricing page or available from our office. Lab tests are billed separately by the lab.
Willow & Stone provides integrative telehealth psychiatry to patients across Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Arizona, and Colorado — from major metros to rural communities with few local providers.
Popular areas: Dallas · Fort Worth · Houston · Austin · San Antonio · Plano · Albuquerque · Santa Fe · Las Cruces · Rio Rancho
