The decision to start, change, or stop a psychiatric medication is deeply personal and often comes with a mix of hope and apprehension. In a healthcare system that frequently feels rushed—sometimes reduced to 15-minute psychiatry appointments—many people leave with a prescription but little explanation or support. Medication can begin to feel like a permanent solution or a crutch, rather than a tool for healing.
At Willow & Stone, we believe in a more thoughtful, root-cause-guided psychiatric medication management approach.
We see medication not as a final destination, but as a bridge—a way to provide stability and relief so you can engage more fully in therapy, make meaningful lifestyle changes, and do the deeper work of healing. Led by Dr. Stacey Forbes, a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, our integrative medication management model is built on evidence, empathy, and collaboration.
If you’re new to care, you may want to begin by understanding what medication management in mental health really means: What Is Medication Management in Mental Health?
Our philosophy differs from the conventional model of psychiatric care. We practice integrative medication management, meaning we view your symptoms within the larger context of your overall health
This holistic perspective considers:
Biochemistry
Genetics
Nutrition
Lifestyle
Emotional well-being
If you’ve ever wondered why psychiatric medication isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, learn more here:
Why Psychiatric Medication Isn’t a One-Size-Fits-All Solution
You are the expert on your own experience. Our psychiatric medication management approach places you at the center of every decision.
We provide the expertise and data—but the choice is always yours. Together, we weigh benefits and risks so you feel informed and empowered.
Preparing for your first visit? Here’s what to expect at a psychiatric medication management appointment:
What Does a Psychiatric Medication Management Appointment Look Like?
Our goal is to use the minimal effective dose necessary to achieve results. Learn more about this principle here:
Minimal Effective Dose: A Safer Way to Use Psychiatric Medication
This “less is more” philosophy minimizes side effects, reduces risk of dependence, and supports your body’s natural resilience.
Medication is rarely the sole answer. It works best when combined with therapy, nutrition, stress regulation, and lifestyle shifts.
If you’re unsure whether you need therapy, medication, or both, read our guide on medication management vs. therapy:
Medication Management vs. Therapy: Do You Need Both?
This comprehensive strategy reflects our belief in precision psychopharmacology:
Precision Psychopharmacology Explained
Partnering with Willow & Stone means receiving comprehensive, continuous, and compassionate support.
Your first appointment is an in-depth, unhurried consultation—more aligned with a 90-minute integrative psychiatric evaluation than a rushed conventional visit:
What Happens During a 90-Minute Integrative Psychiatric Evaluation?
If you’ve experienced frustrating trial-and-error medication prescribing, our goal is to reduce that uncertainty moving forward:
Why “Trial and Error” Medication Prescribing Fails So Many Patients
Medication management isn’t a one-time event. We schedule consistent follow-ups based on your needs.
Learn more about psychiatric medication visit frequency here:
How Often Should You See a Psychiatric Medication Provider?
And understand the typical psychiatric medication timeline here:
How Long Does It Take for Psychiatric Medication to Work?
Each session allows us to monitor progress, assess side effects, and make thoughtful dose adjustments.
As part of our functional psychiatry medication management, we may use advanced lab testing to evaluate hormones, nutrient levels, inflammation markers, and genetic factors.
Learn more about our broader philosophy of functional medicine psychiatry:
Functional Medicine Psychiatry
Your safety is our top priority. We provide clear education about how medications work, expected timelines, and potential side effects so you fully understand your psychiatric medication management plan.
If you’re ready to discontinue medication, we create slow, carefully structured taper plans. Medication does not have to be forever — our integrative medication management approach ensures changes are made safely and comfortably.
We offer secure, HIPAA-compliant online medication management services for patients anywhere in Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Arizona, and Colorado:
Online Medication Management: Is Telehealth Safe and Effective?
Our root-cause-guided psychiatric medication management supports:
We also treat OCD and schizophrenia. Wondering how long you will need medication? Is Medication Management Short-Term or Long-Term?
We look beyond serotonin to explore underlying drivers like inflammation, thyroid dysfunction, or nutrient deficiencies that can contribute to depressive symptoms. This allows us to use medication more strategically, often in combination with targeted nutritional and lifestyle interventions.
For chronic anxiety, panic attacks, or OCD, we explore factors like sleep, stress, thyroid function, blood sugar stability, and magnesium levels. Medication can be used to calm the nervous system, providing a window of opportunity to build resilience through therapy and lifestyle changes.
While stimulant medication can be effective, it’s not the only option. We assess for underlying issues like iron deficiency or gut health problems that can impact focus. We use a careful approach to medication, always in conjunction with behavioral strategies and lifestyle support.
Medication can be a valuable tool to help regulate the nervous system and reduce the intensity of trauma symptoms like hypervigilance and nightmares. This can create the internal safety needed to engage more deeply in trauma-focused therapy.
Mood stabilizers are often essential for managing bipolar disorder. Our integrative approach supports this with a focus on lifestyle factors—like sleep hygiene and stress management—that are critical for maintaining stability and preventing relapse.
We prioritize identifying the root cause of sleep disturbances—whether it’s a disrupted cortisol rhythm, anxiety, or poor sleep habits—before prescribing sleep medication, which can often be habit-forming.
Outside Texas, care is direct-pay with a superbill for possible out-of-network reimbursement. See pricing
Willow & Stone provides expert psychiatric medication management in:
Texas
New Mexico
Florida
Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
We also offer secure statewide telehealth services via our online medication management platform:
Online Medication Management: Is Telehealth Safe and Effective?
If you’re ready for a more personalized, root-cause-guided psychiatric medication management approach, we’re here to help.
Most people who come to Willow & Stone for medication management are not starting from zero. They have tried something, it helped a little or not at all, and they want a prescriber who will slow down long enough to work out why. Integrative medication management is a good fit if one of these sounds familiar:
It is not the right service for an emergency. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger. And if a medication cannot be prescribed safely by telehealth in your state, you will be told so plainly rather than offered a workaround.
The integrative part of medication management is not a promise to avoid medication. It is the practice of looking at everything that affects how a medication works, including the things most prescribers never ask about.
Supplements are not inert. St. John’s wort can lower the blood levels of many prescription drugs and adds serotonin effects of its own; 5-HTP and similar products can stack with antidepressants; sedating herbs can add to sleep medications. Bring everything you take, including teas, powders and over-the-counter sleep aids, and it will be reviewed alongside your prescriptions. Read more on supplement and medication interactions.
Low iron, vitamin D, B12 or folate can produce fatigue, poor concentration and low mood that no antidepressant will fix. Some psychiatric medications can also affect nutrient levels, bone health or sodium over time. Both are worth checking with targeted lab testing rather than guessing. See nutrients psychiatric medications can deplete.
Poor sleep, regular drinking and cannabis use each change how psychiatric medications work and how you feel on them. They are discussed without judgment because they matter to the plan. See alcohol and psychiatric medication and cannabis, CBD and psychiatric medication.
Some medications for ADHD, anxiety and sleep are federally controlled. Under temporary DEA rules that currently run through December 31, 2026, they can be prescribed by telehealth without a prior in-person visit, and each state adds its own requirements. A permanent federal framework is still being finalized, so what happens in 2027 is not yet settled. Here is what the rules say now. Controlled medications are prescribed only when they are clinically appropriate after a full evaluation and lawful in the state you are in, and long-term benzodiazepine use is handled with particular care.
If you are moving your care from another prescriber, plan the handover before your current supply runs low, and bring your medication list, pharmacy details and recent records. Here is how a new prescriber takes over your medications, including why not everything is simply renewed at the first visit.
Dr. Forbes sees patients in person in Arlington, Texas, and by secure video anywhere in the six states where she is licensed. You need to be physically in one of those states at the time of each visit.
Plain-language guides from Dr. Forbes on starting, adjusting and stopping psychiatric medication, grouped by where you are in the process.
Ongoing, personalized selection, dosing, and monitoring of psychiatric medication — done thoughtfully, with attention to root causes and longer appointments, by Dr. Stacey Forbes, DNP, PMHNP-BC.
Yes. Evaluation, prescribing, and monitoring are all done by secure video for patients in Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Arizona, and Colorado.
Often, yes. We review your history and current regimen and coordinate a safe transition.
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.
While a new medication or dose change is settling in, follow-ups are usually every 2 to 4 weeks. Once things are stable they typically space out to every 1 to 3 months. Some medications, such as lithium and controlled substances, need closer monitoring and periodic lab work.
Sometimes. Federal rules currently allow controlled medications to be prescribed by telehealth without a prior in-person visit through December 31, 2026, and each state adds its own requirements. Whether a controlled medication is right for you is a clinical decision made after a full evaluation, never a promise made before one.
Yes. Bring every supplement, herbal product and over-the-counter medicine you take, ideally the bottles or photos of the labels. Several common supplements interact with psychiatric medications, and some can be replaced or dropped once the plan is clear.
Not necessarily. Many people use medication for a period of stabilization and then reduce or stop it with a slow, supervised taper once they have been well for a sustained stretch. Others do best staying on it. The decision is reviewed over time and made together.
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.
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
