How To Find A Psychiatrist In Palm Beach County ty | Dr. Mark Agresti

If you are reading this, there is a good chance you have already made a few calls. Maybe a dozen. You pulled names off your insurance company's website. Some of the numbers were wrong. A few offices never called back. The one that did offered you a date two months away.

You are not doing it wrong. Finding a psychiatrist in Palm Beach County, or anywhere in Florida, is hard for reasons that have nothing to do with you. I have practiced psychiatry for more than 30 years, and the gap between how many people need care and how quickly they can get it is wider now than at any point in my career.

This guide gives you the nine questions I would want my own family to ask before choosing a psychiatrist, what a good answer sounds like, and how my practice answers each one. Use it to judge any doctor, including me.

Why is it so hard to get a psychiatrist appointment?

Three things are happening at once: too few psychiatrists, an insurance system most of them have left, and directories that are badly out of date.

The wait-time study did not include Florida, so treat its numbers as a national picture. But they match what new patients tell me about their search in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and Boca Raton.

The practical lesson: the name on your insurance list tells you almost nothing about whether you can get in, who you will see, or how good the care will be. You have to ask.

9 questions to ask before you book a psychiatrist

Ask these on the first phone call. If the person answering cannot tell you, that is information too.

1. Who will I actually see?

This is the question most people never think to ask. Many psychiatric practices and subscription apps staff most visits with nurse practitioners or physician assistants. Many of them are skilled and caring clinicians. But the training is different, and you are entitled to know which one you are booking.

A psychiatrist is a physician: four years of medical school followed by a four-year psychiatry residency treating the full range of illness, including hospital and emergency work. Board certification as a psychiatric nurse practitioner requires a minimum of 500 supervised clinical hours. If your situation is complicated, such as several medications, a medical condition, a substance in the mix, or two or three failed treatments, that difference matters.

A good answer: a specific name and credential, and the same person at every visit.

At my practice: every appointment is with me, a board-certified psychiatrist. There is no one else to hand you to.

2. What is the actual date of the first opening?

Ask for a date, not "soon." Two months is a long time to white-knuckle panic attacks, a depression that is getting worse, or a medication that is making you feel strange. Symptoms rarely hold still while you wait.

A good answer: days, not months, and a plan for what to do if things get worse before then.

At my practice: new patient and urgent appointments are typically available within 24 hours, and same-day visits are often possible.

3. How long is the first visit?

A proper psychiatric evaluation covers your history, your family's history, your medical conditions, every medication and supplement you take, sleep, alcohol and drug use, and what you have already tried. That cannot be done well in 15 or 20 minutes. In my experience, a rushed first visit is one of the main reasons people end up with the wrong diagnosis and then spend a year on the wrong medication.

A good answer: close to an hour for the evaluation.

At my practice: the initial evaluation is a full 60 minutes with me, ending with a diagnosis and a plan you understand.

4. If something goes wrong on a Saturday, who answers?

Psychiatric medications get adjusted between visits all the time. Side effects show up on day three, not at your next appointment. Ask exactly what happens when you have a question: a portal message that sits for four days, a nurse line, an answering service, or the doctor.

A good answer: a direct way to reach the person who prescribed your medication, and a realistic response time.

At my practice: you get my cell number. You can call or text me directly, and I answer my own phone. Refills are sent the same day. This is what concierge psychiatry means here.

5. Do you do therapy, or only medication?

For most of the last century, psychiatrists did both. That has changed, and it changes what you get.

When your prescriber and your therapist are two people in two offices who never speak, each one is working with half the picture. When they are the same person, a medication change and what is happening in your life get weighed together.

A good answer: either the psychiatrist provides therapy, or there is a named therapist they actually talk to.

At my practice: I am both your psychiatrist and your therapist. Psychotherapy and medication management happen in the same room with the same doctor.

6. What is the total cost, including any membership?

Private psychiatry pricing is confusing on purpose in some places. Get three numbers: the first visit, the follow-up, and any annual or monthly fee you pay before you are ever seen. Concierge psychiatry in Palm Beach County often starts with a membership of a few thousand dollars a year on top of visit fees. Subscription apps advertise a low monthly rate and then limit you to brief visits.

A good answer: published fees, in writing, with nothing added later.

At my practice: there is no membership fee. The initial evaluation is $400 and medication follow-ups are $300. Every fee is on the fees page. I am out of network, and I provide a superbill you can submit to a PPO plan for possible reimbursement.

7. Do you have a real office, or only video?

Telehealth is real medicine. I use it every day with patients from Miami to Jacksonville. But there are two things worth knowing right now.

First, the federal rule that lets a doctor prescribe controlled medications, such as ADHD stimulants and benzodiazepines, to someone they have never examined in person is a temporary exception left over from the pandemic. It has been extended four times and currently runs through December 31, 2026. The DEA sent a permanent rule for White House review in August 2026, and as I write this the final text has not been published.

Second, Florida law does allow these medications to be prescribed by telehealth when they are treating a psychiatric disorder. So the uncertainty is federal, not state.

What that means for you: if your prescriber exists only as an app, ask what happens to your prescription if the rules tighten. A doctor with a physical office can simply see you in person.

A good answer: both options, your choice, with a clear plan if the rules change.

At my practice: I see patients in person at 44 Cocoanut Row in Palm Beach and by telehealth across Florida. Same doctor, same fee, either way.

8. What happens if the first medication does not work?

It often does not. In STAR\*D, the largest real-world antidepressant study ever run, only about one in three patients reached remission on the first medication. What separates good psychiatric care from average care is the second, third, and fourth step: knowing when to raise a dose, when to switch, when to add, and when the diagnosis itself needs another look.

If this is you, I wrote a separate piece on why an antidepressant or anxiety medication stops working.

A good answer: a clear sequence of next steps, and comfort with options beyond the standard first choices.

At my practice: treatment-resistant and complicated cases are a large part of my work, including complex psychopharmacology and ketamine and Spravato for depression that has not responded.

9. Can you treat everything I am dealing with?

Real people rarely have one tidy diagnosis. Anxiety travels with ADHD. Depression travels with drinking. Panic gets treated with Xanax, and then the Xanax becomes its own problem. If your psychiatrist only handles one piece, you will be referred out for the rest and start the search over.

A good answer: one doctor who can manage the whole picture, including substance use if it is part of it.

At my practice: I treat anxiety, depression, panic disorder, and adult ADHD, and I provide outpatient detox and medication-assisted addiction treatment in the same practice.

Your four options in Palm Beach County, side by side

Most people looking for a psychiatrist near them are choosing among four kinds of practice. Individual offices vary, so use this as a starting map and then ask the nine questions.

If staying in network is your first priority, an insurance-based clinic is the right place to start, and the wait may be worth it. If speed, time with a physician, and being able to reach your doctor matter more, a private psychiatrist is the better fit.

Six red flags when choosing a psychiatrist

1. You cannot find out who you will see. If the answer is "one of our providers," keep calling.

2. A diagnosis in ten minutes. ADHD, bipolar disorder, and anxiety overlap. Sorting them out takes time. I wrote about one common mix-up in Is it ADHD, or is it your phone?

3. A prescription promised before you are evaluated. Any service that guarantees a specific controlled medication in its advertising is selling the drug, not the care.

4. No questions about alcohol, cannabis, or your other medications. These change what is safe to prescribe.

5. No way to reach anyone between visits. Ask what happens if you have a side effect on a Friday night.

6. Fees you cannot get in writing. Good practices publish them.

When my practice is not the right fit

I would rather tell you now than waste your time.

If you need a doctor who bills your insurance directly. I am out of network. Many patients with PPO plans get part of the fee back with a superbill, but I cannot promise what your plan will pay.

If you live outside Florida. I am licensed in Florida, so telehealth patients must be in the state at the time of the visit.

If you are in immediate danger. If you are thinking about ending your life or cannot keep yourself safe, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room now. Do not wait for an office appointment with anyone.

What a first visit looks like

Step 1. You call, text, or book online. I answer the phone myself. Tell me in a sentence or two what is going on.

Step 2. We set a time, usually within 24 hours. In the office in Palm Beach or by secure video anywhere in Florida. No referral is needed.

Step 3. We spend a full hour. Your history, what you have tried, what worked, what did not, and what you want your life to look like.

Step 4. You leave with a diagnosis and a plan. If medication is appropriate, the prescription goes to your pharmacy the same day.

Step 5. You have my cell number. Questions on day three get answered on day three.

What it costs

Initial psychiatric evaluation, 60 minutes: $400

Medication management follow-up, 20 minutes: $300

Psychotherapy session, 60 minutes: $450

Membership or annual fee: none

Telehealth and office visits are the same fee. HSA and FSA funds can typically be used; check with your plan. Full details are on the fees and pricing page.

Where I see patients

The office is at 44 Cocoanut Row on the island of Palm Beach, a short drive from West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Wellington, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Boca Raton. If you would rather not drive, I see patients by telehealth everywhere in Florida.

Common questions about finding a psychiatrist in Palm Beach

How do I find a psychiatrist in Palm Beach who is accepting new patients?

Call practices directly instead of relying on an insurance directory, which is often out of date. Ask who you would see, the date of the first opening, and the full cost. Dr. Mark Agresti in Palm Beach accepts new patients and typically schedules them within 24 hours. Call 561-760-4107.

How long is the wait to see a psychiatrist?

A 2023 national study found a median wait of 67 days for an in-person psychiatric appointment and 43 days for telepsychiatry, and fewer than one in five psychiatrists had openings for new patients. Private practices that do not bill insurance are usually much faster.

How much does a psychiatrist cost without insurance in Palm Beach?

At this practice, a 60-minute initial evaluation is $400, a medication follow-up is $300, and a 60-minute psychotherapy session is $450. There is no membership fee. Fees at other private practices in Palm Beach County vary, and some add an annual membership.

What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychiatric nurse practitioner?

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who completed four years of medical school and a four-year psychiatry residency. A psychiatric nurse practitioner is a registered nurse with a graduate degree and a minimum of 500 supervised clinical hours for board certification. Both can prescribe in Florida. The depth of training differs, which matters most in complicated cases.

Do I need a referral to see a psychiatrist in Florida?

Not at a private, self-pay practice. You can call and book directly. Some insurance plans, particularly HMOs, require a referral before they will cover a specialist, so check your plan if you intend to use in-network benefits.

Can a psychiatrist prescribe ADHD or anxiety medication by telehealth in Florida?

Yes. Florida law allows controlled medications to be prescribed by telehealth for a psychiatric disorder, and the federal exception permitting this without a prior in-person visit runs through December 31, 2026. A permanent federal rule is pending. A psychiatrist with a physical office can see you in person if the rules change.

Can the same doctor provide both therapy and medication?

Yes, though it has become uncommon. About half of U.S. psychiatrists no longer provide psychotherapy. Dr. Agresti provides both, so medication decisions and therapy happen with one doctor who knows the whole picture.

Is concierge psychiatry worth it?

It is worth it if you value fast appointments, longer visits, and direct contact with your doctor, and if paying out of pocket is workable for you. Check whether the practice charges an annual membership on top of visit fees. This practice does not. More detail is in What is concierge psychiatry, and is it worth it?