Questions about working together

No. Medication is one tool, never a requirement. Every treatment decision here is collaborative — you'll understand the options, the evidence, and the trade-offs before anything is prescribed. Nothing is prescribed without your full understanding and agreement.

OCD and anxiety disorders respond to specific, specialized treatment — and most providers were never trained in it. Most patients who arrive at this practice have had prior treatment that didn't work. That is not a sign of treatment resistance; it is the most common story. The question is whether the right treatment was tried, not whether treatment works.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), intrusive thoughts, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, health anxiety, perfectionism, PMDD, perinatal mental health (pregnancy and postpartum OCD and anxiety), and perimenopause-related psychiatric changes. She also treats depression, particularly when co-occurring with anxiety or OCD. For addiction medicine questions, please inquire directly.

For psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and psychotherapy, telehealth outcomes are well-supported by research and generally equivalent to in-person outcomes. The clinical literature on this has been substantial since the COVID-era expansion of telehealth, and it holds specifically for anxiety disorders and OCD. The practical benefit of telehealth is access to a specialist matched to your condition, regardless of geography.

New York, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. You must be physically located in a state where Dr. Batista is licensed at the time of your appointment — not just a legal resident.

Your new-patient consultation is a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation — approximately 90 minutes. It covers your history, current symptoms, prior diagnoses and treatments, relevant medical background, family history, and your goals. You'll leave with a clear understanding of your diagnosis, what's driving your symptoms, and a proposed treatment plan.

No. This is a private-pay practice. Insurance is not accepted, and claims are not submitted to insurance on your behalf. This is a deliberate choice: insurance-based psychiatry limits appointment length, restricts treatment options, and introduces third-party review of clinical decisions. This practice is built around the opposite model.

Balanced Psychiatry is a private-pay, out-of-network practice and does not bill insurance directly. Many patients have out-of-network benefits that reimburse part of the cost of care. We provide monthly superbills you can submit for reimbursement, and as a courtesy can submit out-of-network claims on your behalf to certain insurers, including Aetna and Cigna. Reimbursement varies by plan. (We do not accept Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare.) Payment is due at the time of service regardless of any expected insurance reimbursement.

Yes. Your health information is protected under HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and applicable state law. Clinical information is not shared without your written authorization, except in specific circumstances required by law — which are reviewed with you at your first appointment.

Confidentiality has specific exceptions required by law. These include: imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or others, suspected abuse of a child or vulnerable adult, and other circumstances specified by state and federal law. These exceptions are rare and are discussed in full at the time of your first appointment.