Rochester, New York
Anxiety Treatment in Rochester
Rochester engineers its way through everything except the gray: long waits, long winters, and a workforce of engineers, clinicians, and students who treat their own symptoms as a side project to manage solo. By the time most people book, the project is a year overdue. That pattern has a name and a well proven treatment. shrinkMD treats anxiety across Rochester by video, with board certified clinicians, measured care, and appointments as soon as availability allows instead of months.
Medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, board certified psychiatrist · Published June 7, 2026 · Last reviewed July 7, 2026 · Editorial policy
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Why shrinkMD
Care built around Rochester
We shorten the timeline to days, by video from the South Wedge, Brighton, or an RIT dorm, with seasonal patterns screened explicitly at this latitude and continuity through breaks and job changes across our ten states.
Measured care suits this town: validated scores at every visit, one clinician throughout, and nothing billed to any insurer or visible to any employer.
What's included
How we treat anxiety
First, precision: an evaluation that pins down which anxiety this is and what it's riding on, sleep debt, caffeine, thyroid, trauma, because precision up front is what makes treatment fast. Then a two track plan: medication from the SSRI and SNRI families when indicated, which calms the baseline within two to six weeks, and structured skills that retrain the alarm itself.
The skills aren't platitudes, they're clinical tools: breathing with an extended exhale that engages your braking system, graded exposure that shrinks avoidance, worry containment that gives rumination a schedule instead of a kingdom. Progress is measured with validated scales at every visit, so the plan adjusts to results. No benzodiazepines, ever, and an honest explanation of why.
Keep exploring
Care and next steps in Rochester
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
Do you reach the Finger Lakes towns?
Identically by video, Pittsford to Canandaigua and beyond.
Can U of R and RIT students keep care through breaks?
Yes, anywhere in New York automatically and across our other states when home is elsewhere. Nothing touches university systems.
Why do you not prescribe Xanax or other benzodiazepines?
Because they relieve an hour and reinforce the disorder, with real dependence risk. The durable path, SSRIs or SNRIs plus skills, actually shrinks anxiety, and that's what we practice.
What if it's anxiety and depression together?
Common, and treatable together. The evaluation maps both, and first line treatments overlap enough that one coherent plan usually covers the pair.
My anxiety is mostly physical symptoms. Is that normal?
Extremely. Racing heart, chest tightness, stomach trouble, and dizziness are anxiety's most common costumes, and we screen carefully in both directions before treating.
About Rochester
Rochester is home to about 210,000 people in the city and roughly 1 million across the metro area. It's an Upstate health care and university hub anchored by the University of Rochester Medical Center. Our patients here range across hospital staff, students, working families, and professionals.
Serving Rochester
Care should reach every corner of Rochester. As a Finger Lakes city on the Genesee River, Rochester stretches from High Falls, the George Eastman Museum, and the Park Avenue area, and shrinkMD brings board-certified telepsychiatry to all of it by secure video, with the same psychiatrist over time.
What it costs
Transparent, published pricing
Our self-pay prices are the same in every state where we practice. No insurance billing, and no surprise statement later.
| Service | Self-pay price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Initial evaluation | From $295 | A full 50 to 60 minute evaluation, diagnosis, and written plan. |
| Follow-up visits | $110 to $215 | Per visit, depending on length and complexity. Member rates are lower. |
| Membership (optional) | $49 per month | Priority scheduling, member rates, and the Unstuck and QuitScrolling apps. First month free. |
Your care team
Who you will see
Your care is delivered by shrinkMD clinicians, and you keep the same one over time. You meet by secure video with a clinician licensed in your state.
- Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, founder and board certified psychiatrist (ABPN), dual board certified in psychiatry and in sports and performance psychiatry.
- Matthew George, PMHNP-BC, ANP-BC, dual board certified psychiatric nurse practitioner with more than two decades of clinical experience.
Learn more
More from a trusted source: Anxiety Disorders - National Institute of Mental Health.
Nearby areas
Anxiety Treatment in nearby New York cities
Your next step in The Shrink Network
You are here: shrinkMD, the clinical care layer of The Shrink Network.
Each site in the network has one job. No matter where you enter, we help you find the next step that makes sense.
Get clinical care with shrinkMD
Want to understand more first?
Start anxiety treatment in Rochester
Call 1-877-747-4656 now, appointments are available as soon as availability allows for Rochester residents, by secure video from home.
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