Kearney, Nebraska
Depression Treatment in Kearney
Kearney sits between two realities: a UNK campus full of students at prime first episode age, and ranch country where the nearest psychiatrist has always been a long drive and a longer wait. Both share the local instinct to handle it yourself, which works right up until it does not. Depression is biology, not a failure of will, and biology responds to treatment. shrinkMD treats adults in Kearney by video, with board certified clinicians, measured care, and first visits as soon as availability allows.
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 Kearney
Students are seen within days and keep their clinician through summers anywhere in Nebraska, and in our other states when home is farther. Nothing touches campus systems or family insurance.
Ranch and farm families get care at the kitchen table, scheduled around calving, harvest, and the drive that no longer needs driving. Phone backup covers thin connections, and records stay entirely yours.
What's included
How we treat depression
Precision first: an evaluation that separates depression from burnout, grief, medical causes, and bipolar lows, because each calls for different treatment. Then the plan runs on evidence: medication chosen against your complete history of past trials with doses and responses, activity scheduling that starts smaller than feels worth it because that's what depression allows, and therapy coordinated when the combination earns it.
Progress is measured, not assumed, validated scores at every visit, follow ups every two to four weeks during the climb, monthly or quarterly once you hold. Most patients feel energy shift before mood, usually inside four to six weeks. The final step is the one most practices skip: a relapse prevention plan with your early warning signs and the playbook for them.
Keep exploring
Care and next steps in Kearney
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
Can UNK students afford and access this realistically?
Fees are flat and published, HSA and FSA work, and appointments within days beat a semester on a waitlist. Many students split visits with summer work schedules.
We are forty five minutes from town. Does that matter anymore?
Not at all. The appointment is identical from a ranch kitchen or a Kearney living room, and weather cancels nothing.
What if antidepressants have failed me before?
Bring the history, names, doses, durations, responses. Past trials are a map, not a verdict, and structured re evaluation often finds the path earlier prescribers missed.
Will I be on medication forever?
Often no. Many patients treat for a defined period after recovery, then taper with a plan. Some conditions warrant longer treatment, and we're honest about which is which.
How long until depression treatment works?
Typically two to six weeks for medication, with energy improving before mood. We track scores at every visit so neither of us is guessing.
About Kearney
Kearney is home to about 34,000 residents, the fifth-largest city in Nebraska. It's a regional hub for central Nebraska and home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Our patients here range across college students and university staff, farming and ranching families, hospital workers, and commuters.
Serving Kearney
Care should reach every corner of Kearney. As a Platte River Valley city in central Nebraska, Kearney stretches from downtown along the bricks, the Great Platte River Road Archway, and the Museum of Nebraska Art, 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: Depression - National Institute of Mental Health.
Nearby areas
Depression Treatment in nearby Nebraska 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 depression treatment in Kearney
Call 1-877-747-4656 now, appointments are available as soon as availability allows for Kearney residents, by secure video from home.
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