Lincoln, Nebraska
Depression Treatment in Lincoln
Lincoln stacks three populations who quietly avoid care: UNL students hitting the exact age of first episodes with a counseling center booked out, state employees who worry a record could follow their career, and a working city that treats endurance as the local virtue. The big system waitlists make avoidance easy, months out is its own argument for not bothering. That's depression talking, and it responds to treatment. shrinkMD brings evidence based depression care to Lincoln as soon as availability allows, by secure video, with progress measured at every visit.
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 Lincoln
We remove the wait and the visibility at once: board certified evaluation within days, by video from a dorm, an office near the Capitol, or a kitchen in the Highlands, with zero insurance involvement and records that move only with your signature.
Students keep their clinician through summers anywhere in Nebraska and across our other states after graduation. State workers get the structural privacy no network clinic can offer.
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 Lincoln
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
Can UNL students be seen even during breaks back home?
Yes, anywhere in Nebraska automatically, and in our other states when home is out of state. Care should not restart every semester.
I work for the state. Will this ever appear anywhere?
No. No claims, no databases, no employer reporting. Your treatment is yours.
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.
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.
About Lincoln
Lincoln is home to about 295,000 residents, the second-largest city in Nebraska. It's the state capital and home to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Our patients here range across state government workers, university students and staff, healthcare workers, and families.
Serving Lincoln
Care should reach every corner of Lincoln. As Nebraska's capital and home to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln stretches from downtown, the Near South neighborhood, and the University 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: 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 Lincoln
Call 1-877-747-4656 now, appointments are available as soon as availability allows for Lincoln residents, by secure video from home.
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