Charlottesville, Virginia
Medication Management in Charlottesville
Charlottesville hosts world class academic psychiatry whose clinics fill instantly, leaving graduate students, faculty, hospital staff, and Albemarle families waiting months for routine care while the surrounding rural counties wait longer still. A second door is overdue. That's what unmanaged medication looks like, and it's fixable. shrinkMD delivers real medication stewardship to Charlottesville: board certified clinicians, measured follow up, and visits that fit your actual schedule.
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
shrinkMD in Charlottesville, on your terms
From the Corner to Crozet to Pantops, visits happen by video from apartment, office, or farmhouse, with academic calendars and rural broadband realities both accommodated.
We bill no insurance and are unaffiliated with the university, which many faculty and staff prefer, with flat published fees and records held between you and your clinician.
What's included
What careful prescribing actually involves
Choosing a medication is reasoning, not reflex: your specific diagnosis, your past trials and their outcomes, family response patterns, side effect profiles, interactions with what you already take, and your own priorities, sleep, weight, energy, focus, all weigh in. We explain the tradeoffs and decide together.
Then we manage it like it matters: measured follow up every two to four weeks during changes, honest side effect guidance, planned tapers instead of cold stops, and deprescribing when something is no longer pulling its weight. Monitoring labs run through your local lab with results reviewed together. We don't prescribe stimulants or benzodiazepines, and we're direct about that up front.
Keep exploring
Care and next steps in Charlottesville
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
I want care separate from the university system entirely.
That is built in: unaffiliated, never billed through insurance, records private. Many faculty choose us for exactly that separation.
Does video work in the rural counties?
Usually yes even on modest connections, and a phone on cellular works; if a connection drops, your clinician calls and the visit continues.
How often will I be seen?
Every two to four weeks while starting or adjusting, then every one to three months once stable. The cadence follows your response, not a fixed grid.
What if my medication causes side effects?
You get clear guidance on what fades within two weeks, what deserves a message, and what means call now, and switches are planned rather than abrupt.
Will you coordinate with my primary care doctor?
With your permission, yes, in both directions, so interactions get caught and both plans pull the same way.
About Charlottesville
Charlottesville is home to about 52,000 people. It's a college town home to the University of Virginia and a regional hub for central Virginia. Our patients here range across students, university faculty and staff, and hospital workers.
Serving Charlottesville
Care should reach every corner of Charlottesville. As a Blue Ridge college city, home to the University of Virginia, Charlottesville stretches from Monticello, the Academical Village, and the Rotunda, 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
- psychiatric medications, explained
- medication vs therapy vs lifestyle
- questions to ask your prescriber
More from a trusted source: Mental health medications - MedlinePlus.
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 medication management in Charlottesville
Call 1-877-747-4656 now, appointments are available as soon as availability allows for Charlottesville residents, by secure video from home.
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