Charlottesville, Virginia
Psychiatric Evaluation 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. The way out starts with an accurate diagnosis. shrinkMD provides full psychiatric evaluations to Charlottesville by secure video, with a board certified clinician and a first appointment withwithout the typical months-long wait.
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 Charlottesville
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
Inside the evaluation hour
Real diagnosis takes time, so we protect a full 45 to 60 minutes. The hour covers your story chronologically, when symptoms started and what they've cost, plus structured screening across conditions, because depression, anxiety, trauma, attention problems, and sleep deprivation overlap from the inside. Medical mimics get ruled out rather than assumed away.
The most valuable history is your medication record: every psychiatric medication tried, at what dose, for how long, and with what response, including side effects. With that map, your clinician chooses what comes next instead of repeating what already failed. You end the hour with a diagnosis you understand, baseline symptom scores, a written direction, and treatment that starts immediately, often with same day prescriptions.
Keep exploring
Care and next steps in Charlottesville
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
The university counseling center has a wait and session limits. How are you different?
We are continuous, unlimited outpatient psychiatry: evaluation within days, the same clinician each visit, and care that does not end at graduation.
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.
Will I get a diagnosis at the first visit?
Usually yes, a working diagnosis and plan the same day. When something genuinely needs more information or records first, we say exactly what and why.
What should I've ready for the appointment?
Current medications and doses, your pharmacy, any past diagnoses, and most importantly every psychiatric medication you've tried with dose, duration, and response. That history guides everything.
What if I need more than telehealth can provide?
Then we tell you plainly and help arrange the right level of care. Knowing our limits is part of the clinical standard, not an exception to it.
About Charlottesville
Charlottesville is a college town home to the University of Virginia and a regional hub for central Virginia. It's home to about 52,000 people. The people we see here include students, university faculty and staff, and hospital workers.
Serving Charlottesville
Charlottesville is a Blue Ridge college city, home to the University of Virginia, and reaching a psychiatrist here shouldn't take a long drive. shrinkMD sees adults across Charlottesville by secure video, whether you're near the Academical Village, the Rotunda, and the Downtown Mall. You keep the same clinician each visit, with no commute and no waiting room.
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.
Related reading
- the psychiatric evaluation
- what to expect at your first evaluation
- your first appointment, step by step
More from a trusted source: What is psychiatry? - American Psychiatric Association.
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 psychiatric evaluation 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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