College Mental Health Psychiatrist in FL

Dr. Holly Betterly, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist in Florida with expertise in working with college students.

She enjoys serving as a source of support for students as they make the transition to college life and navigate the unique challenges that present throughout their journey through higher education.

Dr. Betterly has experience providing both therapy and medication management for college students at the student counseling center of a major university.

She has worked with students attending many different colleges and universities. She has experience working with students at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels, including students in PhD, JD, and DMD programs.

She is dedicated to helping you overcome depression, anxiety, and OCD. Her approach to care is personalized, centering your unique goals and preferences for treatment.

As a board-certified psychiatrist licensed in Florida, she is able to provide convenient care via telehealth to students attending schools across the state, including the University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University (NSU), Florida International University (FIU), Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Florida State University (FSU), University of Florida (UF), Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), University of South Florida (USF), and University of Central Florida (UCF).

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Accepting new patients 18+

In-person appointments
in Weston, FL

Telehealth appointments
across Florida

Insurance accepted.
In-Network with Aetna & Cigna

Navigating the Transition to College

The transition to college can be an exciting time filled with new beginnings, from moving to a new location, to meeting new people, to exploring your interests both inside and outside of the classroom.

Unfortunately, this fresh chapter also brings a whole host of new challenges: clashes with your roommates, cramming for midterms and finals, figuring out your study style, juggling extracurriculars, managing your finances, rollercoaster relationships, missing your support system back home… the list goes on.

Bottom line: the college transition period is often one of huge adjustment, and can leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Many students begin college in their late teens and early twenties. This is the same time period during which many mental health conditions begin to emerge. The stress of transitioning to college life can be the perfect storm that triggers mental health conditions to present themselves for the first time.

For those who may have already been struggling with an existing psychiatric condition prior to college, such as depression, anxiety, or OCD, the increased stress can potentially lead to a worsening of mental health symptoms. Coping skills and strategies that may have previously been effective can be easily overwhelmed by the addition of new stressors.

Whether you are experiencing mental health challenges for the first time, or have been dealing with them for a while, it’s important to build a team of trusted mental health professionals who can support for you throughout your college years.

Building Your Team of
Professional Supports

If you have never sought treatment for mental health before, skip ahead to the next section for tips on locating a mental health provider who is right for you!

If you have been dealing with mental health challenges prior to college, you may already have a team of providers in place. It’s important to check in with your existing therapist or psychiatrist about whether they are able to continue to provide care for you while you are at school. Licensing laws may restrict the states in which your provider is able to practice, so this is particularly important if you are attending school in a different state. Additionally, while some providers may be able to offer care via telehealth if you are unable to make it to the office, others may not offer this convenience.

If you find yourself in a situation where your existing provider is unable to continue your care while you are away at school, it may be time to add some additional providers to your team of supports.

Tip: if you are switching to a new provider, ask your past provider to send over a copy of your medical records to your new team. This helps the new provider to understand what has worked, and what hasn’t, to help you figure out the best plan moving forward.

Locating A New Mental Health Provider

On-Campus Mental Health Resources

Many colleges and universities offer on-campus mental health resources for students dealing with mental health challenges. Depending on your school, these services may even be included in your tuition and fees, meaning that you may be able to access them free of cost.

A good place to start is looking into your school’s mental health resources. A google search for “Student Health Services at (your school)” or “Student Counseling Center at (your school)” can often help to guide you in the right direction.

The specific types of services offered vary significantly from one school to another. Many schools offer counseling or therapy. If you require prescription medications for mental health, you should see if your school offers access to a psychiatrist, a medical doctor with specialized training in mental health problems.

Some schools are able to provide mental health services for as long as you remain a student. Others may only be able to provide services for a short period of time until you are able to get connected to a provider out in the community for ongoing care.

Off-Campus Mental Health Resources

If your school doesn’t offer on-campus mental health services, or you prefer not to receive your care through your school, you may want to search for a provider out in the community.

Answers to Common Questions:

- Psychiatrist:
  - Medical doctor with specialized training in mental health
  - Can prescribe medications
  - May provide therapy, or work together with your therapist
- Therapist:
  - Someone with specialized training in providing therapy, such as a psychologist, counselor, or social worker
  - Usually cannot prescribe medications
- Some people prefer to see their provider in the office. If so, you may want to limit your search to areas that you are able to get to easily.
- Others prefer to see their provider through telehealth. If so, you may be able to expand your search to a wider geographic area.
  - Keep in mind whether you have a private space to log in to your appointment from. If this may be a challenge, in-person care may be a better option.
  - Sometimes a person’s specific mental health circumstances may require in-person care. Your provider can help you to determine if telehealth is appropriate for your situation, and if not, to direct you to local in-person options.
- Some providers offer both in-person and telehealth visits- this can provide flexibility and make it easier to access care.
- Some mental health providers accept health insurance, meaning that you may pay very little (or nothing at all) for your care. If you have health insurance, you may want to search for a provider that accepts your specific health insurance plan.
  - You can call your health insurance company to ask them for a list of local providers who accept your plan. Many health insurance companies also maintain online provider directories accessible through their website.
  - Many online provider directories offer the availability to filter your search by your health insurance plan.
- Many young adults under 26 years old are covered by their parent’s health insurance plan. Think this may be the case? Ask your parents if they can send you a copy of the front and back of the health insurance card if you don’t already have a copy- you will usually need this when you schedule an appointment.
- If you don’t have health insurance, you would likely be responsible for paying for the cost of the visit with your provider.
  - If finances are a barrier, you may want to narrow your search to providers that offer care on a sliding-scale fee basis. Many areas also offer community resources for those with limited ability to pay on a low-cost or no-cost basis. Tip: try searching for a “Community Behavioral Health Center” or “CBHC” in your area.

Free Online Tools for Locating a Mental Health Provider

Psychiatrists:

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the national professional organization for psychiatrists. They provide a free search tool to help you to locate a psychiatrist in your area.

Tip: Is your psychiatrist “board-certified”?

To become board-certified by the The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, psychiatrists must complete years of rigorous specialized training, pass a certification examination, and participate in continuing education to ensure that they stay up to date on the latest knowledge. Board-certification signifies expertise as a psychiatrist. You can check if a psychiatrist is board-certified using the search tool here.

Dr. Holly Betterly is a board-certified psychiatrist in Florida with experience working with college students. She is dedicated to helping you overcome depression, anxiety, and OCD. She offers both in-person visits in Weston, FL, as well as telehealth visits for patients across Florida. She accepts Aetna and Cigna.

Request an appointment with Dr. Betterly

Therapists:

A great place to start your search for a therapist is Psychology Today. This is a free online directory that allows you to search for therapists in your area. You can filter the results based on the type of provider, whether they accept health insurance, and whether they offer in-person and/or telehealth visits. You can also filter by preferences such as gender, ethnicity, or religion.