Pediatric & family psychiatry · Mayfield Heights, Ohio
Navigating your child’s mental health is stressful enough without feeling like a number on a clinic roster. I take the time to work out what is actually going on before anyone reaches for a prescription pad.
The difference
The medications are the same ones anyone else would reach for. What changes is having enough time to work out which one your child needs, and whether they need one at all.
Many parents describe some version of this. It is a constraint of how insurance-funded care is paid for, not a failure of the clinicians working inside it. I built my practice outside that model so the constraint does not apply.
Who this is for
Most families reach me after something else has not worked. You do not need a diagnosis, a referral, or a theory about what is going on. You need someone to take the time to find out.
My practice is pediatric and adolescent psychiatry. I consider new patients over 18 on a highly selective, case-by-case basis.
I am private-pay and out-of-network for all insurance plans. That is what makes a one-to-two-hour evaluation possible; an insurer will not fund one.
A parent, adoptive parent or legal guardian takes part in all appointments for patients under 18. A guardian may join by phone when necessary.
My work is diagnostic clarity and the conservative use of medication. When psychotherapy is the right call, I refer to therapy practices across Northeast Ohio.
Services
Assessment, careful prescribing, and meeting your family where it is convenient. Full detail, and what each one costs, is on the services page.
An evaluation runs across two appointments, yours and then your child’s.
Separate interviews with you and with your child, then real time to talk through what I found and what the options are.
More about thisI prescribe as little as I can get away with, for as short a time as it stays useful.
Where it is appropriate, that includes de-prescribing, deliberately reducing or stopping medication that is no longer helping.
More about thisEvaluations and follow-ups by video, or in your own home.
Seeing a child in their natural environment is often a rich source of information, and a virtual visit fits around work and travel.
More about this
C. Denny King, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Meet Denny
I am a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, where I also teach, helping train the next generation of nurses.
I began my nursing career in 2013 as a registered nurse on a general medicine unit in Cleveland. In 2018 I moved into advanced practice as a Family Systems Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, providing outpatient and residential care throughout Akron, Canton and Cleveland, and served as a counselor and consultant to Fieldstone Counseling, a faith-based, clinically informed counseling center.
My care is Biblically informed and openly Christian; I completed a Biblical Counseling Formation Certificate through the Christian Counseling Education Foundation to strengthen that side of my work. Whether you seek guidance through a Christian lens or simply a conservative, thoughtful approach to psychiatric care, you are welcome here.
How it works
There are four steps. You can stop after the first one at no cost, and nothing is booked until you say so.
Step 1
We talk. You describe what has been going on, I tell you how I work, and we decide together whether my practice is the right fit for your family. There is no charge and no obligation to go further.
Step 2
A parent-only session to review your child’s history and any past medications, answer your questions without a clock running, and design a step-by-step evaluation plan together. No medication is prescribed at this visit.
Step 3
Two appointments: your parent-only visit first, then your child’s, which runs one to two hours. Separate interviews and, where it helps, structured input from teachers. Then real time to talk through the diagnostic picture and the options, including the option of no medication.
Step 4
If we start a medication, I see you frequently while we find the right dose rather than leaving your child on a starting dose for a term. As things settle, visits space out. Where medication stops earning its place, we take it away.
What it costs
I do not take insurance, and I would rather you know that on the homepage than after an intake call.
$0
A low-pressure call to talk through your concerns and decide whether my practice is the right fit, before you commit to anything.
$325
A dedicated, parent-only session to review your child’s history and design the evaluation plan. Medication is not prescribed at this visit.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Child and adolescent psychiatric evaluationOne to two hours. This is your child’s visit, the second of the two appointments. The initial parent visit above is the first, so a full evaluation comes to $750. Includes full discussion of the findings and the options. | $425 |
| Ongoing medication managementFollow-up visits during titration and for continuing care, typically twenty to forty-five minutes. | $235 |
| Telehealth visitTelehealth is a different way of delivering the same care, not a different price. | Same as the visit it replaces |
| House callFor homes within thirty minutes. The billing code may differ; what you pay does not. | Same as the visit it replaces |
My practice is private-pay and is considered an out-of-network provider for all insurance plans. That is a deliberate choice, not an oversight. It is what makes an unhurried evaluation possible, because no insurer will fund one.
I do not file claims on your behalf. If you ask, I will give you a statement containing the billing codes your insurer needs, so you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement yourself. To make that easier I partner with Thrizer, where you can check your out-of-network benefits and see what your plan may reimburse before you commit to anything.
Contact
A free 25-minute consultation, and no obligation to book anything after it. If you would rather call or write first, that is fine too.
I reply to portal messages, email and phone within 2 business days. Email and phone lines are not encrypted, so please do not include medical or personal health information in a message. Reaching out does not by itself start care or create a provider-patient relationship.