FAQs

Both.  At least one in-person office visit is required per 12 months or more frequently if desired or necessary based on a client’s wellness status. Our office is located in downtown Columbia, SC in a beautiful, two hundred-year-old antebellum house. Fifteen-foot ceilings, detailed wood molding, fireplaces, and wide plank floors add to the ambience of office visits. Our physical space is not ADA compliant so that mobility issues will be discussed during the phone consultation process. 

Our services are available for persons residing in S.C. per practice/licensure regulations.

Not at this time. We provide superbills upon request that you submit to your insurance company.  Our care pathways go beyond the time limits and activity restrictions of typical insurance-based psychiatric care. The care is extraordinary for people with treatment resistance. This work includes in-depth review, advanced laboratory studies, interpretation, planning, written recommendations, accountability support, and personalized guidance; Sessions are not limited to standard insurance parameters because standard care is not working for you.

The first step is to complete an inquiry or application form. After that, we schedule an initial consultation call to determine whether the practice is a good fit for your needs and goals.

If we mutually decide the fit is good, clients begin with Step 1: The Advanced Clinical Intensive before moving into longer-term support and enhancement services.

Clear pricing. Thoughtful care. No surprises. We charge fixed fees for separate care pathways bundling appointments and deliverables (e.g. Roadmap written report). Please see the Services section for investment amounts. Payment is accepted at the time of booking or no later than 24 hours prior to office visits. For some care pathways, we are able to split the costs in two payments if that is helpful. Please note that we do not work directly with insurance companies but can provide a bill with diagnoses and services for your documentation. Payment options will be reviewed prior to visits.

Enhancement services and lab studies are billed separately.

No and Yes….Out-of-state students residing in SC and second home residents are eligible for care.

Otherwise, our services are available for persons residing in S.C only, per practice and licensure regulations. 

Everything is connected in the establishment and maintenance of a persistently depressed mood. For example:

• When mood worsens, sleep often becomes disrupted…

• When sleep is poor, energy drops…

• When energy drops, movement decreases…

• When movement decreases, metabolism worsens…

• When metabolism worsens, inflammation may increase…

• When inflammation increases, mood and motivation may suffer…

• Cascading to a worsening mood where sleep often becomes more disrupted.

• This cycle can feel discouraging, but it also offers many possible points of intervention. We do not have to fix everything at once. We look for the most strategic place to begin. A whole-person Roadmap is developed for you that prioritizes steps to better mental health and wellness.

• At McKinney Behavioral Health, we evaluate depression through a broader lens. We consider sleep, energy, metabolism, inflammation, stress, medications, nervous system patterns, and life context.

• The goal is to help patients understand what may be keeping them stuck — and to create a realistic Roadmap for improvement. 

• Depression is rarely resolved with one intervention. But when we understand the whole pattern, we can often find new paths forward.

The Advanced Clinical Intensive is the foundation of our carepaths and entry level to all of our other services. It is a 6-9 week process that includes 2-3 visits and advanced biologic studies.

During this phase, we gather detailed current and historical information, review relevant psycho-social patterns, consider possible biological and lifestyle contributors, and create a written roadmap with findings and recommendations.

The goal is to understand what may be contributing to or sustaining depression, low energy, emotional distress, or difficulty moving forward.

Abnormal integrative labs are treated as possible contributors to depressive persistence, not as proof of causation. Each abnormality will be interpreted in clinical context, paired with symptom patterns, and followed with objective reassessment of mood, fatigue, cognition, sleep, and function. The goal is to remove physiologic barriers to recovery so psychiatric treatment, psychotherapy, lifestyle change, and patient effort have a better chance of working.

No. Lab studies are not included in the step prices- but we work to lower your investment cost. 

We strive to lower costs by using diagnostic markers on lab orders to promote insurance coverage and by requesting recent lab results from your primary care provider. This will be discussed during our first visit of the Advanced Clinical Intensive process.

After Step 1, clients usually choose to continue into Step 2: The Shift which is focused on implementation of the personalized Roadmap from Step 1: Advanced Clinical Intensive.  The Roadmap is a dynamic document that is adjusted and evolving over the course of treatment. Sharing the Roadmap with other providers is helpful for continuity of care. Our next levels of support include: 

Step 2: The Shift — for Roadmap implementation.

The Shift provides supportive structure for Roadmap implementation bringing goals into focus and fruition.

It is a 14-week process that includes 4 visits plus supportive  messaging. The focus is on helping you take meaningful, realistic steps toward improvement while staying connected to your priorities.

This level may include support around physiology, lifestyle, nervous system regulation, habits, emotional patterns, and practical next steps.

Most clients choose additional support options because healing and transformation often unfold in layers. Re-subscription is strongly recommended.  After Care options include visit packages. Some clients benefit from periodic maintenance visits know as After Care, while others re-subscribe to The Shift for more intensive support. See Services.

Please note that ongoing medication prescriptions require enrollment in continuing care. We will discuss your needs near the end of your program and help you choose the level of support that fits your goals and progress.

Enhancement services are optional treatments or experiences that may be recommended for specific goals.

These services may include supervised, oral ketamine sessions, metabolic support (medications, movement, nutrient awareness), field-based therapeutic services (cafe sessions, nature exposure sessions), or direct entry into Spravato, ketamine or transcranial magnetic stimulation services.

Enhancement services are not stand-alone offerings. All enhancement services require completion of Step 1: The Advanced Clinical Intensive as the care entry point.

The Advanced Clinical Intensive helps ensure that enhancement services are used thoughtfully, safely, and in alignment with your larger treatment goals.

Before adding specialized services, we need to understand your history, current symptoms, medical and psychiatric context, risks, priorities, and the patterns that may be sustaining mood disruption.

Possibly. Enhancement services may increase the total number of visits, depending on what is recommended and what you choose to pursue.

Any added visits, costs, or clinical requirements will be discussed clearly before you begin.

No. This model is designed for people who are ready to participate actively in their own healing and growth.

The goal is not simply to “try one more thing.” The goal is to understand what is keeping you stuck, identify powerful priorities, and support realistic action toward a healthier, happier, more fulfilled life.

Treatment-resistant depression is complex by definition. When depression has not improved with standard approaches, there are usually multiple factors to understand — biology, genetically-mediated medication metabolism, sleep, inflammation, ongoing and cumulative stress, trauma history, lifestyle patterns, life transitions, and nervous system regulation may all play a role. Because the problem is rarely simple, simple one-visit solutions are not enough for improvement.

Our care pathways are designed to provide the time, structure, and continuity needed for deeper assessment, thoughtful treatment planning, and  personalized adjustments to treatment plans or goals. Recurrent sessions allow us to monitor progress, adjust medications or supplements when appropriate, review labs, refine recommendations, and support real-life transformation.

Care pathways (the steps) also invite a meaningful investment in your own healing, growth, and potential. Rather than offering a quick fix, this model supports a personalized therapeutic partnership focused on sustained improvement and a plan that evolves with you.