Our practice

What we believe.

The convictions that shape every visit.

From John fifteen

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:1, 5 — ESV

On what we're building

Vine & Branch was built around two convictions.

The first is clinical. Modern psychiatric care, particularly for women, has been compressed into fifteen-minute appointments and pharmacological algorithms. What is lost in that compression is attention — and attention is the precondition for healing. We see fewer patients. We see them longer. We work the body alongside the mind. We attend to hormones, sleep, gut health, inflammation, and the basic rhythms of daily life as integral to psychiatric care.

The second conviction is theological. Every patient is fearfully and wonderfully made. The body and the spirit are not separate; the work of restoration belongs in the same conversation as the work of becoming whole. We are openly Christian — that conviction shapes how we attend, how we listen, and how we pray privately for the patients in our care. For patients who share that conviction, we hold space for it directly. For those who do not, we offer the same care without ever pressing it.

What this looks like in practice: ninety-minute initial consultations. Forty-five-minute follow-ups. Comprehensive lab work where it serves. Conservative prescribing. Long thoughtful tapers when called for. Secure messaging between visits. A practice capped at thirty patients.

How we work

Body, mind, and spirit.

For the body

Psychiatric symptoms do not occur in isolation from the body. Hormonal imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, gut inflammation, and disordered sleep all shape mood and cognition. We order targeted lab work when it serves the clinical picture, and we work alongside primary care, gynecology, and endocrinology when appropriate. The goal is not to replace conventional psychiatric care with supplements — it is to understand the whole person.

Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. — 1 Corinthians 6:19

II.

For the mind

The mind is where psychiatric symptoms are felt, named, and understood. We bring careful diagnostic attention to the conditions we treat — major depression, generalized anxiety, OCD, perinatal mood disorders, PMDD, perimenopausal mood symptoms, and trauma-related conditions. When medication is part of the treatment, we prescribe conservatively and explain our reasoning. When tapering is the goal, we do that work slowly and thoughtfully. Medication is one tool among several, not the entire toolbox.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God. — James 1:5

III.

For the spirit

For patients who hold a Christian faith, we receive that as central to who they are, not separate from their psychiatric care. We pray for our patients privately. With permission, we may pray together during a visit. We do not impose theology, and we do not require any particular faith for treatment. For patients of other faiths or no faith, we serve with the same care and attention, recognizing that every person is made in the image of God whether they confess it or not.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. — James 5:13

An honest note

What we don't do.

Clarity about scope is part of how a practice protects its patients. The following are areas where Vine & Branch is not the right fit.

We do not prescribe controlled substances. This includes stimulants, benzodiazepines, opioids, and sleep medications. The outcomes literature, particularly for long-term use in adult populations, does not justify the casual prescribing that has become common. Patients who need these medications should see a different psychiatrist.

We do not accept insurance. We are out-of-network. We will provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurer for potential reimbursement, but we will not bill insurance directly or accept network rates.

We do not serve patients in active crisis. Vine & Branch is an outpatient practice. Patients in acute suicidal crisis, active mania, psychosis, or severe substance use disorders need a higher level of care, and we will help refer accordingly.

We do not see men. The clinical focus is calibrated to women, particularly for postpartum, perimenopausal, hormonal, and reproductive psychiatric concerns.

We do not see patients located outside Tennessee. State licensure requires patients to be physically located in Tennessee at the time of each visit.

On pace

Slow medicine.

This practice moves slowly because that is the speed at which careful work gets done. We do not rush intake. We do not rush prescribing decisions. We do not rush the difficult conversations. The pace itself is part of the care.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

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