Stedfast Psychiatry provides telepsychiatry by secure video to patients located in Florida or South Carolina, covering new-patient evaluations, medication management and psychotherapy. Same-day and next-day video visits are often available. Most insurance and Medicare cover telehealth. Certain controlled substance prescriptions and some patients require an in-person visit. In Melbourne, this is available at 6300 North Wickham Road and by video; new patients call (561) 295-8859.
Telepsychiatry at our Melbourne office
If you live near Health First Viera Hospital or in Viera West, Viera East, Pineda Crossing and Palm Shores, this is your closest Stedfast Psychiatry office for telepsychiatry. We also see residents of West Melbourne, Rockledge, Cocoa and Cocoa Beach who prefer not to drive farther.
New-patient scheduling for Melbourne runs through (561) 295-8859. Existing patients reach the office directly at (321) 977-5669. Free surface parking is available in front of the building, with accessible spaces near the entrance. If a same-week in-person slot is not open, a video visit with the same provider usually is.
The Melbourne office is an entry point to Stedfast Psychiatry's Deep TMS and Spravato programs. Treatment sessions run at our Palm Beach Gardens TMS center and the Palm Beach Gardens Spravato rooms, roughly 120 and 120 minutes away; the evaluation, the screening scales and the prior authorization all happen here.
Who you will see in Melbourne
The Melbourne team includes psychiatric nurse practitioners Alexandra Renninger, Hannah Sobas and Merlande Vance. Visits in Creole are available with Merlande Vance. Children and teens are seen by Merlande Vance and Megan Benda.
Alexandra Renninger, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner · Adults 18+
Hannah Sobas, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner · Adults 18 to 64
Merlande Vance, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner · Children 6+, teens and adults · English, Creole
Kindal Sweet
Clinician · Adults 18+; 14 to 17 on request
Megan Benda
Clinician · Adults and teens 14+; 13 on request
How telepsychiatry works
Visits run on a HIPAA-compliant video platform through our patient portal. You receive a link before the appointment; it works on a phone, tablet or computer with a camera and microphone, and no account on a third-party app is required. Before the visit you complete the same intake forms and screening scales (PHQ-9, GAD-7 and others) you would in the office. Your clinician sees your chart, labs and prior notes exactly as they would in person.
During the visit we confirm your identity and your current physical location, which state law requires. The clinical content is the same: a structured interview, review of scales, discussion of options, and a plan. Prescriptions for non-controlled medications are sent electronically to your pharmacy. Labs are ordered to a laboratory near you. If a controlled substance is appropriate, we check the state prescription monitoring program (E-FORCSE in Florida, SCRIPTS in South Carolina) and apply the rules described below. Therapy sessions by video follow the same structure as office sessions, including homework and measured progress.
Our providers hold Florida and South Carolina licenses, and we do not treat patients located in other states, even briefly, because licensing follows the patient's location. If you spend part of the year outside those states, tell us and we will help you plan care around it.
Who it is for
Telepsychiatry suits most adults and many adolescents with depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, OCD, insomnia, bipolar disorder and related conditions. It is especially useful for people who live far from one of our 13 offices, cannot easily take time off work, lack transportation, care for children or an older relative, have mobility limits, or find the office setting itself a barrier. It also keeps care going when you travel within Florida or South Carolina or move between the two.
It is a good fit for established patients on stable regimens, for therapy, and for the frequent short check-ins that medication adjustments require. It is less suited to patients in acute crisis, those who need a physical examination, very young children, and patients whose home environment is not private enough to speak freely. We also see patients who alternate: an office visit for the evaluation, then video for follow-ups, or video most of the year and an office visit when a controlled substance rule requires it.
Telehealth accounted for more than a third of all outpatient mental health and substance use visits in the United States in 2021, far above its share of other specialties.
Source: KFF analysis of Epic Cosmos data, 2022
Meta-analyses of randomized trials find no significant difference in clinical outcomes between video-delivered and in-person psychiatric care for depression and anxiety.
Source: Hubley et al., World Journal of Psychiatry, 2016; Batastini et al., Clinical Psychology Review, 2021
No-show rates for telepsychiatry visits are consistently lower than for in-person psychiatric visits across health systems studied.
Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2021 systematic review
More than 150 million Americans live in federally designated mental health professional shortage areas, where telepsychiatry is often the only route to a psychiatrist.
Source: HRSA Health Workforce, 2023
What to expect at your first visit
Find a private, quiet spot with reliable internet; a parked car is acceptable, a shared office is not. Have your medication list, pharmacy name and a photo ID ready for the first visit. Test your camera and microphone a few minutes early. If the video connection fails, your clinician will call you by phone to finish the visit when that is clinically appropriate.
Same-day or next-day video appointments are often available for new patients and for urgent follow-ups, because video slots are not tied to a single office. New-patient video evaluations are 60 minutes; medication follow-ups 20 to 30; therapy 45 to 55. At the end you will have a plan, a next appointment and any prescriptions sent. If your clinician decides an in-person visit is needed, we schedule it at the office closest to you.
Cost and insurance in Melbourne
Most commercial insurers and Medicare cover telepsychiatry at the same rates as in-person visits, and Florida and South Carolina both have laws addressing coverage of telehealth services. Your cost is the usual specialist or behavioral health copay or coinsurance. Medicare has permanently covered telehealth for mental health services, including from home, with a requirement for a periodic in-person visit in some circumstances that we track for you. A few plans still treat telehealth differently, and we verify your benefits before the first video visit.
Self-pay rates are the same for video and office visits: $185 for a new-patient evaluation, with lower rates for follow-ups. There is no technology or platform fee.
Full details, risks and research are on the main Telepsychiatry in Florida and South Carolina page.
Emergency and crisis resources near Melbourne
In an emergency, call 911 or go to Health First Viera Hospital Emergency Department (8745 N Wickham Rd, Melbourne). The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text 24 hours a day. Holmes Regional Medical Center Emergency Department and 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline are also listed on the Melbourne office page.
Frequently asked questions
Who provides telepsychiatry at the Melbourne office?
The Melbourne team includes psychiatric nurse practitioners Alexandra Renninger, Hannah Sobas and Merlande Vance. Visits in Creole are available with Merlande Vance. Every provider works under psychiatrist oversight and the same evaluation standard: about an hour for a first visit, validated screening scales, and a written plan.
Can I be seen by video instead of coming to Melbourne?
Yes. Stedfast Psychiatry providers are licensed in Florida and offer video visits for evaluations and follow-ups. Some situations, including certain controlled-substance prescriptions and first visits for young children, require an in-person appointment at 6300 North Wickham Road.
Does the Melbourne office take my insurance?
We accept most major commercial plans and Medicare. Call (561) 295-8859 with your member ID and we will verify benefits before the visit. Self-pay new-patient evaluations are $185.
How soon can a new patient be seen in Melbourne?
Most new patients are scheduled within one to two weeks. If you need to be seen sooner, ask about a video visit; those often open up within days. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room rather than waiting.
Can I get Deep TMS or Spravato as a Melbourne patient?
Yes. Stedfast Psychiatry is licensed for both. Your Melbourne provider does the evaluation and the prior authorization; treatment sessions are scheduled at our Palm Beach Gardens TMS center and the Palm Beach Gardens Spravato rooms.
Do I have to be in Florida or South Carolina for a video visit?
Yes, physically, at the time of the visit. Medical licensing follows the patient's location, and our providers are licensed in Florida and South Carolina. Your home address does not matter if you are elsewhere that day. If you travel outside those states for an extended period, tell us so we can plan prescriptions and visits around it.
Can I get a new-patient evaluation by video?
Yes. A 60-minute video evaluation covers the same ground as an office visit, including screening scales, history and a written plan. The exceptions are young children, patients who need a physical examination, and some situations where a controlled substance is likely to be prescribed, where state rules may require an in-person visit first. We will tell you at scheduling.
Can stimulants or benzodiazepines be prescribed by telehealth?
Sometimes, and the rules are specific. Federal flexibilities currently permit telehealth prescribing of controlled substances under conditions that have been extended several times, and Florida law restricts telehealth prescribing of Schedule II drugs such as stimulants unless specific conditions are met. South Carolina applies its own limits. In practice, many of our patients on stimulants need at least one in-person visit, and we check the state monitoring database before every controlled prescription. We follow whatever rule is in force on the date of your visit.
Nearby Stedfast offices
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room. Educational content; individual results vary. Reviewed by Dr. David Husted, board-certified psychiatrist.