Child Psychiatrist Brandon
A child psychiatrist for Brandon and the east Hillsborough family corridor, ages 5 to 17. Telehealth from home is the primary mode for Brandon families, with an in-person option at our Wesley Chapel office (about 30 minutes north up I-75 to SR-54) when face-to-face care is needed.
Pediatric psychiatry for Brandon kids, without the months-long wait.
Tell us what is going on with your kid. A care coordinator will get you scheduled (telehealth or in-person at Wesley Chapel), usually within one business day.
Got it. We will be in touch.
A care coordinator will reach out within one business day. If you would rather not wait, call (813) 670-3005.
Brandon: an east-Hillsborough family corridor underserved by pediatric psychiatry
Brandon and the surrounding east-Hillsborough family corridor (Valrico, Bloomingdale, FishHawk Ranch, Lithia, Seffner) have grown into one of the densest young-family populations in the Tampa Bay region, and the local pediatric psychiatry market has not kept up. Most Brandon-area families calling around in 2026 are quoted three to six months for a first appointment with a child psychiatric provider, and the closest reasonable in-person option is usually downtown Tampa or further north.
The local school catchment runs deep: Bloomingdale High, Brandon High, Newsome High, and Durant High on the secondary side; Limona, Mintz, Cimino, and Yates among the elementary feeders; plus the FishHawk and Valrico private schools (Bell Creek Academy, Brandon Academy, Faith Baptist). We work with school counselors at these schools on 504 and IEP documentation when families request it. Brandon families overwhelmingly default to telehealth because the working-parent schedule makes a 30-minute weekday drive to Wesley Chapel impractical for routine visits.
Why Brandon parents pick Ascend
Three things come up in almost every Brandon-area intake. First: the wait. Most local options are quoting months, and Ascend can get a Brandon family into a real telehealth intake inside one to two weeks. Second: continuity. Your child is matched with Margot Krahn, PMHNP-BC, and stays with her through evaluation, treatment, and follow-up. No rotating cast of providers re-reading the chart each visit.
The third thing is the in-house talk-therapy coordination. A Brandon kid on medication for ADHD or anxiety can also see one of our therapists for weekly support, and the two clinicians share notes about how the plan is going. Most large telehealth platforms do not work that way, and most local Brandon pediatric practices do not have an integrated therapy team either.
Telehealth from Brandon, with a Wesley Chapel option for in-person
For Brandon-area families, telehealth from home is the default. Anxiety, depression, non-stimulant ADHD management, mood follow-up, school-refusal evaluations, and almost every routine follow-up visit can be handled by HIPAA-secure video. The exception is the first stimulant ADHD prescription, which requires one in-person visit at our Wesley Chapel office under Florida controlled-substance law.
From most of Brandon and Valrico, the drive to 27724 Cashford Circle, Suite 102 is roughly 30-35 minutes north on I-75 to SR-54, then east. From FishHawk Ranch and Lithia, plan on 40-45 minutes. Parking is on-site. We schedule the in-person stimulant ADHD evaluation as a one-time trip when possible, and follow-ups continue by telehealth from your Brandon-area home.
Margot Krahn, PMHNP-BC
Board-certified Florida-licensed psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Lifespan-trained, which means her formal training covers child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric psychiatric care. She sees patients in person at our Wesley Chapel office and across Florida via HIPAA-secure telehealth.
Margot believes the first visit is for listening. Sixty minutes, the medication list out on the table, the family in the room when it helps. The treatment plan comes from what she actually learns about you, not from what fits a template.
Read Margot's full bioFrequently Asked Questions
Are you anywhere closer to Brandon than Wesley Chapel?
Not for in-person at this time. Our in-person pediatric psychiatry is anchored in Wesley Chapel, roughly 30-35 minutes north of Brandon on I-75. For nearly all Brandon visits, families do telehealth from home. The one situation that requires the in-person trip is the first stimulant ADHD prescription.
Do you work with Bloomingdale, Brandon, or Newsome high schools on 504 plans?
Yes, when clinically appropriate. We provide letters that document a diagnosis and recommended accommodations. East-Hillsborough school counselors at Bloomingdale, Brandon, Newsome, Durant, and the FishHawk-area schools recognize our paperwork. We do not act as the school's advocate, but we provide a clean, defensible letter.
How quickly can a Brandon family get a first telehealth visit?
Typically one to two weeks. We hold a small number of urgent same-week slots for kids in active crisis or out of school. Call (813) 670-3005 for a real next-available appointment.
Can my Brandon kid get ADHD medication entirely by telehealth?
Non-stimulant ADHD medications, yes. Stimulants (the methylphenidate and amphetamine families) require one in-person visit at our Wesley Chapel office before the first prescription, per Florida controlled-substance law. After that initial visit, all follow-ups can be by telehealth from your Brandon home.
Do you take Hillsborough County Medicaid for kids?
Yes. We are in-network with the Florida Medicaid plans that serve Hillsborough County. We verify the specific Medicaid plan and the child's eligibility before the first visit.
My teen is in a FishHawk or Valrico private school. Will you write academic letters?
Yes, with the same standard we apply everywhere: a clear diagnosis, time-in-treatment, and recommended accommodations. FishHawk and Valrico private schools (Bell Creek Academy, Brandon Academy, Faith Baptist) have their own forms; we complete them when there is enough clinical history to do so honestly.
Help for your kid, this week.
Same-week intake, real 60-minute first visits, and the same provider every time. Call us or send the form at the top of the page; a care coordinator will get back to you within one business day.