Ascend Mind and Body provides psychiatric care to Lakeland and Polk County residents via telehealth across Florida. Initial evaluations are $260 and follow-ups are $160. Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE are accepted, with most major insurance coverage verifiable before scheduling. Call (863) 510-2624 or book online.
Our Lakeland office on South Florida Avenue is a therapy and testing hub - it does not currently host in-person psychiatric visits. That distinction matters because we don't want to misrepresent what "psychiatrist in Lakeland" actually means at Ascend. What it means is: a Florida-licensed psychiatric provider who sees Lakeland patients over secure video, with the same evaluation depth, prescribing authority, and follow-up cadence as an in-person visit. The Florida DEA rules, telehealth parity laws, and our own clinical standards are identical across visit type.
Our Lakeland-area psychiatry provider
Anna Stouffer, MS, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC is a dual-board-certified psychiatric and family nurse practitioner with more than ten years of clinical experience across psychiatry and primary care. She holds both the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner certifications - a cross-training that matters clinically because psychiatric medications interact with thyroid function, cardiac health, sleep architecture, and every other system she learned to assess in family medicine. When Anna prescribes, she is not thinking about one variable at a time.
Anna's primary office is at our Wesley Chapel flagship, and she sees Lakeland and Polk County patients via telehealth. She works with adolescents and adults - her caseload spans adolescents and adults, and specializes in ADHD, mood disorders, anxiety, and treatment-resistant presentations.
Book a Lakeland psychiatric evaluation
Conditions we treat
The psychiatric conditions most commonly presented at Ascend:
- Depression and major depressive disorder - SSRI/SNRI selection, augmentation strategies, and referral to ketamine evaluation for treatment-resistant presentations when indicated.
- Anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder - medication and skills-based approach, coordinated with a therapist where beneficial.
- Adult ADHD - structured evaluation, stimulant and non-stimulant options, ongoing monitoring of response and side effects.
- Bipolar disorder - mood stabilizer prescribing and monitoring, including lithium levels and thyroid screening. Longitudinal relationship matters here.
- PTSD - medication support often coordinated with trauma-focused therapy. Medication alone rarely resolves PTSD; combination treatment is standard of care.
- OCD - SSRI-based pharmacotherapy, often paired with ERP therapy elsewhere in Ascend's network.
What to expect at your first appointment
Before the visit. Complete intake forms online. Have your current medication list ready with dosages. If you are transferring care from a previous psychiatrist, sign a release at intake so we can request records.
During the visit. About 60 minutes. Anna will ask about your symptoms, the timeline, what you've tried, sleep, appetite, energy, concentration, mood patterns, substance use, and family psychiatric history. A thorough first visit is what prevents downstream misdiagnosis and medication changes that go in circles.
After the visit. Prescriptions are sent to your pharmacy electronically. Follow-ups are typically every 2 to 4 weeks for new medications, then monthly once you are stable. Controlled substances - for ADHD, for example - require monthly prescriptions per Florida rules, and Anna will schedule accordingly.
Telehealth psychiatric care - how it actually works
Telehealth psychiatric visits at Ascend happen over a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. You receive a link before your appointment. You need a quiet private space, a device with working camera and microphone, and a Florida address - you must be physically in Florida at the time of the visit. Prescriptions, including controlled substances where clinically appropriate, can be written via telehealth under current Florida rules. The prescription goes to your local Lakeland or Polk County pharmacy electronically.
There are situations where in-person is the right fit instead. If you are not comfortable with video, if your home lacks a private space, or if your presentation requires in-person observation for a specific reason, we will tell you and either schedule you at our Wesley Chapel flagship (the one Ascend office with in-person psychiatry) or refer out where appropriate.