Psychiatrist in St. Petersburg, FL via Florida telehealth: same-week appointments with Anna Stouffer, PMHNP-BC. Ascend Mind and Body doesn't have a physical office in St. Pete; we serve Pinellas County patients via HIPAA-secure video. Initial psychiatric evaluations run $260 (60 minutes). Follow-up medication management visits are $160 (30 minutes). We diagnose and treat depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and PTSD using evidence-based medication management. Call (813) 670-3005 or book online.
Online psychiatry for St. Petersburg residents
Telehealth psychiatry is not a compromise. The American Psychiatric Association has stated outright that for medication management (the daily work of most outpatient psychiatry), telehealth is comparable to in-person care. What changes is the access curve: you skip the parking lot, the waiting room, and the bridge crawl, and you get the same clinician for the same length of appointment. (Our Florida telehealth psychiatry program runs statewide.)
Ascend doesn't have a St. Petersburg office, but our St. Pete patients see Anna Stouffer via HIPAA-secure telehealth from anywhere in Florida. Our nearest in-person psychiatry office is in Wesley Chapel, about a 50-minute drive across the Howard Frankland or Gandy bridges if you prefer to drive. Most St. Pete patients don't; once they see how the video format runs, the commute argument loses.
We use Zoom for Healthcare with a Business Associate Agreement in place. The call is HIPAA-compliant by design. You'll get a secure link by email or text 30 minutes before your appointment. Refills go directly to your pharmacy of record through ePrescribe; most of the time you don't need a follow-up just to renew a stable prescription, though we'll see you on the schedule we set during the initial.
Areas we serve in St. Petersburg: Downtown St. Pete (33701, 33704), Old Northeast (33704), Snell Isle (33704), Crescent Lake (33703, 33704), Disston Heights (33710), Tyrone (33710), Pinellas Point (33712, 33705), Shore Acres (33703), Greater Pinellas Park (33781, 33782), and the surrounding Pinellas County. If you're a Florida resident, your psychiatric provider can see you. The license attaches to the state, not the city.
Conditions we treat
Anna Stouffer treats the full range of adult outpatient psychiatric presentations:
- Depression: major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), postpartum depression, seasonal affective patterns
- Anxiety: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, health anxiety, GAD
- ADHD: adult diagnosis, medication initiation, ongoing management (subject to current DEA telehealth-prescribing rules for stimulants)
- Bipolar disorder: Bipolar I, Bipolar II, mood stabilization, hypomania workup
- PTSD: medication management as part of a broader trauma treatment plan, often coordinated with a trauma-focused therapist
- Major depressive disorder: including patients who haven't responded to one or two prior antidepressants
- OCD: medication adjuncts to ERP-based therapy
What Anna does not treat: active substance use disorders requiring detox or MAT-only care, active psychosis, eating disorders requiring higher levels of care, or patients under 18. If your situation falls into one of these categories, we'll help direct you to the right level of care.
Our provider
Anna Stouffer, PMHNP-BC is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner licensed to practice psychiatry in Florida. PMHNP-BC means she completed a master's-level psychiatric nursing program plus the national board certification, and she has full prescriptive authority in Florida. She is the sole psychiatric prescriber on the Ascend team. Telehealth patients in St. Pete see Anna directly, not a rotating panel. Same provider for the initial. Same provider for the follow-ups. Same provider when you need a medication adjustment six months in.
Anna's clinical focus is adult outpatient psychiatry (depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar, and PTSD) with a pragmatic, evidence-based prescribing style. She explains what each medication does, what side effects to watch for, and what the expected timeline looks like. Patients consistently describe the experience as the opposite of "drive-by" psychiatry.
What to expect at your first appointment
Before the visit. Complete the intake forms online. Pull together a list of any current medications (including over-the-counter), past psychiatric medications you've tried, and any prior diagnoses. You'll get a secure Zoom link by email and text the day of your appointment.
During your initial evaluation (60 minutes). Anna walks through your current symptoms, medical history, family psychiatric history, prior treatment, and your goals. She'll discuss diagnostic impressions in plain language and outline a treatment plan: which medication, why, what to expect, and what we'll watch for. If a medication is started, she'll send the prescription to your pharmacy via ePrescribe before you log off.
Follow-up visits (30 minutes). The first follow-up is typically 4-6 weeks after the initial. We check how the medication is working, side effects, and whether to adjust. Once stable, follow-ups move to every 1-3 months depending on the medication and how you're doing.
Insurance & pricing
In-network options
- Several insurance panels are in-network. [NEEDED: confirm current Florida-state in-network panels for Pinellas County telehealth: Aetna, Cigna, BCBS-FL, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Medicare, others per Credex roster]
- Out-of-network patients receive superbills with diagnosis codes and CPT codes for direct submission to insurance
Self-pay rates
- Initial psychiatric evaluation (60 min): $260
- Follow-up medication management (30 min): $160
Most PPO plans reimburse 50 to 80 percent for out-of-network psychiatric services. The $160 follow-up rate is competitive against Tampa Bay's market: local psychiatric NP rates typically run $200-$300 per follow-up, with most clinics not publishing prices at all.
FAQs about psychiatry in St. Petersburg
Why doesn't Ascend have a St. Petersburg office?
We focus on three physical locations (Wesley Chapel, Tampa-Carrollwood, and Lakeland) and serve the rest of Florida via telehealth. Building a fourth office in St. Pete to do the same medication management work we do over secure video would not improve outcomes; the American Psychiatric Association has stated that telehealth psychiatry is comparable to in-person care for outpatient med management. If you'd prefer in-person, our Wesley Chapel office is about 50 minutes via the Howard Frankland or Gandy bridge.
Will I see the same psychiatric provider every time?
Yes. Anna Stouffer is the sole psychiatric prescriber on the Ascend team. You see her for the initial. You see her for every follow-up. There is no rotating-provider panel and no "next available" lottery.
Can Anna prescribe Adderall, Vyvanse, or other ADHD stimulants via telehealth?
This is governed by current DEA and Florida telehealth-prescribing rules, which have changed several times since 2023 and may change again. As of now, controlled-substance prescriptions for ADHD typically require an in-person evaluation under federal rules. We will tell you upfront whether your situation can be managed via telehealth or requires an in-person visit at our Wesley Chapel office. Once an in-person evaluation has occurred, ongoing telehealth follow-ups are usually permitted.
How quickly can I get an appointment?
Most new patients schedule the initial within one week. Same-day cancellation slots open up regularly. Call (813) 670-3005 in the morning to ask about same-day availability.
Can I see Anna for psychiatry and someone else for therapy?
Yes. The split-treatment model (psychiatry with one provider, therapy with another) is standard practice. Anna will coordinate with your therapist with your written consent. If you want both under one roof, our talk-therapy team also serves St. Pete via telehealth: see our St. Pete therapy page.
Is telehealth psychiatry covered by my insurance?
Florida law requires private insurance plans to cover telehealth at parity with in-person services. Coverage depends on your specific plan. We provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement on PPO plans, which typically cover 50 to 80 percent for psychiatric services.
What if I'm having a psychiatric crisis between visits?
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988, available 24/7. For non-emergency clinical questions between visits, contact our office at (813) 670-3005 and we'll route the message to Anna or a covering clinician.