Ashley Collins

As a child and adolescent psychiatry specialist and a mother of two, I look at your child’s mental health through a biological lens, not just a behavioral one. Parents come to my practice because they are looking for a comprehensive roadmap—not a 15-minute appointment that results in immediate over-medication.

I specialize in identifying the biological root causes behind symptoms like ADHD, severe anxiety, emotional outbursts, and mood instability. While traditional medication has its place, it is rarely the whole answer. In my practice, we look at the entire puzzle: comprehensive laboratory testing (checking for nutrient deficiencies, metabolic markers, and hormonal imbalances), targeted nutraceuticals, optimized sleep hygiene, and functional nutrition coaching.

My goal is to strengthen your child’s nervous system from the inside out, minimize unnecessary medication, and equip you with practical, lifestyle-driven tools. I provide a collaborative, space where both you and your child feel heard, validated, and actively supported.

My approach is rooted in Integrative and Functional Psychiatry, which treats the child as a whole biological system rather than a cluster of isolated psychiatric symptoms. I combine evidence-based traditional medicine with a deep exploration of lifestyle, genetics, and cellular health.

Our work together follows a clear, four-pillar framework:

• Biological Investigation: We utilize comprehensive lab panels to look beneath the surface, screening for vitamin/nutrient deficiencies, systemic inflammation, gut-brain axis disruptions, and metabolic imbalances that mimic or worsen ADHD and mood disorders.
• Targeted Nutritional Psychiatry: Instead of default prescribing, we optimize the physical foundation using functional nutrition, gut health support, and evidence-based nutraceuticals to naturally support neurotransmitter production.
• Circadian & Lifestyle Alignment: We rebuild sleep hygiene, somatic regulation, and daily rhythms to stabilize the child's nervous system and reduce emotional reactivity.
• Collaborative Medicine: I partner directly with you, the parents, providing concrete behavioral strategies and coaching so you feel confident managing your child’s environment at home.

Medication is viewed as a supportive tool to create stability when necessary, not the permanent destination. My ultimate goal is to uncover why your child is struggling and resolve the imbalance at its source.

Our initial 60-minute intake session is a comprehensive, deep-dive evaluation designed to feel like a supportive conversation rather than a cold clinical interrogation. Because I work with children and adolescents, this session is structured to capture both the objective parental history and the child's subjective experience.

Here is exactly how our first session is structured:

• The Family Consultation (First 20 Mins): We begin together to discuss your primary concerns, your child's developmental history, and the timeline of behavioral or emotional changes.
• The Child/Teen Check-In (Next 20 Mins): If age-appropriate and comfortable for your child, I spend dedicated time connecting with them individually. This allows me to assess their coping style, strengths, and goals in a low-pressure, collaborative environment.
• The Root-Cause Mapping (Final 20 Mins): We reconvene as a team to map out our immediate next steps.

By the end of this first session, you will leave with an initial roadmap. This includes custom orders for comprehensive laboratory testing (to screen for biological and nutritional triggers) and immediate, actionable sleep and lifestyle adjustments you can implement at home while we await lab results.