What is Webster Clinic?

Webster Clinic is a private, non-insurance-based child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry and psychotherapy practice in Boston, focused on thoughtful, in-depth treatment that bridges psychotherapy and medication when indicated.

You’re out-of-network. Can I still use my insurance?

Often, yes. Many households have PPO plans with out-of-network benefits. We provide an itemized superbill you can submit for partial reimbursement and many patients also use HSA or FSA funds.

Who do you work with?

We see children, adolescents, college students, adults, and couples struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, identity questions, and challenges at school or work, with particular expertise in LGBTQ+ and BIPOC patients.

Where is Webster Clinic located? Do you offer telehealth?

We are based in Boston’s Back Bay and see patients in person and via telehealth for people located in Massachusetts, when clinically appropriate and legally permitted.

What services does Webster Clinic provide?

We provide diagnostic psychiatric evaluation, individual psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, couples therapy, and when indicated, medication treatment. For children and adolescents, we also collaborate closely with parents, schools, and other caretakers.

How is your approach different from a medication management clinic?

Medication is never the whole story. We integrate medication treatment with ongoing psychotherapy, focusing on the emotional meaning of symptoms, relationships, history, culture, and unconscious experience over time.

How do I become a patient at Webster Clinic?

You can start by contacting us through the website form or by phone. We determine fit and availability, then schedule one or more evaluation sessions before offering impressions and recommendations.

How do you approach care for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC youth and families?

We use an identity-affirming, culturally responsive model grounded in psychoanalytic depth and evidence-based practice, with careful attention to safety, belonging, minority stress, and intersectionality in the therapy room.

How do you work with children and adolescents?

We meet with the young person and usually also with parents or caregivers, adjusting the structure by age and concern, and periodically reviewing the treatment together so families are not left wondering or worrying alone.

Do you have experience working with BIPOC professionals and children of color?

Yes. A significant part of our practice focuses on BIPOC professionals, students, and children and adolescents of color, with close attention to racism, bias, immigration, predominantly white institutions, and their impact on emotional life and relationships.

What does your evaluation and first few visits look like?

We start with a thorough, paced consultation including developmental and medical review and, when helpful, coordination with other providers. From there, we recommend and revisit a treatment plan together.

What ages do you treat?

We work with children from infancy through young adulthood. Child and adolescent psychiatry includes far more than “kids,” and many young adults, especially those transitioning to college, benefit from a developmentally informed approach that takes family context, school demands, and emerging independence seriously.

What does the consultation phase involve?

Consultation is a structured, high-touch process designed to clarify what is happening and why. It typically unfolds over 4–5 visits and may include questionnaires, records review (including prior neuropsychological testing when available), careful meetings with the child or teen, and conversations that help us understand symptoms in the context of development, family life, and school.

Will you meet with parents separately?

Yes. Parents should expect to be interviewed separately from the child 1–2 times during the consultation phase. This supports a fuller history and more accurate formulation, and it helps us align with caregivers around goals, boundaries, and what has and has not helped so far.

How do you decide whether to involve the school?

When it is clinically useful and with parent permission, we often collaborate with schools (counselors, teachers, coaches, learning specialists). We weigh privacy against utility and proceed with clarity about what would genuinely help: understanding the child’s functioning in that setting, reducing misinterpretation, or supporting an educational plan. Parents guide what is shared and why.

Do you offer psychotherapy and medication with one clinician?

Yes, and this is central to how many families experience our work as simpler and more coherent. For children and teens, symptoms often shift across settings and relationships. Having one clinician integrate psychotherapy, parent guidance, school coordination, and medication when indicated can reduce fragmentation and support steadier progress.

Do you prescribe medication?

When medication is clinically indicated, we prescribe thoughtfully and in a way that fits the child’s developmental stage and overall treatment plan. Medication is never treated as the whole story. It is one tool, used when it can reduce suffering, restore flexibility, or support psychotherapy and functioning at home and at school.

Do you ever see children or teens by telehealth?

We are primarily in-person, and in-person care is often best for children. For established patients, telehealth can be useful in specific situations (snow days, travel, summer camps, transportation disruptions, or when a teen is too anxious or isolated to come in). We make these decisions collaboratively, weighing privacy, attention, and what works for the child.

How quickly can we be seen?

Many families can be seen within seven days provided questionnaires and relevant records are completed in a timely way. We may ask for brief online forms and any prior testing so the first visit can be meaningful rather than rushed.

Do you take insurance?

Webster Clinic is private pay and out-of-network. Fees are discussed after intake. We provide documentation that many families use to pursue out-of-network reimbursement, depending on their plan.

What does private-pay enable clinically?

Private-pay care protects time, continuity, and depth. It allows an unhurried consultation process, coordinated follow-up, and treatment guided by clinical need rather than visit limits or fragmented models. Families often choose this because it supports a more comprehensive understanding of the child and steadier collaboration across home and school.

For Clinicians & Schools

At Webster Clinic in Boston, we welcome referrals from pediatricians, primary care teams, therapists, school counselors, and college health services. This page is for you if you are thinking "I need a child, adolescent, or adult psychiatrist who will really think with me about this patient and their family."

Request Consultation

or call 617.859.5953

Clinicians and schools often refer to Webster Clinic when they need thoughtful psychiatric input that goes beyond brief med checks.

We see children, teens, and adults whose symptoms are affecting home life, school, work, or relationships.

You might consider a referral when:

Anxiety or depression is not improving with therapy alone
ADHD, learning, or focus problems are disrupting school or work
School refusal, behavior changes, or sudden drops in performance are emerging
Self harm, suicidal thoughts, or risky behavior require careful assessment in an outpatient setting
Race, culture, gender, sexuality, and family context are clearly part of the clinical picture
Prior psychiatric care has felt rushed, fragmented, or focused only on medication

Our referring partners include pediatric practices, independent therapists, and school counseling centers throughout Greater Boston

Step 1

Request a consultation (brief form or call)

Step 2

Office manager call to review Webster Clinic basics, mutual fit, and logistics

Step 3

Clinician privately discusses and reviews consultation plan (records, parent interview, child or teen meetings)

Consultation typically includes 4–5 visits, including 1–2 parent interviews separate from the child or teen.

If we decide together that we’re a good fit, we do not place families on a waitlist. We move directly into ongoing care as schedules allow.

Private-pay care enables time, continuity, and depth, with fees discussed during the office manager call. We keep our caseload intentionally limited and do not run a waitlist.

Request Consultation

or call 617.859.5953

Who We Work With

.Webster Clinic is a small, physician-led psychiatry practice in Back Bay. Our psychiatrists see:

Children and teens with anxiety, mood changes, attention and learning concerns, obsessive thoughts or behaviors, and school stress;
College students and young adults navigating transition, identity questions, and high performance pressure;
Adults dealing with anxiety, depression, burnout, trauma histories, relationship strain, and parenting stress.

We have particular experience caring for Black, brown, multiracial, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and gender diverse patients who want a psychiatrist who understands minority stress, intersectionality, and identity without making these the only focus of care. Many of our patients are the only one of their kind in their class, workplace, or family.

How we collaborate with you

We view every referral as an ongoing collaboration. With appropriate releases, we:

Share a concise impression and plan after the initial consultation
Coordinate around medication decisions, lab work, and medical history
Communicate with school teams about accommodations, safety planning, and return to learn
Offer consultation to referring therapists when questions arise about diagnosis, treatment resistance, or next steps

Our aim is to help you hold the patient and family more effectively, not to replace your relationship with them.

What your patients & families can expect

Most families and adults start with a focused consultation at Webster Clinic. This usually includes:

A structured intake through our office manager to confirm clinical fit and logistics
A series of evaluation visits with a psychiatrist to clarify diagnosis, context, and goals
A clear written or verbal formulation and treatment plan that may include weekly psychotherapy, medication, or both

We practice psychodynamically informed, relationship based psychiatry that is still practical and structured. Treatment focuses on real life outcomes such as fewer panic episodes, more stable mood, improved focus at school and work, better sleep, and safer coping.

Webster Clinic is a private pay, out of network practice. Families and adults pay us directly and many use PPO out of network benefits, health savings accounts, or flexible spending accounts to offset costs. We provide detailed superbills each month to support reimbursement.

We keep clinicians' caseloads intentionally small so that once a patient starts, they can move into ongoing care without months on a waitlist. When we have openings, new patients are typically offered a consultation within one to three weeks. When we are not the right setting or do not have timely availability, we aim to provide useful next step options rather than leaving families without guidance.

HOW TO REFER

You can refer to Webster Clinic in the way that feels most efficient for you:

Give families our website and invite them to complete the brief "Request Consultation" form, indicating that you are the referring clinician or school

Call our office directly for a brief clinician-to-clinician conversation about fit or next steps

Email our office manager with basic information, and we will reach out to the family

On our intake form there is a field for "referring clinician or school." When families include your name, we make every effort to keep you updated with their consent.

Request Consultation

or call 617.859.5953

Our psychiatrists at Webster Clinic regularly teach and consult on:

Child and adolescent anxiety and mood disorders
ADHD assessment and treatment across the lifespan
Suicidality and self-harm in outpatient settings
Working with LGBTQ+ youth and families
Racial minority stress, cultural identity, and their impact on mental health
Supporting students returning to school after psychiatric hospitalization or leave

Our psychiatrists teach at Harvard Medical School and consult with schools, pediatric practices, and hospitals on child and adolescent psychiatry, LGBTQIA+ youth, and racial minority stress. We are available for one-time case consultation, school staff training, and invited talks for medical practices and counseling centers. If your team would like a focused session on any of these topics, you can contact us through the site and mention "clinician or school training" in your message.

Request Consultation

or call 617.859.5953

Dr. Crawford and Dr. Buchanan are accepting new child and teen patients. Each request is reviewed for clinical fit. When it appears that we are the right match, we offer consultation times from these limited openings rather than adding families to a long waiting list.

Meet Our Clinicians

Christine Crawford MD MPH

Child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist

Read Bio
Jacqueline Buchanan MD

Child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist

Read Bio
Cecil R Webster Jr MD

FOUNDER & CEO
Child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist
Psychoanalyst

Read Bio

Request Consultation

Take Your Next Step for Your Student or Patient

If a student or patient comes to mind as you read this, you can take a simple next step.

Share our website with them and invite them to complete the brief Request Consultation form here, noting your name and role as the referring clinician or school. Our office manager will review the information, reach out to the family or adult, and clarify fit, timing, and logistics.

If you would like to discuss the case first, you can also contact Webster Clinic directly for a brief clinician-to-clinician conversation about whether our child, adolescent, or adult psychiatrists in Boston are the right next step.

If the form does not load, call 617.859.5953.

What to expect after you reach out:

Our office manager reviews your information and calls you (or your student or patient directly as preferred) within 1 business day.
We talk through the child’s situation, our fees, and whether our child & adolescent psychiatrists are the right fit.
Because we do not maintain a waitlist, if it seems like a good match, we offer next-step consultation times rather than placing you in a queue.

You do not need a fully formed story. A sentence or two about what you are noticing is enough to begin.

For Clinicians & Schools

Clinicians and schools often refer to Webster Clinic when they need thoughtful psychiatric input that goes beyond brief med checks.

We see children, teens, and adults whose symptoms are affecting home life, school, work, or relationships.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Who We Work With

How we collaborate with you

What your patients & families can expect

HOW TO REFER

Our psychiatrists at Webster Clinic regularly teach and consult on:

Meet Our Clinicians

Christine Crawford MD MPH

Jacqueline Buchanan MD

Cecil R Webster Jr MD

Take Your Next Step for Your Student or Patient