Heading Health

Heading Health is a Texas mental health practice that combines psychiatry and talk therapy with Spravato, TMS and sublingual ketamine. Its Austin base is the Westlake centre near the MoPac Expressway, and it runs further centres in North Austin, the Dallas area and San Antonio.

Approach

Psychiatrists and therapists work as one team, and each plan is drawn up in a first consultation held by video. Medication management, therapy and nutritional therapy can be combined with the treatments given at a centre. Ketamine is usually scheduled as six sessions over three weeks, each lasting about 45 minutes, with a provider present before, during and after. Patients track their progress through outcome surveys and an app called Blueprint.

Who it is for

Heading lists PTSD, depression, generalised anxiety, OCD, panic disorder and bipolar depression among the conditions it treats. Its Austin team focuses on depression, PTSD, bipolar disorders and chronic stress that earlier treatment has not helped enough. It does not see patients under 18, and does not treat acute mania, primary psychotic disorders or primary substance use disorders.

Practical details

Most major insurance plans are accepted, Medicare included, and self-pay options exist. Consultations last 60 minutes, psychiatry follow-ups about 30 and therapy sessions about 50. Spravato paid out of pocket typically costs $800 to $900 a treatment. The practice aims to see new patients within two weeks.

Care and safety

Uncontrolled high blood pressure, unstable heart conditions, mania, psychosis, substance use and some medications can rule out ketamine. Patients are asked to skip alcohol for 24 hours before and 48 hours after a session, and may not drive for 24 hours afterwards. The psychiatrists do not prescribe ADHD stimulants or benzodiazepines.