Online Adult Psychiatry in Union County, New Jersey

If you’ve been managing anxiety, depression, mood swings, or the weight of something you’ve never fully talked about, you’ve probably already tried to push through it. Most people do — for years.

Bethel Behavioral Healthcare Services provides psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, and ongoing medication management for adults across Union County and the rest of New Jersey, delivered entirely through secure online sessions. Your care is led by Augustina Ike, MSN, APN, PMHNP-BC, a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with more than 17 years of clinical experience and licensure in both New Jersey and New York.

No waiting room. No commute from Union, Elizabeth, Springfield, or Roselle. Just a private appointment, from wherever you feel most comfortable.

Book an Appointment
Call (908) 258-1939

Who adult psychiatry is for

Psychiatric care is not only for crisis. It’s for anyone whose mental health is affecting how they live, work, sleep, or relate to the people around them.

You may be a good fit if:

  • Your primary care doctor started you on an antidepressant and no one has followed up since
  • You’ve been in therapy and feel you may also need medication support
  • Symptoms are interfering with work performance, sleep, or your relationships
  • You’ve never been formally evaluated and want to understand what’s actually going on
  • You’re managing a diagnosis you received years ago and your treatment hasn’t been reviewed
  • You’re transitioning off a medication, or want to explore whether you still need one

If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a psychiatric emergency, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911. Online care is not appropriate for emergencies.

Conditions we treat

Augustina works with adults across a broad range of psychiatric and behavioral health concerns, including:

  • Anxiety disorders — generalized anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, health anxiety
  • Depression — major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, seasonal patterns
  • Bipolar disorder — bipolar I, bipolar II, and mood cycling
  • Trauma and PTSD — including complex trauma and delayed-onset symptoms
  • ADHD — evaluation and ongoing management for adults, including those diagnosed later in life
  • OCD and related obsessive-compulsive conditions
  • Insomnia and sleep disruption connected to psychiatric symptoms
  • Grief and adjustment difficulties — loss, divorce, job change, relocation, caregiver strain
  • Postpartum depression and anxiety
  • Substance use and dual diagnosis — when mental health and substance use occur together
  • Psychotic-spectrum conditions, including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

Care is faith-inclusive and culturally sensitive. You are never required to share any particular belief to be treated with respect here.

Book an Appointment
Call (908) 258-1939
Augustina IKE
Your first appointment

What happens at your first appointment

Knowing what to expect removes most of the anxiety about booking. Here's the actual sequence.

1

Free consultation

A short, no-pressure call to hear what's going on and confirm that online psychiatric care is the right fit. Nothing is diagnosed or prescribed on this call. It exists so you can decide whether to move forward.

15 minutes · Free
2

Comprehensive evaluation

A structured clinical assessment. Augustina reviews your current symptoms and how long they've been present, your medical and psychiatric history, medications you've taken before and how you responded, family history, sleep, substance use, and what you want your life to look like six months from now.

45–60 minutes
3

Diagnosis & treatment plan

You'll leave with a clear explanation of what's going on in plain language, and a plan built with you rather than handed to you. That may involve medication, therapy, lifestyle and sleep work, referrals, or a combination.

Same appointment
4

Follow-up & adjustment

Psychiatric treatment is iterative. Early follow-ups are closer together so response and side effects can be monitored, then spaced out as you stabilise. Nothing about your plan is permanent — it's reviewed as you change.

Ongoing
Medication management

Medication management, done properly

Prescribing is the easy part. Managing is what determines whether treatment actually works.

As a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Augustina is qualified to evaluate, diagnose, prescribe, and manage psychiatric medication in New Jersey. What that looks like in practice:

  • ✓StartingAn honest conversation about what a medication does, how long it takes to work, realistic benefits, and the side effects you should actually expect.
  • ✓MonitoringRegular check-ins during the first weeks, when response and tolerability are still being established.
  • ✓AdjustingDose changes, timing changes, or switching medications if the first option isn't right for you.
  • ✓ReviewingPeriodically asking whether you still need what you're taking, rather than refilling indefinitely by default.
  • ✓TaperingSupervised, gradual discontinuation when it's time to come off something.
You will not be rushed through a five-minute refill appointment.
Coordinated care

Therapy and psychiatry together

Medication and therapy address different parts of the same problem, and for many adults the combination works better than either alone.

Bethel offers individual and family therapy — so your psychiatric care and your therapy can be coordinated rather than fragmented across two disconnected practices.

CBT DBT-informed Motivational interviewing Trauma-focused

Already working with a therapist you like? That's fine. Augustina will coordinate with them with your consent.

Adult attending an online therapy and psychiatry appointment from home in New Jersey
Your provider

Care led by one clinician who knows your history

Augustina Ike, MSN, APN, PMHNP-BC

Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
  • 17+ years of clinical experience across crisis management, adult psychiatry, and addiction care
  • Master of Science in Nursing, Walden University
  • Licensed in New Jersey and New York
  • NJ License 26NJ01306400 · NPI 1235875162
  • Certified in substance use disorder management
  • Faith-inclusive and culturally sensitive care
★★★★★ 4.7 out of 5 across 105 verified patient reviews on Zocdoc

Augustina founded Bethel after years of watching capable people go without care because of cost, distance, stigma, or the assumption that no one would understand their background. Her practice is built to remove those barriers.

Read more about Augustina

Insurance & cost

In-network with most major insurers

Aetna Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Cigna & Evernorth UnitedHealthcare Optum Medicare AmeriHealth TRICARE Wellpoint / Amerigroup + 150 more plans

Not using insurance, or don't see your plan?

Self-pay is straightforward, sliding-scale options are available, and superbills are provided for out-of-network patients to submit for reimbursement. Payment by card, check, or ACH transfer.

Cost should not be the reason you go untreated. If affordability is a concern, raise it on your free consultation call.

Service area

Serving Union County and all of New Jersey

Bethel provides online psychiatric care to adults throughout New Jersey, with a particular focus on Union County and the surrounding communities.

UnionElizabethSpringfield RoselleKenilworthLinden RahwayCranfordWestfield SummitPlainfieldNewark

All appointments take place on a secure, confidential video platform. Availability Monday through Saturday, including hours outside the standard workday.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Is online psychiatry as effective as in-person care?
For most adult psychiatric conditions, research has found telepsychiatry to produce outcomes comparable to in-person treatment for evaluation, diagnosis, and ongoing medication management. It also removes the barriers — travel, time off work, childcare — that cause many people to skip appointments in the first place.
Can you prescribe medication through an online appointment?
Yes. Augustina evaluates, prescribes, and manages psychiatric medication for patients located in New Jersey. Prescriptions are sent electronically to the pharmacy you choose. Certain categories of medication carry additional federal and state requirements — if that applies to your situation, it will be explained clearly during your evaluation.
Do I need a referral from my doctor?
No referral is required to book with Bethel. Some insurance plans do require one for coverage, so it's worth a quick call to your insurer beforehand.
How long until I feel better?
It depends on the condition and the treatment. Some people notice sleep or anxiety improvements within one to two weeks. Most antidepressants take four to six weeks to show full effect. Your follow-up schedule is built around monitoring this properly.
What do I need for an online appointment?
A private space, a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera, and a stable internet connection. You'll receive a secure link before your appointment — no special software or account required.
Do you treat patients outside New Jersey?
Augustina is licensed in New Jersey and New York. You must be physically located in a state where she is licensed at the time of your appointment.
Is my information private?
Yes. Sessions take place on a secure, confidential platform, and your health information is protected under HIPAA.
Get started

Ready when you are

Start with a free 15-minute consultation. No cost, no obligation, no judgment — just a conversation about what you're dealing with and whether we can help.

Book an Appointment Call (908) 258-1939

In a mental health emergency, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or dial 911. Online care is not appropriate for emergencies.

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