If you’re a Williamson County parent trying to find a child psychiatrist, you’ve probably already hit the wall: Vanderbilt’s child psychiatry program carries waitlists of two to four months or longer, Cool Springs Pediatrics has limited child psychiatry capacity, and the smaller local practices either aren’t taking new patients or aren’t in your insurance network.
Meanwhile, your child is waiting, and waiting through worsening ADHD, depression, or anxiety isn’t a workable plan.
For families in Franklin and elsewhere in TN, Athena Care offers virtual and in-person child and adolescent medication management. Depending on availability, we often have substantially shorter wait times than Vanderbilt or Cool Springs. We also offer virtual and in-person integrated therapy, testing, and family support services your child may also need. This page covers what we offer, how the process works, and how to start.
Where to find us
Athena Care Franklin 341 Cool Springs Boulevard, Suite 140 Franklin, TN 37067
Just off I-65 at Cool Springs, the Franklin office is reachable from Brentwood, Spring Hill, Nolensville, Thompson’s Station, and Williamson County more broadly. On-site parking is available.
Telehealth Our telehealth services can be accessed online, anywhere in TN. For medication management and therapy, working with providers over telehealth offers patients the same level of quality care as in-person sessions.
Ages and conditions we treat
Our Franklin location and telehealth options provide psychiatric medication management for children and adolescents ages 6 and up.
Common conditions we treat in this population include:
- ADHD, both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive presentations, with attention to differential diagnosis and the medication-vs-behavioral-intervention decision
- Anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety, panic, social anxiety, and school avoidance
- Depression, including treatment-resistant cases that haven’t responded to therapy alone
- Autism with co-occurring conditions, where psychiatric care addresses the anxiety, ADHD, OCD, mood, or sleep challenges that often accompany autism, rather than autism itself
- OCD and related conditions
- Mood disorders including bipolar, with the careful diagnostic work pediatric bipolar requires
For broader context on testing-based diagnosis (often the right starting point for ADHD, autism, or learning concerns in kids), our testing services and children’s services pages cover that side of the practice.
Our medication management philosophy
This is the section many Williamson County families want to read carefully before booking. Here’s how we approach pediatric psychiatry:
Conservative. We do not believe in starting medication without diagnostic clarity. For ADHD, that often means comprehensive psychological testing first to rule out anxiety, depression, sleep issues, or learning disabilities that can mimic ADHD. For mood disorders, particularly any consideration of bipolar in a child, testing and a careful diagnostic process precede medication decisions.
Family-involved throughout. Parents are part of every step: the initial evaluation, the medication discussion, ongoing follow-ups, and any changes to the treatment plan. We don’t dose children behind closed doors. You’ll understand what’s being prescribed, why, what side effects to watch for, and how to know if it’s working.
Second opinions welcome. If you’re seeing us for a second opinion on a current medication regimen, or you want to discuss whether to discontinue a medication your child has been on, that’s a legitimate reason to schedule a consultation. We don’t view second-opinion seekers as difficult patients; we view them as engaged parents.
Therapy-first when appropriate. For mild-to-moderate anxiety or depression in kids, evidence-based therapy (CBT in particular) often produces meaningful improvement without medication. We’ll tell you when that’s the appropriate first step, and our integrated team can provide both therapy and medication management when the right plan calls for both.
Tracked outcomes. We use validated rating scales appropriate to the condition (Vanderbilt rating scales for ADHD, PHQ-A for depression, SCARED for anxiety) to track whether the treatment is actually working, not just whether your child says they feel “fine.”
Credentialing
The psychiatrists and nurse practitioners at the Franklin location and over telehealth are board-certified.
Our Franklin psychiatry team works in coordination with our psychologists, therapists, and testing specialists, which means medication decisions happen with the full clinical picture rather than in isolation. For the broader psychiatry and medication management services we offer, see our main psychiatry page.
How we compare on wait times
This is the practical advantage that brings most families to us. As of the date of publishing, here are our current wait times:
- Initial scheduling: typically 1 to 3 weeks for new pediatric patients, vs. 2 to 4 months at Vanderbilt’s child psychiatry program
- Insurance verification: completed during your initial call
- First appointment: 60 to 90 minutes for a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, including history-taking, current symptom assessment, family review, and treatment planning
- Follow-up cadence: typically every 2 to 4 weeks initially, then spaced as your child stabilizes
For families who started somewhere else and have been on a waitlist, you don’t need to leave that waitlist to schedule with us. Parallel scheduling is a reasonable approach if you want to keep options open.
After-school appointment availability
We know parents trying to find a child psychiatrist are also trying to do this without pulling a kid out of school every two weeks. Contact us today to learn about our after-school appointment availability at Franklin and over telehealth. Our virtual visits page shares more about how telehealth works.
Insurance accepted
Athena Care Franklin is in-network with most major commercial insurance providers including:
- BlueCross BlueShield
- Cigna
- Aetna
- UnitedHealthcare
- And more
Our care coordinator verifies your specific benefits before the first appointment, so you’ll know exactly what’s covered.
Athena Care’s telehealth across the entire state
Because Athena Care is licensed and in-network across Tennessee, patients anywhere in the state can access virtual care through our team, not just patients near our Nashville, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, Clarksville, Memphis, and Knoxville locations. If you’re in Jackson, the Tri-Cities, Chattanooga, Cookeville, or a small town between any of those, you can still work with our clinicians.
Virtual visits use HIPAA-compliant technology, are offered at no additional cost beyond the standard session fee, and can be conducted from anywhere you can find privacy with a stable internet connection.
Frequently asked questions
What ages do you treat? 6 and up. Our Franklin location and telehealth services provide care for both younger children and adolescents.
How long is the wait to start? Typically, 1 to 3 weeks for new pediatric patients, compared to 2 to 4 months at Vanderbilt’s child psychiatry program. Specific timing depends on your insurance and the type of appointment needed.
Can we get a second opinion on a current medication? Yes, and we welcome those consultations. Second opinions are a legitimate reason to schedule, and we don’t view them as adversarial.
Do you require testing before prescribing medication? For ADHD specifically, we usually recommend comprehensive psychological testing first to ensure the diagnosis is accurate and to identify any co-occurring conditions. For other conditions, the testing requirement depends on the clinical picture. Our care coordinator can talk about what is appropriate during your initial call.
Will insurance cover this? Most major commercial plans (BCBST, Cigna, Aetna, UHC, and more) cover pediatric psychiatric care. Our care coordinator handles benefits verification as part of intake.
Can my child do telehealth visits? Yes.
Do you have board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists? Yes.
What if therapy is the right first step instead of medication? That’s often the case for mild-to-moderate concerns. We’ll tell you honestly when therapy alone is the appropriate starting point, and our integrated team can provide both as needed.
How to start
The fastest way to begin is a 15-minute call with our care coordinator at 877-641-1155, Monday through Friday, 7am to 6pm. They’ll ask about what your child is dealing with, verify your insurance, and schedule the right appointment combination.
If a call isn’t convenient, you can fill out this short form to get started.
If your child is in immediate crisis, call 988 or the Tennessee Statewide Crisis Line at 855-CRISIS-1 (855-274-7471). The crisis line can dispatch a mobile crisis team to your home anywhere in Tennessee, free regardless of insurance.
Contact us today
Dawn Boyer, APRN, PMHNP-BC, C-PNP
Nurse Practitioner
Dawn Boyer is a Board-Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and Board-Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Her interests include child and adolescent mental health, anxiety and depression, addiction, and a variety of mental health disorders.
Meg Stein, CFP
Editor
Meg is a certified mindfulness instructor and works at Alive and Aware Practice in Durham, NC. She has over ten years of experience as a content creator and marketing consultant, working in mental healthcare and social justice.