Everyone has a story to tell.

That’s what I’ve learned in over two decades of psychiatric practice. And sometimes, the story matters more than the symptoms…

I knew I wanted to be a doctor for as long as I could remember, so it was a natural thing to go to medical school. I thought I wanted to be a surgeon because it seemed like such a clear, obvious way of helping people. You’re literally fixing their problem. The concrete impact on people really appealed to me.

One problem: When I got to medical school, I quickly realized that surgeons don’t really talk to their patients. They get in and out, do their thing and move on to the next case. I knew immediately that wasn’t going to work for me.

Hi, I’m Dr. Lisa Berman

I took a longer path to psychiatry than some, but each detour provided a key to where I would eventually end up.

After ruling out surgery, I moved on to Internal Medicine, but that didn’t feel like the right fit either. People came in with diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic conditions that should have been manageable, but they weren’t getting better. Often because they weren’t taking their medications.

I was always running behind on clinic day because a 15-minute appointment would easily turn into 30 or 40 minutes. I needed to understand their stories. Why did they not want to take the medication that would treat their condition? Every patient has a story, and I wanted to listen to them all. I was already practicing psychiatry, I just hadn’t quite realized it yet.

So after my internship year, I switched into a Psychiatry residency and never looked back. It was a perfect fit because I wanted to listen to people’s stories, and they wanted to tell me their stories.

During residency, I felt fulfilled in a way I hadn’t experienced before. There’s something profound about being invited into someone’s inner world in this very intimate way, into the parts of themselves they often don’t show anyone else. It’s an honor to be trusted the way people trust me. I still feel that every single day.

Lisa Berman, MD

I then pursued psychoanalytic training at Columbia which was six years of intensive study that gave me a deeper understanding of how people’s minds work so I could help them live the life they wanted and understand their self-defeating patterns.

That training was almost the opposite of medication management in some ways because it focused entirely on long-term therapy and uncovering unconscious thoughts and patterns. But I wanted that depth. I wanted to understand people at the deepest level.

What I discovered through all this training is something that guides my practice today:

You have to put out the fire before you can look at the wiring. 

When someone is drowning in depression or paralyzed by panic attacks, they can’t engage meaningfully in therapy. The medications we prescribe put out the fire. They create the stability people need to do the deeper work of healing. Medication is a concrete, effective intervention that helps people feel better, quickly.

And I wanted to help as many people as I could to feel better…

So, I started Inspire.

Accessing Quality Psychiatric Care Is Incredibly Difficult

Because while New York has plenty of talented mental health providers, accessing quality psychiatric care is incredibly difficult. Most psychiatrists don’t take insurance, and their rates are high. Wait times can stretch for months. People who desperately need help can’t afford it or can’t even get an appointment.

I wanted to build something that was a solution to this.

Inspire launched two and a half years ago with a clear mission – to provide top-level psychiatric care that everyone can access. We take insurance. We see patients within days, not months. We focus on medication management because there’s a genuine shortage of prescribers in New York, while good, in-network therapy is somewhat easier to find.

One of the most rewarding parts has been building a team of nurse practitioners who are all at different stages in their career and supporting their growth. I love the teaching aspect of what I do, sharing insights and wisdom about medications, treatment approaches, and clinical judgment because I’m a little further along in the journey.

That continuity of knowledge being passed down matters to me.

How Do We Approach Your Treatment at Inspire?

When it comes to treatment decisions, our philosophy is straightforward: this is your body, your mind, and your life, so you make the choices.

The most important thing we can offer a person is to make them feel seen and heard. Modern life doesn’t leave much space for genuine human connection. Nearly everyone is rushing, distracted and stressed. Even when people ask how you’re doing, they often don’t really want to know.

But at your appointment that time is entirely yours. You have our full attention. We’re not just listening to your symptoms, but to you as a person with a life, with context and with reasons for everything you’re experiencing.

That’s what you get, along with expert medical care.

Medication is one tool, but it’s not the only one.

Mental wellbeing rests on five pillars: Sleep, nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, and social connection. 

Our job is to give you the complete information, answer every question you have and help you to understand your options. Then you decide what feels right for you. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions that align with your values and your life.

Often we can improve your mental health significantly just by addressing one of these areas. If you’re only getting five hours of sleep consistently, you’ll have no emotional reserve and no resilience. Small stresses become overwhelming because you’re running on empty. Let’s see how much of an impact fixing your sleep has on your anxiety or your depression.

But if medication is what you need, the medications we have today are really good at helping people function and feel better, usually with minimal to no side effects.

You Can Get Better

I see it everyday. You can always improve your baseline.

Even if you’ve struggled for years, even if previous treatments haven’t worked, there’s always something we can try that will make you feel a little bit (or a lot!) better. A little bit matters because it gives you something to build on.

It’s rare to find someone who genuinely can’t get better with the right approach.

What this means for you

When you work with Inspire, you’re getting top-notch psychiatric care that’s accessible. You’re working with providers who see you as a whole person, not just a collection of symptoms, someone who understands that your story matters, that your autonomy is important and that getting better is always possible.

You’re going to be heard. You’re going to feel seen. 

And we’re going to figure out together how to make your baseline better, whether that’s through medication, lifestyle changes or both.

You deserve mental health care that actually helps. And that’s exactly what we’re here to provide.

Get Started

In one quick call, we can verify your insurance and schedule an appointment.
Appointments can be scheduled as soon as the next business day.

Reach Out

Reach Out

Reach Out Call us at 212-764-IMHS (4647) or send us a message to begin.

Check and Connect

Check & Connect

We’ll verify your insurance and connect you to a provider on the spot.

Feel Better

Feel Better

Meet with your provider to get stared on your personalized treatment plan.