Holistic Psychiatry

"I believe you are a unique human being with a desire to thrive. Mental health is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and I look forward to meeting you and helping you on your journey."

~ Dr. Helena Prieto, DO

My Approach

Psychiatry that treats the whole person

Dr. Prieto combines the rigor of conventional psychiatry with complementary modalities: anthroposophical medicine, osteopathic manipulation, and lifestyle medicine to develop care plans that reflect your full life. Some seek her out because conventional psychiatry has not been able to help, or could only help partially. Some seek her out for a more holistic approach, and some like conventional psychiatry but are looking for a doctor that can really see them as a whole person.

Having multiple tools available means the treatment plan can be targeted. Dr. Prieto is a board certified general psychiatrist with additional formal training in osteopathy and integrative medicine. Aside from conventional medications, she offers herbal and homeopathic remedies, hands on osteopathic treatments, topical treatments such as foot baths and herbal compresses, and some gentle talk therapy to address your concerns.

These solutions address the whole you. Because you are not a set of lab values or disconnected symptoms. You are a person with organs and limbs, emotions and dreams, all within a community of other people and nature.

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Conditions and Concerns

Dr. Prieto works with individuals navigating a wide range of mental health and wellness challenges, integrating multiple approaches to find what fits you.

Burnout and life transitions

Mindfulness and lifestyle integration

Connection to nature, community, meaning

Postpartum mental health

End of life

And others…

Anxiety and stress-related disorders

Depression and Bipolar disorders

Sleep difficulties and insomnia

Eating disorders

Addiction

OCD

Trauma disorders

About Helena Prieto, DO

Dr. Prieto's path to psychiatry began with a curiosity about the larger pictures of meaning in people's lives — first through anthropology at Vassar College, then through years of studying traditional healing modalities from around the world.

During medical school at Touro University California, she was selected as an Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine pre-doctoral fellow, earning an additional year of advanced hands-on training. She completed her general psychiatry residency in Elmira, NY, where she continues to practice in outpatient psychiatry and teach medical students and residents.

Alongside her conventional practice, Dr. Prieto maintains a private holistic psychiatry practice in Ithaca — a space where patients have more time, and where treatment can draw from the full range of what medicine has to offer.

FAQs

What can I expect at my first appointment?

1

Initial appointments are 90 minutes. This extended time allows Dr. Prieto to understand not just your symptoms, but your full life context — your relationships, your environment, your sense of meaning — so that care can be genuinely personalized to you. It includes osteopathic treatment.

Do you take insurance?

2

Dr. Prieto provides a superbill that most insurances will reimburse. She also accepts Medicare. Please note that unfortunately, Fidelis does not reimburse for her services.

Anthroposophic medicine recognizes that each person has a spiritual life — whether that is a connection with nature, a meditation practice, or a relationship with a faith community. The physician's role is not to impose any belief system, but to support your own sense of meaning, purpose, and connection. Physicians practicing AM can be of any religious background or none at all.

Is there a religious component to anthroposophic medicine?

3

Appointment Fees:

$210

Initial Appointment

90-minute comprehensive evaluation

$100-$135

Follow-up Appointment

45 minutes · fee varies based on services provided

Dr. Prieto provides a superbill for insurance reimbursement and accepts Medicare. Please note that Fidelis does not reimburse for her services. Contact the office with any billing questions.