Hastings, Nebraska
Anxiety Treatment in Hastings
In a town Hastings sized, the clinic parking lot is a bulletin board, and that fact alone has kept generations of treatable anxiety and depression untreated. Add Adams County's thin psychiatric coverage and the local conviction that you push through, and the people carrying the most are the least likely to be seen carrying it. That pattern has a name and a well proven treatment. shrinkMD treats anxiety across Hastings by video, with board certified clinicians, measured care, and appointments as soon as availability allows instead of months.
Medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, board certified psychiatrist · Last reviewed September 23, 2026 · Updated October 4, 2026 · Editorial policy
Opening soon in Nebraska. Nebraska is one of shrinkMD's first launch states, and we aren't seeing patients yet. Join the Nebraska waitlist and we'll let you know when intake opens. If you need care sooner, here's how to find the right kind of help now. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Why shrinkMD
Care built around Hastings
Video care deletes the bulletin board: board certified treatment from your own living room, no lot, no lobby, no familiar pickup parked outside anything. Appointments without a months-long wait.
We bill no insurance, so no claim exists anywhere, and records move only with your written authorization. Scheduling fits early mornings, lunch hours, and evenings, the rhythms of how Hastings actually works.
What's included
How we treat anxiety
First, precision: an evaluation that pins down which anxiety this is and what it's riding on, sleep debt, caffeine, thyroid, trauma, because precision up front is what makes treatment fast. Then a two track plan: medication from the SSRI and SNRI families when indicated, which calms the baseline within two to six weeks, and structured skills that retrain the alarm itself.
The skills aren't platitudes, they're clinical tools: breathing with an extended exhale that engages your braking system, graded exposure that shrinks avoidance, worry containment that gives rumination a schedule instead of a kingdom. Progress is measured with validated scales at every visit, so the plan adjusts to results. No benzodiazepines, ever, and an honest explanation of why.
Mental health shortage data
Is Hastings a mental health shortage area?
Adams County outlined; dot marks Hastings. Light teal: other designated counties.
Hastings is in Adams County, which sits entirely inside Mental Health Catchment Area 3, a federally designated mental health shortage area with a score of 12 out of 25.
A shortage designation means there are too few mental health providers for the people who live there, which often shows up as longer waits. Your primary care clinician can start treatment, and telepsychiatry with a clinician licensed in Nebraska can widen your options. See which professional fits what you need.
See Adams County on the Nebraska shortage map · All Nebraska designations
Source: HRSA mental health shortage designations, checked September 28, 2026; 2020 Census. Shrinktionary and shrinkMD are part of The Shrink Network, founded by Shariq Refai, MD.
Keep exploring
Care and next steps in Hastings
Understand the condition
To understand anxiety itself, separate from treatment, read the Shrinkopedia entry. shrinkMD provides the care; Shrinkopedia is education, not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
What if my connection drops mid visit?
We finish by phone, the appointment counts, and we adjust the setup before next time.
Will anyone in town know I am getting treatment?
Only whoever you tell. There is nothing to see and nothing billed, the privacy is built into the structure.
Why do you not prescribe Xanax or other benzodiazepines?
Because they relieve an hour and reinforce the disorder, with real dependence risk. The durable path, SSRIs or SNRIs plus skills, actually shrinks anxiety, and that's what we practice.
What if it's anxiety and depression together?
Common, and treatable together. The evaluation maps both, and first line treatments overlap enough that one coherent plan usually covers the pair.
My anxiety is mostly physical symptoms. Is that normal?
Extremely. Racing heart, chest tightness, stomach trouble, and dizziness are anxiety's most common costumes, and we screen carefully in both directions before treating.
About Hastings
With about 25,000 residents, Hastings is a community we're glad to serve. It's the seat of Adams County, a regional center in south-central Nebraska and home to Hastings College. We care for farming families, college students and staff, hospital workers, and commuters.
Serving Hastings
Across Hastings, from the Hastings Museum, Fisher Fountain, and Highland Park, residents can meet a board-certified psychiatrist by secure video with shrinkMD. Hastings is a south-central Nebraska city and the birthplace of Kool-Aid, so virtual care means no drive and no waiting room, just steady follow-up with one clinician.
What it costs
Transparent, published pricing
Our self-pay prices are the same in every state where we practice. No insurance billing, and no surprise statement later.
| Service | Self-pay price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Initial evaluation | $295 or $395 | $295 with a psychiatric nurse practitioner or $395 with a psychiatrist: a full 45 to 60 minute evaluation, diagnosis, and written plan. |
| Follow-up visits | $110 to $215 | Per visit, depending on clinician and length. Member rates are lower where membership is offered. |
Serenity Squad membership is not available to Nebraska patients at launch. Nebraska patients may schedule cash-pay services at the published standard rates.
Your care team
Who you will see
Your care is delivered by shrinkMD clinicians, and you keep the same one over time. You meet by secure video with a clinician licensed in your state.
- Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, founder and board certified psychiatrist (ABPN), dual board certified in psychiatry and in sports and performance psychiatry.
- Matthew George, PMHNP-BC, ANP-BC, dual board certified psychiatric nurse practitioner with more than two decades of clinical experience.
Helpful guides to read next
More from a trusted source: Anxiety Disorders - National Institute of Mental Health.
Nearby areas
Anxiety Treatment in nearby Nebraska cities
Your next step in The Shrink Network
You are here: shrinkMD, the clinical care layer of The Shrink Network.
Each site in the network has one job. No matter where you enter, we help you find the next step that makes sense.
Get clinical care with shrinkMD
Want to understand more first?
How this page is reviewed and how to cite it
Verify independently: ORCID · Wikidata · NPI Registry · All shrinkMD credentials
shrinkMD. (2026). Anxiety Treatment in Hastings, NE [Web page, medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA]. https://shrinkmd.com/anxiety-treatment-hastingsStart anxiety treatment in Hastings
Call 1-877-747-4656 now, appointments are available as soon as availability allows for Hastings residents, by secure video from home.
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