Integrative Psychiatry in New York City — A Different Starting Point

Most psychiatric care begins with symptoms. Integrative psychiatry begins with causes.

At Evolution Medicine, we practice integrative psychiatry — combining conventional psychiatric excellence with functional and regenerative medicine to investigate and treat the root causes of complex mental health conditions, not just the symptoms those conditions produce.

This is not an alternative to conventional psychiatry. It is a more complete version of it.

---

What Integrative Psychiatry Actually Is

Integrative psychiatry uses the same diagnostic standards and clinical training as conventional psychiatry — and goes further. Rather than matching symptoms to a medication, we investigate why those symptoms exist and what is sustaining them.

That investigation may include gut health and the microbiome, hormonal function, inflammation, nutritional status, trauma history, sleep architecture, and substance use patterns — areas that standard psychiatric evaluations rarely examine but that frequently drive or worsen mental health conditions.

The result is a treatment plan built around what we actually find — not a protocol built around a diagnosis code.

---

How It Differs from Traditional Psychiatry

Traditional psychiatry — Symptom-focused evaluation, diagnosis-to-medication matching, brief follow-up appointments within an insurance-based model. Effective for straightforward presentations. Structurally limited in time and scope.

Integrative psychiatry at Evolution Medicine — Root-cause investigation across biological, psychological, and neurological systems. Comprehensive functional and regenerative medicine assessment when indicated. Coordinated care across psychiatry, psychotherapy, and nutrition. 60-minute evaluations with substantive follow-up. No insurance restrictions on testing or treatment duration.

The distinction matters most for patients with complex, treatment-resistant, or recurring conditions — those for whom symptom management alone has not been sufficient.

---

Conditions We Treat

We specialize in cases that have not responded fully to standard treatment:

Treatment-resistant depression · Anxiety disorders · Addiction and dual diagnosis · Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) · Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) · Hormonal, nutritional, and metabolic contributors to mood · Burnout and stress-related illness · Physician wellness and monitoring support

Substance use and addiction are woven throughout our clinical work — not siloed as a separate service. Many patients carry overlapping conditions: depression and alcohol use, anxiety and stimulant dependence, trauma and opioid history. We treat the full picture, together.

---

Our Approach

Comprehensive Evaluation — We begin with a 60-minute psychiatric assessment that goes beyond symptoms — mapping your history, patterns, co-occurring conditions, and contributing biological factors. For more complex presentations, the evaluation may unfold across two to three appointments.

Comprehensive Testing — Standard and Functional — We investigate what standard care often misses: gut health, inflammation, hormonal balance, nutritional status, and metabolic function.

Personalized, Whole-Systems Treatment — Your plan is built around what we find. It may integrate medication optimization, trauma-informed psychotherapy (including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)), nutritional medicine, and nervous system regulation — coordinated across our full clinical team.

Ongoing Iteration — We adjust based on how you respond — biologically, psychologically, and functionally — over time. This is not a one-appointment model.

---

Our Team

Dr. Sonya Lazarevic, MD, MS      Founder | Double Board-Certified Psychiatrist Double board-certified in General Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry — a distinction held by fewer than 5% of psychiatrists — with 30+ years of NYC practice and advanced training in integrative, functional, and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Shuki Cohen, PhD      Clinical Psychologist Expertise in trauma-informed psychotherapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), psychodynamic therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and motivational interviewing.

Helaine Polanco, MS      Functional Nutritionist Specializing in gut-brain health and women's mental health, with a focus on nutritional contributors to mood, energy, and recovery.

65+ years of combined clinical experience. Meet the full team →

---

Why Evolution Medicine

Board-certified, not alternative — Dr. Lazarevic is double board-certified in General Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry, with advanced training in integrative, functional, and regenerative medicine. This is conventional psychiatric excellence — extended, not replaced.

Complex cases are our focus — Treatment-resistant conditions, dual diagnosis, and patients who have not found answers elsewhere are the core of our practice.

Location — 280 Madison Avenue, Midtown Manhattan. Two blocks from Grand Central. Telepsychiatry available for patients in New York, Connecticut, and California. Patients in other states are welcome to inquire.

---

Still evaluating? These pages may help.

See how we approach complex cases → Treatment-Resistant Depression

Understand our care model → How We Work

Explore coordinated care options → Momentum Care™ Packages

Have questions? Frequently Asked Questions