A New Kind of Care · Brooklyn Integrative Psychological Services
Whole-Life Care
Coordination
Introducing a new 60-day intensive program — where a real human care coordinator works alongside your therapist to assemble your full health team and help you get your life back into a groove.
See how it works Get in touchYou are not failing.
The system is.
You have the apps. The portals. The login credentials you can never find and the referral a doctor gave you six months ago that you still have not followed up on — not because you do not care, but because navigating this healthcare system takes more bandwidth than most people have left at the end of a hard day in New York City.
This is not a personal failure. It is a systemic one. Tech companies promised to make our lives simpler. Instead, every year brings more platforms, more alerts, more data collected about us — and less actual human support. Clinicians have been watching this happen for decades and advocating for something better. This program is that something better.
Average daily smartphone screen time. Research shows that three or more hours per day is linked to significantly higher rates of depression and anxiety. More apps, more alerts, more stress. (PMC, 2025)
New York City adults who reported an unmet mental health need in 2023. Top barriers: cost, confusion about where to start, and the belief they should manage alone. (NYC Dept. of Health, 2025)
Health apps that have never called your doctor, followed up on your referral, or sat with you when things got hard. These platforms collect your data and sell your attention. They are not your advocate — you are their product.
Years that clinicians across New York have watched clients navigate a fragmented, dehumanized healthcare system alone, overwhelmed, and falling through the gaps. The profession has long called for change. This program is that change.
The goal is straightforward: help you identify what you actually need to lead a healthy life — then get you there, step by step, with a real person coordinating every piece.
A real person,
not another app
Your care coordinator is in addition to your therapist — and the two work in tandem throughout the 60 days. While your therapist holds your inner world, your coordinator holds your outer one. Together, they make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Coordinators are often therapists, caregivers, or social workers themselves — people drawn to this work because they genuinely care about making a difference. They will not attend your appointments or make any medical or health decisions on your behalf. They act entirely in your stated interests: assembling the tools, making the calls, tracking the plan, and checking in on you throughout.
With your consent, they organize your health information into a format readily shareable with a trusted proxy or loved one — so your support system is never left guessing.
“I always wished there was someone who could just hold all of it together — the appointments, the referrals, the follow-ups — while I focused on actually getting better. This is that service.”
A New Yorker who inspired this programLife is bigger than
one hour a week.
Adults navigating anxiety, depression, burnout, or trauma who want support beyond weekly sessions
People with unexplained physical symptoms, chronic fatigue, or psychosomatic pain
Those overwhelmed by health portals, insurance navigation, and not knowing where to start
Adults managing ADHD, executive functioning challenges, or difficulty sustaining routines
People navigating career uncertainty, financial stress, job loss, or professional transitions
Individuals referred by a doctor, partner, or family member who want structured whole-person support
Those searching: care coordinator NYC, integrated health plan Brooklyn, holistic care navigation New York
Anyone who wants a real person helping them get well — not another app, portal, or pamphlet
Three New Yorkers.
One kind of support.
New York City is one of the most diverse, expensive, and demanding cities in the world. The pressures facing a family in the Bronx, a single man in Bushwick, and two roommates in Astoria are different — and deeply related. Here is what Whole-Life Care Coordination looks like for each of them.
The family of four
A couple in their late 30s with two kids, renting a two-bedroom in Crown Heights. Combined income of $95,000. Housing takes 52% of their budget. One parent is managing untreated anxiety; the other is burnt out from covering for them.
- No one has a primary care doctor because scheduling takes too long and the cost feels uncertain
- The kids are struggling in school — possible ADHD, but no evaluation yet
- Financial stress is compounding: one impulsive decision or missed payment cascades
- They search: affordable mental health NYC family, ADHD evaluation Brooklyn
What this program provides: A coordinated plan across both parents, referrals to pediatric assessment, PCP setup, and a family collateral session to align their goals.
The single man
A 38-year-old working in logistics in Bushwick, earning $58,000. Pays $1,900/month in rent. Has had two ER visits in the past year — both stress-related, both preventable. Has not seen a doctor outside of emergencies in four years.
- Knows he should be in therapy but does not know how to find someone or what it will cost
- Drinks more than he wants to. Spends more on weekends than he intends to
- Feels disconnected from his body — chronic back pain with no diagnosis
- He searches: therapy for men Brooklyn, how to start seeing a doctor NYC
What this program provides: Therapy intake, PCP referral, physical therapy coordination, and a structured wellness plan that replaces two ER visits with consistent proactive care.
The female roommates
Two women in their late 20s sharing a two-bedroom in Astoria, each paying $1,600/month. Both work in education and healthcare — industries that are overworked, underpaid, and increasingly difficult to sustain emotionally.
- One is navigating a recent diagnosis — unsure what follow-up care looks like or what her insurance covers
- The other has been putting off a gynecology appointment for two years, and a therapy intake for longer
- Both carry the social weight of their work: racism, burnout, housing insecurity among their clients
- They search: LGBTQ affirming care NYC, affordable gynecology Brooklyn, burnout therapy Queens
What this program provides: Affirming medical referrals, therapy coordination, a realistic wellness plan that fits their schedules, and someone to follow up so appointments do not slip.
A plan that honors
all of you
Medical Coordination
Warm referrals to vetted providers. We make the calls so you do not have to.
- Primary care, gynecology, urology
- Neurology and neuropsychological assessment
- Physical therapy and pain management
- Major health systems and community practices
Family and Relationships
We build a shared plan with your support system so everyone is working toward the same goal.
- Collateral sessions with loved ones
- Family-facing version of your care plan
- Intensive family sessions available
- Goal alignment across your support network
Physical Wellness
Approachable, affordable movement goals that fit your body and your life in this city.
- Exercise goal-setting and planning
- Sliding-scale gym and fitness resources
- Somatic awareness through therapy
Self-Care and Wellness
A sustainable daily practice that integrates every facet of your health.
- Sleep, nutrition and stress management
- Mindfulness and breathwork resources
- Community connection and social wellness
Creative Expression
Creativity is a genuine pathway to healing. We help you rediscover yours.
- Art, music, writing and movement classes
- Hobby exploration as a therapeutic tool
- Community arts and maker programs
Career and Functioning
Practical support for professional and daily life challenges in today's economy.
- Job coaching and career navigation
- Executive functioning coaching
- ADHD support and routine building
- Financial wellness resources
Your 60-day
intensive roadmap
Comprehensive intake
A 90-minute clinical session covering your full mental, physical, relational, and lifestyle history. A real conversation, not a form.
Your care roadmap
A single living document delivered within one week. Every referral, appointment, and goal mapped by timeline. A rubric for your own wellbeing, managed alongside you by your coordinator.
Warm referrals and real calls
We contact providers on your behalf, coordinate intake paperwork, and follow up. No mystery portals, no unreturned voicemails, no falling through the cracks.
Therapy and coordination in tandem
Your therapist and coordinator work together throughout. Your therapist holds the clinical depth. Your coordinator manages the logistics. Both are in your corner, every week.
60-day review
At day 60, your coordinator reviews progress with you and your therapist. If an extension makes sense, we make it happen. The program moves at your pace.
Transparent,
accessible pricing
The coordination fee covers the human labor that insurance does not reimburse — the calls, the tracking, the follow-ups, the referrals. Your therapy sessions are billed separately. Insurance coverage depends on your plan, but we are committed to making BIPS therapy services accessible at any budget. Sliding scale options are always available.
Split into two payments of $250 — with the option to repeat the program more than once per year as life evolves. Because sometimes you need a reset, and that is perfectly okay.
- 90-minute comprehensive intake session
- Written Whole-Life Care Plan within 7 days
- Warm referrals to vetted providers
- Release-of-information coordination
- Collateral sessions as clinically indicated
- 30-day and 60-day program reviews
- Coordinator and therapist working in tandem
Ongoing therapy billed separately. Insurance coverage varies by plan — we will verify your benefits upfront. Sliding scale always available. Please reach out before assuming care is out of reach.
Before you decide $500 is a lot —
consider what you are already spending.
New York City is the most expensive major city in America. The average NYC household spends over $91,000 per year. There is almost no margin for the hidden costs of unaddressed mental health — and yet those costs are everywhere, disguised as ordinary life.
Below are real-world examples of what dysfunction costs a New Yorker — in actual dollars, not hypotheticals.
Average NYC single adult — annual spend
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, NYC Metro Area 2023–24
Untreated anger does not just feel bad — it has a price tag. One road rage incident in NYC: a $300 moving violation, a $185 tow, and higher insurance premiums for years. One impulsive moment. Over a thousand dollars. Emotional regulation saves you exactly that.
Depression and anxiety reliably drive impulsive purchases, late-night delivery orders, and forgotten subscriptions. For many New Yorkers, unmanaged emotional dysregulation quietly costs $150–$300 in unplanned spending every single week.
Depression is clinically associated with bill avoidance and missed payments. Over 12 months, accumulated late fees and penalties easily total $600–$1,200 — more than twice the cost of this program, spent on nothing but falling further behind.
Without coordination, small issues become emergencies. A single NYC urgent care visit: $300–$500 out of pocket. An ER visit: $2,000–$3,000. Staying on top of preventive care with someone helping you do it costs a fraction of that.
Depression is associated with a 35% drop in workplace productivity. For someone earning $65,000, that is over $22,000 in lost output annually — before accounting for absenteeism, missed advancement, and the slow erosion of professional momentum.
People with unaddressed stress reliably spend more on alcohol, cannabis, and other coping behaviors. Those with substance dependence carry twice the debt of those without — not because they earn less, but because stress-driven spending compounds quietly over time.
$500 is not a luxury. It costs less than one month of stress-driven spending, one unplanned ER visit, or two impulsive weekends in the city. This program is designed to pay for itself — and to keep paying dividends long after 60 days are done.
Crisis care in New York City
is not designed for you.
When a mental health crisis hits in New York City, the path forward is rarely clear and rarely kind. Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPs) — the structured, multi-day treatment designed to bridge the gap between weekly therapy and hospitalization — have waitlists that can stretch weeks or months. Inpatient psychiatric beds in New York State decreased by more than 990 between 2014 and 2023, even as demand increased by 23%. The hospitals that remain are understaffed, underfunded, and often described by patients and advocates alike as anything but humane.
Programs like those at Weill Cornell, St. Luke's, and Columbia exist to help people in acute crisis — and the clinicians within them do extraordinary work. But the system surrounding them is broken. Budget cuts affect staffing. Enrollment in IOPs is limited. ERs are overwhelmed. A person in crisis too often cycles through an emergency room, is stabilized, and is discharged back into the exact same conditions that caused the crisis in the first place.
This program is not designed for acute crisis. It is designed to prevent one. When a person is surrounded by a coordinated team of providers — a therapist, a coordinator, a doctor, a physical therapist, a career coach — all working from the same plan and all in communication, the conditions that lead to crisis become visible long before they escalate. That is the most humane intervention we know of: showing up before things fall apart.
Inpatient psychiatric beds lost in New York State between 2014 and 2023 — even as demand for public mental health services grew by 23% over the same period. (NYS Comptroller DiNapoli, 2024)
Average response time for NYC mobile crisis teams — the very teams designed to reach people before they require hospitalization. The system is stretched far beyond its capacity. (NYSNA White Paper)
The ratio of psychiatric inpatient beds to residents in New York City — one bed for every 2,084 people. For the most populated, most stressed city in the country. (NYS Office of Mental Health, Dec. 2023)
The answer is not more hospital beds. The answer is fewer people who need them. Coordinated, proactive, human-centered care is the most effective — and most compassionate — investment New Yorkers can make in their long-term health.
Why integrated care
works
A growing body of clinical research confirms what clinicians have seen in practice for decades: coordinating care across multiple domains produces meaningfully better outcomes than any single intervention alone.
Less likely to visit the emergency room. People in integrated collaborative care models are also 49% less likely to require inpatient psychiatric care. (79 randomized controlled trials, Healthy Minds Policy Initiative)
Return on early intervention. Every $1 invested in prevention and early mental health care yields up to $10 in savings through reduced healthcare costs and lost productivity. (National Academies of Sciences)
Adults with less than $5,000 in savings have more than twice the odds of screening positive for depression and anxiety. Mental health and financial health are not separate problems. (Johns Hopkins / Scientific Reports, 2024)
We know this city —
all of it
We refer to major health systems and to independent community practices, wellness collectives, and specialty groups across New York City — because the right provider for you may not be the biggest one.
NYU Langone Health
Nationally ranked. Specialists in neurology, urology, gynecology, PT, and neuropsychological assessment. Most major insurance accepted.
NYC Health + Hospitals
The largest public system in the nation. Serves all New Yorkers regardless of insurance or ability to pay. Top-ranked for Medicaid and Medicare quality in 2024.
Mount Sinai Health System
Academic medical center across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Recognized for neurology, endocrinology, and women's health.
Planned Parenthood NY
Affirming, accessible reproductive and primary care. Sliding-scale fees. LGBTQ+ welcoming. No barriers to entry.
Advanced Holistic Center NYC
Integrative acupuncture, physical therapy, Pilates, and pain management across Manhattan. Known for chronic pain and emotional regulation support.
HAVEN Holistic + Somatic Healing
NYC healing collective focused on mind-body awareness, somatic therapy, and integrative care. Boutique, relational, and deeply personal.
NY Center for Integrative Health
Functional medicine, naturopathy, and acupuncture in Manhattan. Comprehensive diagnostics with a whole-person treatment philosophy.
BeWELL Psychotherapy and Wellness
NYC group practice combining therapy, psychiatry, and wellness under one roof. Strong group therapy and life transitions programming.
The Floating Hospital
A beloved New York institution providing free and low-cost healthcare to children and families in need. Affirming, accessible, and deeply community-rooted.
What you might
be wondering
Is the $500 fee covered by insurance?
The onboarding fee covers the coordination work that insurance does not reimburse — the referral calls, plan tracking, follow-ups, and care management. Your ongoing therapy sessions may be covered by your insurance plan, depending on your specific coverage. We will verify your benefits upfront and walk you through exactly what to expect financially before you commit to anything. Sliding scale is always available for therapy.
Does the care coordinator make health decisions for me?
No. Your coordinator acts entirely in your stated interests. They organize information, make referral calls, track your plan, and follow up on your behalf — but all health decisions remain entirely yours. They are your advocate, not your proxy. Nothing happens without your knowledge and consent.
How does the coordinator work with my therapist?
They work in tandem, with your consent. Your therapist focuses on the clinical work — the emotional depth, the inner processing. Your coordinator manages the outer logistics — the appointments, referrals, and care plan. They communicate regularly so that both dimensions of your care move forward together.
Is this the same as an IOP or intensive treatment program?
No. This program is not designed for acute crisis. It is designed to prevent one. Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPs) are for people experiencing active mental health crises requiring a higher level of clinical structure. Whole-Life Care Coordination is a proactive, preventive program for people who are functioning but overwhelmed — who want to get ahead of their health before things escalate. The goal is that with the right team around you, you will never need an IOP.
What if I already have some providers in place?
We start from where you are. Your care plan integrates your existing providers, identifies any gaps, and strengthens communication across your whole team. You do not have to start over — we build on what you already have and fill in what is missing.
Can I repeat the program?
Yes. Life changes, and sometimes you need a reset. The program can be repeated more than once per year using the same two-payment model. Some clients use it as an annual wellness check-in. Others return during a specific transition — a job change, a move, a health event. It is always available to you.
What if I can't afford the $500 fee?
We offer two payments of $250, and we are always open to discussing individual circumstances. Our mission has always been to reduce barriers to care for New Yorkers. Please reach out before assuming it is out of reach — we will do our best to find a path that works.
What happens after the 60 days?
Your ongoing therapy continues as the anchor of your care. Your coordinator does a final review, documents what has been accomplished, and ensures all referrals and plans are in place. You leave with a complete, current care plan and the confidence of knowing exactly where things stand. If an extension makes sense, we discuss it then.
Will my information be shared with anyone?
Only with your explicit written consent. Releases of information are signed by you before your coordinator contacts any provider on your behalf. You decide who is involved, what is shared, and when. Your privacy is not optional — it is the foundation of everything we do.
Built by a clinician who
has seen it all
Dr. Marie Mercado is a licensed clinical psychologist, a native New Yorker, and the founder of Brooklyn Integrative Psychological Services, PLLC — one of Brooklyn's most established integrative group practices, based in Greenpoint with locations across Manhattan.
With over 20 years of experience across inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics, community mental health centers, and private practice, Dr. Mercado has sat with thousands of New Yorkers at their most vulnerable. What she noticed, year after year, was the same pattern: people never struggle alone. There is always a partner who is worried, a parent who does not know what to say, a doctor who has never spoken to the therapist. The system is fragmented — and the person inside it bears the full cost.
Whole-Life Care Coordination is the program she has always wanted to offer. Not technology. Not automation. A human being, working in tandem with your therapist, to help you get your life back into a groove.
Let's build your
Human Thread.
Reach out to our intake team to learn whether Whole-Life Care Coordination is the right fit for where you are right now.
Get in touch