A UnitedHealthcare Psychiatrist in NYC. Yes — Oxford and Oscar Count.
Your card might say UnitedHealthcare. It might say Oxford, Oscar, or Optum. In New York, those cards mostly route to the same behavioral health network — and we are in it. A board-certified UnitedHealthcare psychiatrist in NYC, in-network in NY, benefits verified before your first visit.
Verify benefits & book →134 Broadway, Floor 4, Brooklyn, NY 11249 · in-person Williamsburg + telehealth across New York
What your card actually means
Insurance branding is designed to confuse you. Here is the 30-second version of who is who — and why all four names can land in-network at this practice in NY.
The mothership
UnitedHealthcare is the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group. Its behavioral health benefits run through the Optum network — which we participate in, in NY. Commercial UHC plans (employer or marketplace) are the straightforward case: copay-level psychiatry here.
UnitedHealthcare in a tri-state suit
Oxford Health Plans is a UnitedHealthcare subsidiary, common on NY, NJ, and CT employer plans. Oxford members use the same behavioral network machinery — in NY, your Oxford card works here like a UHC card.
The marketplace player that borrows the network
Oscar is an independent insurer, but for mental health it does not run its own network in New York — Oscar’s behavioral health benefits are administered through Optum. Translation: your Oscar plan’s psychiatry benefits typically reach us in-network in NY, even though “Oscar” is nowhere on our contract.
The network behind all of it
Optum is UnitedHealth Group’s health-services arm — the entity that actually credentials and pays behavioral health providers for UHC, Oxford, and Oscar plans. If your EAP or member portal routes you through Optum, you are looking at the network we sit in, in NY.
The hedge that keeps us honest: employer plans carve benefits up in creative ways, so the card is a strong hint, not a promise.
Send us your member ID and our admin team verifies your exact behavioral health benefits with the carrier before your first visit — you get your real copay number in advance.
How it works, start to finish
1. Book or call
Our Intake Director, Leann, calls back within 1 business day and takes the member ID from your UHC, Oxford, or Oscar card.
2. We verify before you commit
Eligibility, copay, deductible status, telehealth coverage — checked against your actual plan, quoted to you in writing. No surprise bills.
3. You pay a copay, we bill the network
Most commercial plans in NY: a specialist copay per visit. High-deductible plans: the contracted rate until the deductible is met — still far below NYC cash psychiatry rates.
4. Care that is not a 15-minute med check
Evaluation, medication management, and movement-first protocols — in person in Williamsburg or by telehealth anywhere in New York State. ADHD evaluation is covered the same way.
UHC, Oxford, or Oscar in Florida or New Jersey
Our network participation is in NY only. We still treat Florida patients (telehealth — Dr. Al-Katib is FL-licensed) and New Jersey patients (clinical team), but out-of-network.
That means: you pay the session rate, we issue a superbill, and PPO plans typically reimburse part of it. Estimate yours with the free out-of-network calculator.
One office in Williamsburg. Telehealth across New York.
Psychiatry in Motion
134 Broadway, Floor 4, Brooklyn, NY 11249
(646) 347-6704 · call or text · by appointment
hello@psychiatryinmotion.com
J/M/Z to Marcy Av (first stop over the Williamsburg Bridge) · NYC Ferry to South Williamsburg · Get directions →
Frequently asked questions
Do you take UnitedHealthcare?
Yes — we are in-network with UnitedHealthcare in NY, in person in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and by telehealth anywhere in New York State.
Do you take Oscar?
In NY, typically yes. Oscar’s behavioral health benefits are administered through the Optum network, which we participate in. Because plans vary, we verify your specific Oscar plan before your first visit and confirm your cost in advance.
Do you take Oxford?
Yes — Oxford is a UnitedHealthcare subsidiary, and Oxford members in NY route through the same behavioral network we are in. We verify your plan first, like every plan.
My portal says Optum. Is that you?
Optum is the network that credentials and pays behavioral health providers for UnitedHealthcare, Oxford, and Oscar plans. We participate in it in NY – so if your benefits route through Optum, we are likely in-network for you.
What does a visit cost with UnitedHealthcare?
Usually your specialist copay. If your plan has an unmet deductible, you pay the contracted in-network rate until it is met. We quote your exact number after verifying benefits, before you book.
How fast can I be seen?
Our Intake Director calls within 1 business day, and intakes are often available the same week when slots are open.
Your card probably works here. Let’s check.
Send the member ID; we verify the benefits; you get a real number and a real appointment.
Verify benefits & book →Not sure which pathway fits? Get matched → · Have Aetna instead? That page is here →
Finding a psychiatrist who takes UnitedHealthcare in NYC — the network maze, decoded
The single most common failure mode for UHC members looking for psychiatry in New York is not a shortage of doctors — it is the branding maze.
A member with an Oscar card searches “Oscar psychiatrist NYC,” finds almost nothing, and concludes they have no in-network options. Meanwhile the Optum network that actually administers their behavioral benefits has providers they never searched for, because nobody told them their Oscar card speaks Optum.
The same story plays out with Oxford members who only search “Oxford,” and with UHC members bounced between the uhc.com directory and the Optum provider portal, which do not always agree with each other.
So here is the search strategy that works, whether you book with us or not:
- Identify the network behind your behavioral benefits (for UHC, Oxford, and Oscar commercial plans in NY, that is generally Optum).
- Search that network’s own behavioral health directory rather than Google alone.
- Verify directly with the practice — carrier directories lag reality by months, and a practice that will not verify your benefits before the first visit is telling you something about how the rest of the relationship will go.
Psychiatry in Motion stays in-network with UnitedHealthcare in NY deliberately — most NYC private psychiatrists do not, because contracted rates sit below the cash market.
We make the math work with a team model: Dr. Ahmed Al-Katib, MD, board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, supervises every case while specialized clinicians run intakes and ongoing care.
The result is copay-level pricing with the things cash-only practices sell as luxuries: direct messaging through the Spruce app, metabolic and lab-informed workups, movement and sleep protocols, and appointments that exist this week (when slots are open), not next quarter.
What UHC-family members come to us for
- Adult ADHD evaluation — the comprehensive version, covered in-network in NY. Start with the free validated screeners if you want data first.
- Late-diagnosed autism and masking — a core specialty most in-network practices simply do not offer adults.
- Anxiety, depression, and OCD — medication management plus real protocols, not reflexive prescribing.
- Burnout — clinically recognized, treatable, and when recovery requires time away, we build the medical leave documentation carriers demand.
In person we are at 134 Broadway in Williamsburg — easy from anywhere in Brooklyn, Greenpoint, and Manhattan via the J/M/Z or ferry. Full rates, including self-pay ($200 with the clinical team) and concierge pathways, live on the pricing page.
Curated by Dr. Ahmed Al-Katib, MD, board-certified psychiatrist (ABPN) · Last reviewed: 2026-07
Psychiatry in Motion · 134 Broadway, Floor 4, Brooklyn, NY 11249 · (646) 347-6704 · hello@psychiatryinmotion.com
This page is educational and is not medical advice or a guarantee of coverage; benefits are verified per plan before your first visit. UnitedHealthcare, Oxford, Oscar, and Optum are trademarks of their respective owners; Psychiatry in Motion is an independent practice, not affiliated with any insurer.
In a crisis? Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or call 911 / go to the nearest emergency room.