The pressures are real, even when everyone's pretending otherwise
Academic load, perfectionism, the first real depression, anxiety that's started dictating decisions, ADHD that high school structure used to cover for, relationship endings that hit harder than expected, and the quiet weight of building an identity while everything around you is in flux. These years concentrate more change than almost any other stretch of life, and the mental health resources available to most students are stretched thin: long waitlists, session caps, and a new clinician every semester.
Dr. Rai completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Michigan and knows these pressures from the inside — the seasonal rhythm of the academic year, the particular intensity of competitive graduate and professional programs, the early-career stakes that feel enormous and occasionally are. For U-M students, this practice is a private, off-campus alternative to CAPS, with no connection to the university and no overlap with your student record.
What's different here
New patients are typically seen within days. The initial evaluation runs 90 to 120 minutes, long enough to get the story right instead of pattern-matching to the first diagnosis that fits. Ongoing care combines medication management and psychotherapy with the same physician, in sessions of 30 to 90 minutes depending on what's needed. Evening and Saturday hours work around classes, labs, and clinical rotations, and video visits cover breaks, study abroad re-entry, and the post-graduation move.
Privacy, spelled out
Nothing from this practice appears in any university system, insurance database, or employer record. There is no claims trail because nothing is billed to insurance. For students headed into medicine, law, finance, or government — fields that ask intrusive questions on licensing and clearance forms — that separation can matter enormously. Records are released only with your written consent.
ADHD evaluation deserves a specific note: Dr. Rai takes diagnosis seriously and does not prescribe stimulants at a first visit without a proper evaluation. Students who want a careful, legitimate assessment will find one here. Students looking for a quick script will not.
What it costs and how students manage it
This is a private-pay practice and the fees, listed on the fees page, are real money for a student budget. Some students use family support; many use a parent's PPO insurance out-of-network benefits, which often reimburse 40 to 80 percent of the fee from a superbill Dr. Rai provides. Stable patients frequently move to brief 30-minute visits or longer intervals between appointments, which brings the ongoing cost down considerably. The free inquiry call is a fine place to ask about any of this.
Asked before the first call
Get seen this week, not next semester
A free 15-minute call to see whether the practice fits. Parents of students 18 and older are welcome to make the first call, though treatment itself stays between Dr. Rai and the patient.
Prefer to talk first? Call (734) 203-0117