No two recovery journeys look the same. A person’s mental health history can change the whole shape of addiction treatment, from which therapies help to which medications are safe. That is where an addiction psychiatrist comes in.
This page explains what an addiction psychiatrist does, how the role differs from a therapist or psychologist, how psychiatric care fits into a treatment program, and how to find and verify a board-certified addiction psychiatrist in Boynton Beach and the rest of Florida.
What is an addiction psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in mental, emotional and behavioral health. The Florida Psychiatric Society defines a psychiatrist the same way: a physician who diagnoses and treats mental illness, including with medication.
An addiction psychiatrist goes one step further. After medical school and a general psychiatry residency, they complete a fellowship in addiction psychiatry, a recognized subspecialty. That training focuses on substance use disorders, withdrawal, medications for addiction treatment, and the many ways addiction and mental illness feed each other.
Psychiatrist, psychologist or therapist: what is the difference?
The titles get used interchangeably, but the training and scope are different.
| Role | Medical doctor? | Diagnoses and treats mental disorders? | Prescribes medication? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therapist or counselor (LMHC, LCSW, LMFT) | No | Yes, within their license | No |
| Psychologist | No (doctoral degree in psychology) | Yes | No, in Florida |
| Psychiatric nurse practitioner | No (advanced practice registered nurse) | Yes | Yes, under Florida APRN rules |
| Psychiatrist | Yes (MD or DO) | Yes | Yes |
Psychiatrists are not the only clinicians who can prescribe. In Florida, primary care physicians and advanced practice registered nurses, including psychiatric nurse practitioners, can prescribe psychiatric medications, and APRNs have been able to prescribe controlled substances under state rules since 2017. What sets an addiction psychiatrist apart is depth: specialist training in complex cases where several conditions and medications interact.
Physicians from other specialties can also become board-certified in addiction medicine through the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Either credential signals advanced addiction training.
What an addiction psychiatrist does on a treatment team
Good addiction treatment is multidisciplinary. A typical team includes physicians, psychiatric prescribers, nurses, therapists, case managers and peer support staff. Each one assesses a different part of the picture, then the team builds one evidence-based plan. Within that team, a psychiatrist usually handles five things.
1. Psychiatric evaluation and diagnosis
Many symptoms look alike during active use and early recovery. Anxiety can be withdrawal. Depression can be a stimulant crash. A psychiatric evaluation separates substance-induced symptoms from an independent mental health condition, which changes what treatment should look like.
2. Medication management
This covers medications for co-occurring conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD or bipolar disorder, chosen with addiction risk in mind. It also covers medications for addiction itself, such as buprenorphine or naltrexone for opioid use disorder and naltrexone or acamprosate for alcohol use disorder.
3. Integrated dual diagnosis care
When addiction and a mental health condition occur together, treating them separately tends to fail. A psychiatrist helps coordinate dual diagnosis treatment so that medication, therapy and relapse prevention work toward the same goals.
4. Guiding therapy choices
Psychiatrists often recommend specific therapies for specific problems, such as dialectical behavior therapy for intense emotions and self-destructive urges, or trauma-focused therapy for PTSD. Many work from the biopsychosocial model, which looks at genetics, brain chemistry, thoughts, relationships and environment together.
5. Ongoing reassessment
Symptoms change as people get sober. A psychiatrist re-evaluates regularly, adjusts medications, and updates the team so the plan keeps pace with the person.
How psychiatric care fits our programs
At Recreate Life Counseling in Boynton Beach, psychiatric evaluation and medication management are part of our partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs. They sit alongside individual, group and family therapy, so you are not left to coordinate a separate prescriber and a separate therapist on your own. If a mental health crisis needs a higher level of care first, such as hospital stabilization, we help arrange it and plan your step down. You can learn more about our team.
How to find a board-certified addiction psychiatrist in Florida
“Board-certified” in psychiatry refers to the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). The ABPN certifies general psychiatry and a set of subspecialties, including addiction psychiatry, each with its own accredited training and exam requirements.
Verify a certificate
- Open the ABPN certification verification tool.
- Enter the psychiatrist’s first and last name.
- Check that addiction psychiatry is listed and that the certification is current.
A psychiatrist certified in both general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry is sometimes called double board-certified.
Search by location
The same ABPN tool lets you search addiction psychiatrists by state. Choose Florida and the addiction psychiatry subspecialty, then narrow by city, such as Boynton Beach, Boca Raton or West Palm Beach. To filter by insurance or telehealth, the American Psychiatric Association’s psychiatrist finder is useful. You can also confirm any Florida license through the Florida Department of Health license lookup.
Educational resources for patients and families
- The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) is the professional society for addiction psychiatrists and publishes resources for families and patients.
- The American Journal on Addictions, AAAP’s peer-reviewed journal, covers current research in addiction psychiatry.
- The American Psychiatric Association’s expert Q&A on substance use disorders answers common questions in plain language.
- The University of Florida’s addiction psychiatry program shares updates on treatment and research in the state.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a psychiatrist to get addiction treatment? Not always. Many people recover with therapy and peer support alone. A psychiatric evaluation matters most if you have symptoms of another mental health condition, need medication for addiction, or have relapsed despite treatment.
Can a psychiatrist prescribe medication for opioid addiction? Yes. Buprenorphine and naltrexone can be prescribed by psychiatrists and other qualified prescribers. Methadone for opioid use disorder is dispensed only through licensed opioid treatment programs.
Will insurance cover an addiction psychiatrist? Most plans cover psychiatric evaluation and medication management under the behavioral health benefit. When psychiatric care is part of a PHP or IOP program, it is usually billed as part of that program.
How do I get started? Contact our admissions team. We will check your benefits for free, talk through what you are dealing with, and explain how psychiatric care would fit into your treatment. Our alumni community stays connected after the program ends.
