Services
Substance use and mental health care, in the same visit
Care is provided by Robert Benard, RN, MS, CNS, AGACNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, for patients located in Hawaii at the time of the visit.
01
Free 15-minute consultation
The first step is a free 15-minute call with me, not a coordinator, just to see if we are a good fit. We talk about what you are looking for and whether this practice can help. There is no diagnosis and no prescribing on this call, and no obligation to book.
02
Initial evaluation, 45 minutes, $250
The first visit is a full evaluation. We talk through your history, the substances you use, what you have already tried, your other health concerns, and what you want to be different. Then we build your plan together: your goal in your words, the medications and supports that fit it, and how we will know it is working.
Your care combines medication treatment with motivational interviewing and brief behavioral support, in the same visit, with the same clinician.
03
Medication care
One limit to know up front: I sit in California, so for patients in Hawaii I cannot prescribe controlled medications such as Suboxone. I prescribe non-controlled medications. For opioid use, that means education and guidance on starting buprenorphine when another provider prescribes it, plus comfort medications to help with withdrawal symptoms.
Depending on your plan, medication care can include:
- Alcohol use: naltrexone, acamprosate, gabapentin, topiramate. GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide are also an option for patients with weight or metabolic concerns; early studies show they can reduce alcohol craving and how much you drink on the days you drink.
- Stimulant use: contingency management and motivational interviewing, bupropion XL and mirtazapine, and targeted supplements such as NAC for cravings. No medication is FDA-approved for stimulant use, so we work with what has evidence behind it.
- Tobacco and nicotine: varenicline, nicotine replacement (patch, gum, lozenge), and bupropion, plus behavioral support.
- Co-occurring mental health: antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and trazodone for sleep, treated alongside your substance use care.
What I do not prescribe: benzodiazepines, including detox medications such as Librium, anti-anxiety medications, sleep medications such as Ambien, or ADHD stimulants. If you need one of those, I will help you find the right clinician.
04
Follow-up visits, 30 minutes, $200
Follow-ups are where the plan gets adjusted. We review cravings, use, mood, and sleep against the goal you set, check how medications are working, and change what is not helping. Visits are closer together when a medication is being started or changed, then spaced out as things stabilize. Returning patients can book follow-ups directly.
05
How telehealth works
Visits are by secure video through Carepatron. You will need a private space, a stable internet connection, and a phone or computer with a camera and microphone. At the start of each visit we confirm where you are located; you must be physically in Hawaii during the appointment.
If this is an emergency. Telehealth is not the right channel for a crisis. Call or text 988, call 911, or call Hawaii CARES at (808) 832-3100.
What I help with
Substance use care is the center of this practice, with co-occurring mental health care in the same visit.
- Opioid use disorder: if you use fentanyl, heroin, pain pills, kratom, or 7-OH, I offer motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, and education around buprenorphine (Suboxone). If another provider prescribes buprenorphine, I can guide you through starting it and prescribe comfort medications to help with withdrawal symptoms.
- Alcohol use disorder: medication treatment plus behavioral support, built around your goal.
- Stimulant use disorder: if you use methamphetamine or cocaine, contingency management, motivational interviewing, and care for co-occurring mental health.
- Tobacco and nicotine use: help quitting with medication and behavioral support.
- Cannabis use: motivational interviewing and brief behavioral support, and help with the sleep, anxiety, or mood symptoms that can come with cutting back. No judgment either way.
- Depression, psychosis, and mood disorders, treated alongside your substance use care.
- Health advocacy: if you want, we can review your other medical issues together so you understand what is going on and what your options are. I do not prescribe medication for medical conditions; I help you make sense of your care and your next steps.
- Drug court participants: I provide treatment for people in drug court and send progress reports to the court or your probation officer, with your written consent. Same care as any patient.
General mental health care without a substance use concern is not the focus of this practice. If that is what you need, I will help you find the right clinician.