Meet Dr. Butler
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about my practice. My hope is to convey how I approach psychiatric work and the types of situations in which I am most helpful.
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My practice is centered on depth-informed consultation and care, work that emphasizes careful understanding of individuals, families, and systems, particularly when situations feel complex, stuck, or difficult to reduce to a single diagnosis or technique.
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While written information can be useful, it cannot replace conversation. If you are interested in exploring whether working together would be a good fit, I welcome you to reach out.
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Sincerely,
Dr. William Butler
About Me.
I am a Harvard-trained, board-certified psychiatrist whose work centers on careful formulation, depth-informed consultation, and thoughtfully selected treatment. My training at Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, and Harvard Medical School has shaped a clinical style that emphasizes clarity, steadiness, and collaboration, particularly in complex or hard-to-define situations. I work most often with young adults and families navigating periods of transition, uncertainty, or escalating demands, including academic, professional, and relational stressors. Many people seek consultation when symptoms such as anxiety, mood instability, attention difficulties, or interpersonal strain do not fully make sense within a single diagnosis or have not responded as expected to standard approaches.
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My approach is depth-driven: understanding the person and context first, clarifying what may be contributing beneath the surface, and then determining what type of intervention, or combination of interventions, will be most useful. Depending on the situation, this may include time-limited psychiatric care, collaborative work with an existing therapist, systems-level consultation, or guidance around next steps.
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I have particular experience with neurodevelopmental differences such as ADHD and autism, trauma-related presentations, and emerging personality patterns that affect relationships and functioning. I integrate psychodynamic thinking with evidence-based strategies and frequently work in collaboration with therapists, schools, and other professionals when a broader systems perspective is needed.
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In addition to clinical work, I serve as an Assistant Editor for the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, contribute to national mental health initiatives through the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, and have received teaching awards for medical education. I completed advanced psychotherapy training at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society & Institute and am completing advanced fellowship training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. My practice is designed for individuals and families seeking thoughtful consultation or targeted care from a psychiatrist who values careful understanding, clinical judgment, and work that is responsive to complexity rather than driven by protocol alone.
Why Choose Butler Psychiatric Services?
I Can Help With
Complex Mood & Anxiety Presentations
I work with individuals whose anxiety or mood symptoms feel persistent, confusing, or resistant to standard treatment. This often includes situations where symptoms overlap, shift over time, or don’t fully fit a single diagnosis.
Neurodevelopmental & Identity Complexity
I provide consultation for adolescents and adults with ADHD, autism, or related neurodevelopmental differences, particularly when challenges involve identity, relationships, academic or professional demands, or system-level misunderstandings.
Relational & Interpersonal Patterns
Many people seek care when recurring relational patterns, conflict, withdrawal, overfunctioning, or emotional volatility, begin to interfere with work, family, or intimacy. My approach emphasizes understanding these patterns before deciding how to intervene.
Psychiatric Consultation & Assessment
I offer time-limited psychiatric consultation for individuals, families, and clinicians seeking diagnostic clarity, second opinions, or help making sense of complex clinical pictures when progress has stalled.
Targeted Treatment & Collaborative Care
When ongoing care is appropriate, I provide focused, depth-informed treatment and frequently collaborate with therapists, schools, and other professionals to ensure care is coherent and well-coordinated.
Systems & Transitional Work
I work with individuals and families navigating major transitions, college, career changes, family restructuring, or institutional stress, where symptoms are shaped as much by context as by diagnosis.
Our Services
Butler Psychiatric Services is organized around clarity and purpose rather than routine visit schedules. Work typically begins with an initial assessment focused on understanding what is happening and clarifying what may be most helpful next. From there, ongoing work, if indicated, is structured intentionally based on the questions at hand.
Consultation & Assessment
Initial sessions are designed as a comprehensive psychiatric assessment focused on understanding. This includes careful diagnostic formulation, consideration of psychological, developmental, relational, and systems factors, and clear, thoughtful recommendations.
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The goal of an initial assessment is clarity. Some individuals seek a one-time evaluation and guidance. Others use this phase to determine whether additional work, either with me or in collaboration with other providers, would be useful.
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Initial assessments may include review of prior records, collateral input when appropriate, and coordination with existing clinicians or institutions.
Ongoing Work
When further engagement is helpful, ongoing work is structured deliberately rather than automatically. Depending on the situation, this may include:
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Time-limited psychiatric care
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Intensive psychotherapy
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Family or systems-focused consultation
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School, organizational, or professional consultation
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Collaborative work alongside an existing therapist or care team
The form, frequency, and duration of ongoing work are guided by clinical judgment and revisited over time, with attention to what will be most effective rather than what is routine.
Fees vary by service type. Butler Psychiatric Services is a private-pay practice and is not in network with insurance plans. For individuals seeking insurance-based psychiatric care, please visit Boston Psychiatry Center.
Consultation Request
Contact Information
Offices
- Downtown Boston, MA
- Belmont, MA