How to Check a Psychiatrist's License and Board Certification in New York

To verify a psychiatrist's license in New York, search the clinician's name in the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of the Professions online verification system, then check the Department of Health's Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) for any Board actions and read the New York State Physician Profile. To confirm board certification in psychiatry, look the physician up in the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology's (ABPN) VerifyCERT tool, which shows ABPN-certified physicians and the status of their certificates.

The whole check is free and takes a few minutes. It tells you three different things: whether the person may legally practice, whether a specialty board has certified their training, and whether a regulator has ever acted against them. This article walks through each step for psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners, explains what the results do and do not mean, and covers New Jersey and California for telehealth patients.

License, registration and board certification are three different things

People often use these words interchangeably. They are separate credentials, issued by different bodies, and each answers a different question.

In New York, a license is valid for the life of the holder unless the Board of Regents revokes, annuls or suspends it, but a licensee must also register with the department to practice in the state, on a triennial registration cycle. That is why a lookup can show a valid license number with a lapsed or inactive registration. If the registration is not current, ask about it before booking.

Board certification is voluntary and sits on top of licensure. The ABPN requires physicians to hold a valid, unexpired and unrestricted license in at least one U.S. state or Canadian province throughout initial and continuing certification. A board-certified psychiatrist is therefore licensed somewhere, but you still need to confirm the license is in the state where you will be during visits.

Step 1: Verify the New York license with NYSED

NYSED's physician FAQ directs the public to its online verification system to verify a physician's or physician assistant's license. The same system covers other licensed professions, including nurse practitioners and the licensed mental health professions.

1. Choose the profession (for a psychiatrist, "Medicine").
2. Search by last name, or by license number if the clinician publishes it.
3. Confirm the name, the license number, the date of licensure and the registration status.
4. Note whether the result mentions any professional discipline, and then check the OPMC site anyway (Step 3), because physician discipline is handled by the Department of Health.

A practice that is confident in its credentials usually makes this easy. Dr. Lewis, for example, lists her New York State medical license number on her biography page. You can type that number into the NYSED search and compare the result with what the practice says.

Common lookup problems

• The name differs. Try a maiden name, a hyphenated surname or a legal first name rather than a nickname.
• Nothing appears. Ask the office for the exact license number and the state that issued it. A clinician who cannot or will not give it is a reason to pause. See red flags when choosing a psychiatrist for other warning signs.

Step 2: Read the New York State Physician Profile

New York requires the Department of Health to publish a profile of each licensed physician, available on the internet. By law the profile includes, among other items, medical school and graduation date, graduate medical education, specialty board certification with its date, hospitals where the physician has privileges, criminal convictions and disciplinary actions from the most recent ten years, practice limitations, and malpractice court judgments and arbitration awards, plus settlements only in limited circumstances, reported in graduated categories rather than as raw dollar amounts. Pending malpractice claims are excluded.

Two cautions apply. First, the Department of Health notes that information in the profile is provided by the physician. Physicians must report changes within thirty days and update the profile within six months before re-registering. It is a good summary, not an independent audit. Second, for profile purposes New York defines board certification as certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Osteopathic Association or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. A certification from a board outside those groups, such as an integrative medicine board, may not appear in the board certification field even when it is real. More on that below.

Step 3: Search for disciplinary actions with OPMC

The Office of Professional Medical Conduct investigates complaints about physicians and physician assistants. Its website lists every physician who has been disciplined since 1990, who is subject to a non-disciplinary Board order, or on whom charges of misconduct have been served.

What you will not see matters as much as what you will. Under New York's Public Health Law, investigation files are confidential, while charges become public once a hearing is warranted and served, and the hearing committee's findings and orders become public when issued. So an empty search means there is no public Board action, not that no one has ever complained.

If you do find an entry, read the order itself. A non-disciplinary order, an old resolved matter and a current license restriction are very different. A current restriction on prescribing, or probation that requires a practice monitor, is directly relevant to whether this person can manage your medication. Ask about it plainly; a clinician with a resolved history can usually explain it.

Step 4: Confirm board certification in psychiatry

The ABPN certifies psychiatrists and neurologists and is one of the 24 ABMS Member Boards. Its VerifyCERT tool lets the public look up ABPN-certified physicians by name, specialty or location and see the status of their certificates.

Subspecialty certificates

The ABPN also issues subspecialty certificates. The subspecialty exams it lists that relate to psychiatry include child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry. For child and adolescent psychiatry, for example, a physician must already be ABPN-certified in psychiatry and must complete two years of ACGME-accredited child and adolescent psychiatry training. If you are looking for someone to treat a child, see choosing a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

Some areas that clinicians describe as specialties have no ABPN certificate at all. Reproductive psychiatry is one example: it is not among the ABPN's subspecialty exams, so training is shown through fellowships and experience instead. The article on what a reproductive psychiatrist does explains how to judge that training.

Is the certification current?

ABPN diplomates take part in a Continuing Certification program with continuing education, self-assessment and performance-in-practice requirements in three-year blocks, plus either an examination every ten years or an article-based assessment pathway. VerifyCERT shows the status of each certificate. "Board eligible" is not the same as board certified; it usually means the physician finished training but has not yet passed, or has not taken, the board exam.

Step 5: Check integrative medicine certification

Integrative medicine has no ABMS Member Board; the 24 ABMS boards include psychiatry and neurology, pediatrics and internal medicine, but none for integrative medicine. Physician certification in integrative medicine is offered by the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) through the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS). To be eligible, a physician must hold current or previous certification from an ABPS, ABMS or osteopathic (or certain Canadian) board and complete an ABOIM-approved fellowship in integrative medicine or one of the other accepted training options, then pass a written examination.

That structure has a practical consequence. A strong integrative credential sits on top of a conventional specialty credential; it does not replace one. If a clinician lists only an integrative or "holistic" certificate and no ABMS or osteopathic board certification, ask which board issued it, what training it required and how you can verify it. ABPS invites questions about ABOIM certification directly. Older certificates may name a different integrative board; the same questions apply.

Dr. Lewis is board certified in adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and integrative medicine. ABPN certificates in psychiatry can be looked up in VerifyCERT; for the integrative certificate, ask the practice which board issued it. For how integrative psychiatrists differ from other integrative clinicians, see integrative psychiatrist vs functional medicine doctor vs naturopath.

Checking a psychiatric nurse practitioner

Many practices, including this one, have psychiatric nurse practitioners as prescribers. In New York, a nurse practitioner must be a currently registered registered nurse, meet education and experience requirements and hold NYSED certification as an NP in a specific specialty practice area; a separate application is needed for each specialty. The NP certificate is valid for life unless revoked, annulled or suspended, and the registration authorizes practice for three years at a time.

Use the NYSED verification search for both the RN license and the NP certification, and look for the psychiatry specialty area. National certification (for example, the credential shown after a name as PMHNP-BC) is a separate credential from a national certifying body; NYSED accepts it as one pathway to NP certification but it is not the only one. For how NP and physician training compare, see psychiatrist vs psychiatric nurse practitioner.

If you will see the clinician by telehealth from New Jersey or California

For telehealth, the license that matters is the one for the state where you are physically sitting during the visit. The Medical Board of California, for example, states that physicians using telehealth to care for patients located in California must be licensed in California. Dr. Lewis sees patients by telehealth only when they are physically located in a state where she holds an active medical license, and the team confirms eligibility before the first visit. The details are in seeing Dr. Lewis by telehealth from another state.

A quick verification checklist

Credentials are a floor, not a measure of fit. Once the checks are done, the more useful questions are about approach, communication and logistics; questions to ask on a psychiatry discovery call lists them. The choosing psychiatric care guide covers the rest of the decision.

How this practice handles credential questions

Dr. Lewis's biography lists her Harvard Medical School degree, training at Columbia University and the NYU Child Study Center, her board certifications and her New York State medical license number, so each item can be checked against the public sources above. Her biography is on the Meet Dr. Lewis page, and the team page introduces the rest of the team, which includes psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, psychotherapists and a health and wellness coach. You can also ask about credentials on the free discovery call before any visit is booked.

Frequently asked questions

Is a board-certified psychiatrist better than one who is not certified?

Board certification shows that a psychiatrist completed accredited specialty training and passed the board's exams, and keeps up with continuing certification. It does not measure bedside manner or fit. Many good clinicians are certified, and an uncertified psychiatrist can still be licensed and competent, but it is reasonable to ask why someone years out of training is not certified.

Can I see whether a psychiatrist has been sued for malpractice?

Partly. The New York State Physician Profile reports malpractice judgments, awards and certain settlements from recent years in graduated categories, not exact amounts, and it excludes pending claims. Court records are another route, but a lawsuit by itself says little about quality of care.

What does it mean if a psychiatrist's registration is inactive?

In New York, the license can remain valid while the registration has lapsed. A licensee who lets registration lapse generally may not practice until it is renewed. Ask the office; it may be an administrative delay, or the clinician may not currently be practicing in New York.

How do I check a therapist's license, not a psychiatrist's?

Use the same NYSED verification search and choose the therapist's profession, such as psychology, licensed clinical social worker or mental health counselor. Therapists are not disciplined by OPMC, which covers physicians and physician assistants.

Does a psychiatrist need a separate license to prescribe controlled medications?

Yes. Federal rules require anyone who dispenses controlled substances, which includes prescribing them, to hold a DEA registration unless exempt, in addition to a state license. If you are starting a stimulant or another controlled medication, it is reasonable to ask whether the prescriber is DEA-registered for the state where you will be treated.

Where do I file a complaint about a New York physician?

Complaints about physicians, including psychiatrists, and about physician assistants go to the Department of Health's Office of Professional Medical Conduct. Complaints about other licensed professionals, such as nurse practitioners and therapists, go in writing to NYSED's Office of Professional Discipline.

Sources

1. Frequently Asked Questions for Physicians. New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, 2026. op.nysed.gov
2. New York Education Law Section 6502: Duration and registration of licenses. New York State Senate (Open Legislation), 2026. nysenate.gov
3. New York Public Health Law Section 2995-A: Physician profiles. New York State Senate (Open Legislation), 2026. nysenate.gov
4. 10 NYCRR Section 1000.1: Definitions (physician profiles). New York State Department of Health, NYCRR, 2009. regs.health.ny.gov
5. Physician and Physician Assistants Disciplinary and Other Actions. New York State Department of Health, Office of Professional Medical Conduct, 2026. health.ny.gov
6. New York Public Health Law Section 230: State board for professional medical conduct. New York State Senate (Open Legislation), 2026. nysenate.gov
7. Check Physician Status. American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2026. abpn.org
8. Taking a Subspecialty Exam / General Requirements. American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2026. abpn.org
9. Continuing Certification. American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2026. abpn.org
10. ABMS Member Boards. American Board of Medical Specialties, 2026. abms.org
11. Integrative Medicine Board Certification (American Board of Integrative Medicine, ABOIM). American Board of Physician Specialties, 2026. abpsus.org
12. Nurse Practitioners: Certification Requirements. New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, 2026. op.nysed.gov
13. License Verification. New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, 2026. njconsumeraffairs.gov
14. New Jersey Health Care Profile. New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, State Board of Medical Examiners, 2026. njdoctorlist.com
15. License Verification. Medical Board of California, 2026. mbc.ca.gov
16. DCA License Search. California Department of Consumer Affairs, 2026. search.dca.ca.gov
17. Telehealth. Medical Board of California, 2026. mbc.ca.gov
18. 21 CFR 1301.11: Persons required to register; requirement of modification of registration. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (DEA), 2026. ecfr.gov
19. Discipline Complaint Form. New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, 2026. op.nysed.gov
20. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2026. abpn.org
21. American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (home page). American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2026. abpn.org

Educational information, not medical, tax or legal advice. Decisions about diagnosis, medication and treatment belong with a clinician who knows your history.