About Dr. Rachael J. Murphy, MD
Psychiatric care rooted in collaboration and respect
Why I Do This
I founded RiverStep Health to create a place where healing isn't about labels, quick fixes, or pharmaceutical dependency. It’s about finding real solutions instead of trading your original symptoms for side effects.
As a psychiatrist licensed in New York and Pennsylvania, I specialize in safe, strategic tapering of psychiatric medications, with a strong emphasis on root-cause investigation of the underlying physiological factors that drive certain mental health symptoms. My approach bridges neuroscience, therapeautic support, lifestyle medicine, and real-world practicality—without losing sight of your story or your autonomy.
I'm not here to pathologize you or add another diagnosis. I'm here to help understand and support your recovery.
To Private Practice
My studies began with neuroscience and psychology at Boston University. I was fascinated by how the body and experience connect. This led me to medical school at St. George's University, where I initially focused on neurology because I loved the precision behind understanding how the brain works.
During my residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network, I found myself more drawn to the human side of medicine—the stories and complexity of what makes people struggle and heal. So I switched to psychiatry, though I was skeptical about the heavy medication focus from the start. I trained with incredible physicians who genuinely care about their patients.
What troubled me was the system itself. Patients often leave with prescriptions that have side effects, cycling through treatments for years on end. As someone who needs to understand things deeply, a surface-level approach didn't align with how I wanted to practice.
There should be more opportunties for people to explore moving beyond psychiatric treatment.
That's why I decided to start something different.
My Christian Faith
Deep questions often arise in psychiatric care: why we suffer, where hope comes from, what gives life meaning. My understanding of these is deeply rooted in a Christ-centered faith and an eternal perspective. My relationship with Jesus is my anchor, and through the Holy Spirit and the love of God the Father, it shapes the care I bring to my work.
I don't bring up my faith with everyone, and I will never pressure you to share it. The gospel is a free gift, not something I sell. If these questions matter to you, I am glad to talk about them and to include Scripture in our sessions. Patients of every faith, or none, are welcome here, and your own beliefs will always be respected.
What I Believe
Every person's experience is unique. That's where we start.
Psychiatric medications can be useful in crisis, but long-term use deserves careful thought, expert strategy, and honest conversation about what comes next.
Every symptom has a story. Often, that story begins in chronic high stress, lifestyle imbalances (such as sleep, diet, relationships), not an inherent chemical deficiency that requires lifelong medication.
Deprescribing is specialized medicine. Withdrawal symptoms are real, can be severe, and require expert medical guidance. Tapering must be hyper-individualized at your pace, with proper support, and with full understanding of what to expect.
Tapering is recovery work, not quitting. We're not just getting you off medication. We're treating underlying causes, managing withdrawal symptoms, and helping you get your life back.
My Approach
My work is collaborative. I see you as a person to support, with wisdom of your own.
My job isn't to make you dependent on this care. We're partners in this. I'll share specialized medical expertise, alongside my prescribing capabilities, but you're also the expert on your own experience.
I provide full transparency about all treatment options, from different pharmaceutical risks vs. benefits to natural interventions—so you can make informed decisions that align with your goals. Every choice we make happens together. I give a recommended plan with respect for what feels right for you.
The goal is always your independence. When you're ready to move forward on your own, that's exactly what should happen. There’s never pressure to stay, no guilt about leaving. That's how you know the medical support is actually helping you.
FAQs
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Yes — but it has to be done right. Abrupt withdrawal is dangerous and can cause intense symptoms. I use slow, evidence-based and body-informed tapering that gives your nervous system time to recalibrate gently and sustainably.
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Absolutely. Many of my patients are on 3–4+ psychiatric meds. I specialize in managing complex polypharmacy cases, tapering medications one at a time while watching for withdrawal, drug interactions, and mental health changes.
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There is no single taper plan that works for everyone. I build your plan and timeline around your goals and comfort level, then we decide together after a thorough medical evaluation.
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No. I do not start antidepressants like SSRI/SNRIs, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers, or similar psychiatric medications for people who have never taken them. My practice focuses on deprescribing and supervised tapering, so I do not offer standard medication-first treatment.
If you are already taking one of these medications and want to reduce or stop it, that is exactly what I help with. -
Not every method fits every medication or every person. Which ones we use depends on the medication, your history, and how you respond to each step.
Cut and hold: We reduce the dose by a set amount, then hold at the new dose until your body has stabilized before the next step. The length of each hold is based on how you feel, not a fixed calendar.
Hyperbolic (percentage-based) tapering: Each reduction is a percentage of your current dose rather than a fixed amount, so the steps get smaller in absolute terms as the dose gets lower. This helps avoid the larger relative drops that can happen at low doses.
Medication conversions: Switching to a different formulation, or to a longer-acting medication, so that reductions can be smaller and smoother. This can include a cross-taper, where one medication is gradually replaced by another.
Pill splitting and pill counting: Reducing the number of pills, or portions of pills, taken each day, using a pill cutter where the tablet is suitable for splitting.
Scales: Weighing doses on a precise scale (for example, a milligram scale) to make very small, accurate reductions that pills alone cannot give.
Bead counting: For certain capsules that contain beads, counting the beads and removing a set number to lower the dose in small increments. Not all capsules are suitable for this.
Liquid microtapers: I use a liquid form of the medication to make smaller, more precise reductions. For benzodiazepines and SSRIs, this may mean daily hyperbolic liquid microtapers. For other medications, we may use more standard step-down reductions with a liquid, adjusted to how you respond.
Commercial liquids: Using manufactured liquid formulations when one is available for your medication.
Compounded liquids: Having a compounding pharmacy prepare a custom liquid when a commercial option does not exist or does not fit your needs, including custom concentrations that make small doses easier to measure.
Compounded pills and capsules: Having a compounding pharmacy prepare custom-strength pills or capsules when a commercial option does not exist or does not fit your needs.
Syringe techniques: If unfamiliar with tapering, we can schedule individual educational sessions where you learn how to measure liquid doses accurately with an oral syringe, including how to read the markings, draw up the dose, and avoid measuring errors.
Dose scheduling adjustments: Changing when, or how often, doses are taken, such as dividing a dose across the day.
Pausing, slowing, or reinstating: If symptoms come up, I can pause, slow the pace, or return to a previous dose that was well tolerated before trying a smaller step again.
Symptom and dose tracking: Using a simple log of your dose, sleep, mood, and physical symptoms so we can spot patterns and time each step well.
Pharmacy coordination: Working with your pharmacy to make sure the form, strength, base and quantity you need are available, and that refills line up with your plan.
Other individualized approaches: There are other methods we may use for your specific medication and situation.
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I do not offer weekly one-hour therapy sessions. All follow-up visits are 30 minutes and include management of medications alongside therapeutic counsel.
For those unsure about medication but interested in counsel or a second opinion; I offer one-time, 1-hour consultations, which may or may not include prescribing.
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It varies. When someone needs more acute care, I may see them as often as weekly, before we spread visits out. For an active taper, the average is about once a month. When someone is very stable, visits can sometimes be every three months.
Please note that I do not offer crisis management or overnight coverage. If you are experiencing a crisis or an urgent issue, call 988 or go to your nearest emergency department.
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Yes. I can provide supporting medical documentation and paperwork for work or school leave at no additional cost, including FMLA and short-term disability (STD) forms. I usually complete it within the same week.
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Only if you qualify. ESA (emotional support animal) or PSD (psychiatric service dog) letters are not automatic, and whether one is appropriate depends on an evaluation of your individual situation. If you would like to be evaluated, you can book an intake session.