Wild Ember
September Newsletter
A Message from Ashleigh & Marc
We want to personally thank each and every one of our clients for your continued trust and support over the past year and a half.
When we opened Wild Ember in March 2025, we envisioned it as a small, boutique practice. Just a passion project where we could care for a handful of individuals in a more personal way. We never imagined how quickly our community would grow or how many families would place their trust in us.
Because of you, Wild Ember has evolved into something far greater than we ever expected. While there have certainly been changes and growing pains along the way, every step has been driven by our commitment to providing compassionate, individualized care and continually improving the experience for those we serve.
It is an incredible privilege to walk alongside you during some of life's most challenging moments. Your trust means more to us than words can express, and we are deeply grateful that you've chosen Wild Ember to be part of your journey.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for allowing us to care for you and your families. We are excited for everything still to come.
With gratitude,
Ashleigh & Marc McDonnell
Coming Soon: The Wild Ember Parenting Method™
We're excited to announce the upcoming launch of The Wild Ember Parenting Method™: a new small group parent training program designed to help families navigate today's parenting challenges with confidence, connection, and practical tools.
Parenting doesn't come with a manual, and every child is unique. Whether you're raising a child with ADHD, autism, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, trauma, PANS/PANDAS, or simply looking to strengthen your parenting skills, this program is designed to provide real-world strategies that can be put into practice immediately.
Unlike traditional parenting classes, The Wild Ember Parenting Method™ is an evidence-informed parent training program that blends behavioral psychology, child development, neuroscience, and trauma-informed care into a practical framework for everyday life.
Our goal isn't to create perfect parents—it's to equip families with practical skills that help create calmer homes, stronger relationships, and lasting confidence.
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Understand the "why" behind challenging behaviors.
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Respond with confidence instead of reacting in frustration.
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Build stronger parent-child connections.
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Create effective routines, boundaries, and consequences.
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Support emotional regulation for both children and parents.
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Reduce power struggles while fostering resilience and independence.
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Expanding PANS/PANDAS Care at Wild Ember
Over the past several years, Ashleigh has had the privilege of working with children and families affected by Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS)-complex neuroimmune conditions that are often misunderstood and difficult to diagnose.
Through collaboration, continued education, and an integrative approach to care, she has seen firsthand the profound impact that timely recognition and appropriate treatment can have on a child's quality of life. Ashleigh has had many families come to her after seeking answers for years and now are getting appropriate care, feel heard and seen.
As the number of families seeking this specialized care continues to grow, so does our commitment to serving them. Many families travel long distances, experience lengthy wait times, or struggle to find providers familiar with these complex neuroimmune conditions.
By investing in advanced specialized training, mentorship, and ongoing education, our goal is to provide the highest quality, evidence-informed care for children and families affected by PANS and PANDAS. We are committed to learning from nationally recognized experts and receiving continued guidance to ensure our clients benefit from the most current knowledge and best practices.
PANS and PANDAS are complex neuroimmune conditions that require extensive specialized education beyond traditional medical training. Unfortunately, insurance reimbursement does not reflect the additional time, resources, or advanced training required to care for these patients, making the cost of pursuing this level of education significant. Your support helps us continue expanding our expertise so we can bring more specialized care to Arizona families.
If you believe in this mission and would like to support the continued growth of PANS/PANDAS services at Wild Ember, we invite you to contribute to our education initiative. Every contribution helps us pursue advanced training, expert consultation, and the development of resources that directly benefit the children and families we serve.
Thank you for being part of our journey as we continue working to improve access to compassionate, specialized care for our community.
Pharmacy Spotlight
We're excited to partner with Genoa Healthcare in Gilbert to help ensure our clients receive the highest level of pharmacy support possible.
The pharmacy's pharmacist, Kyle, works closely with Ashleigh to help ensure medications are filled promptly, prior authorizations and insurance requirements are navigated efficiently, and prescriptions are obtained at the most affordable cost whenever possible.
Genoa Healthcare specializes in psychiatric medications and understands the unique challenges that can come with behavioral health treatment. Their expertise and personalized service help us streamline the prescription process so our clients can focus on what matters most—their health and recovery.
We are grateful to have a pharmacy partner who shares our commitment to providing compassionate, accessible, and high-quality care. Let us know if you would like your next fill sent to Genoa.
Changes to care policy
When Is an Appointment Needed?
Medications
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Medication changes — starting, stopping, or adjusting the dose of any medication. If you were already given instructions for a dose change before your next appointment (such as a titration or tapering schedule), that doesn't require a separate appointment. But if you've been on a medication for a while and want to make a change, please schedule a visit.
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Adding a new medication requires an appointment. We're required to see you before starting anything new.
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Medication side effects — anything beyond mild or expected, or anything new, worsening, or concerning, should be discussed at a scheduled visit.
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Any significant changes, such as a worsening symptom, a change in sleep, appetite, mood, or functioning, or a significant new stressor, life event, or loss, should also be discussed at a scheduled visit.
Controlled Substances (e.g., ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines such as Ativan or Xanax)
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If a controlled medication was recently started, your prescriber will typically want to see you monthly.
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Per clinic policy, all clients on a controlled substance are seen every 3 months at minimum.
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Federal DEA regulations require an in-person visit at least once a year, and more frequent visits may be required depending on your clinical situation.
Please note that these medications are highly regulated at the federal level, and we're required to maintain a certain level of documentation in order to continue prescribing them.
Treatment
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Questions about a diagnosis, or wanting to know if something is "normal" or "abnormal," warrant an appointment.
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Lab or screening results that need clinical interpretation — generally, if you've had labs drawn, we'll want to see you for a follow-up visit.
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Requests for a treatment plan change should be discussed at a scheduled appointment.
Documentation & Forms
Completing any paperwork, letters, or documentation — including but not limited to FMLA/work-related forms, employer letters, school letters, and disability or accommodation paperwork — requires that you've been seen by your provider within the past 7 days, and that the specific request was discussed at that visit.
If you haven't been seen within the past 7 days, or the paperwork wasn't discussed at your most recent appointment, you'll need to schedule and attend a visit to review the request before we can complete any documentation. We encourage you to let your provider know about any documentation needs before or during your scheduled appointment, to help ensure timely processing.
Exception: This appointment requirement doesn't apply to clients being seen under the Craig Tiger Act or workers' compensation coverage for first-responder PTSD. Documentation for these clients follows the reporting requirements of the applicable workers' compensation claim or carrier, rather than our standard appointment policy.
All documentation has a 7-business-day turnaround time.
Due to legal and safety concerns around emotional support animals (ESAs), our office will no longer be providing ESA letters. Clients requesting an ESA letter should reach out to their primary care provider or use a service such as wellnesswag.com.
When a Message or Call Is Appropriate
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Refilling a stable, non-controlled medication at the current dose, on schedule
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A routine refill of a controlled medication with no changes (no early request, dose change, or reported problems)
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Scheduling, rescheduling, or confirming appointments
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Pharmacy changes or address/insurance updates
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Telehealth link or portal access issues
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Confirming instructions already given at your last visit (e.g., "was it twice a day or once?")
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Confirming a form or referral was sent or received
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Relaying a normal lab result your provider has already reviewed and cleared for portal release
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"When will my results be ready" type questions
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Billing, statement, or insurance questions
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Records requests
Many clients email in simply to document how they're doing, which is perfectly fine. Our team may ask whether you'd like that documented in your chart, or whether you'd like an appointment to discuss it further.
If you're ever unsure, feel free to send a message — just know our team may ask you to schedule a follow-up appointment to make sure you're getting the best possible care.