The Biddeford + Saco Chamber of Commerce + Industry and the City of Saco recently welcomed Peace Behavioral Health with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Peace Behavioral Health is located on the third floor of a former mill building at 110 Main St., Saco and founded by psychiatrist Nicolas Sikaczowski and his wife, psychologist Ashley Shaw.

In a welcoming office along the Saco River with exposed brick and original woodwork, Peace Behavioral Health provides psychiatric and psychological services both in-person and through tele-health. Both Sikaczowski and Shaw are certified in Maine and Florida, and opened the Saco office in June. Peace Behavioral Health also has offices in Florida.

The couple met in Miami, where they did their graduate school training, and lived in Florida for 10 years. While Shaw was working at an internship in Boston, Sikaczowski was completing a rotation at Maine Medical Center.

“We just fell in love with Maine. We really wanted to move up here for the lifestyle and values and seasons,” said Shaw.

The couple purchased a home in Biddeford, and Shaw also works as an assistant professor at University of New England.  

“We’ve just really enjoyed exploring all of what Saco and Biddeford have to offer,” she said.

Shaw and Sikaczowski have found there is a steady demand for their services, and are looking to expand their team to better serve the clientele.

Peace Behavioral Health focuses on individualized, evidence-based care. Psychiatrists and therapists can work together to provide the best care for a patient.

“We’re really collaborative. I think it’s really unique to be able to see your psychologist and psychiatrist in the same practice,” said Shaw.

The practice provides unrushed service, and psychiatrists and psychologists at Peace Behavioral Health are responsive to phone calls and messages from patients, said Shaw.

She said that her goal is not to keep people in therapy forever, but to give them treatment that will work so they can go out and live their best lives.

“I want to give people skills so that they don’t need me anymore,” she said.

For more information on Peace Behavioral Health, check out their website.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.