ADHD Psychiatrists in California

Dr. Rachel Sherhart is a board-certified adult psychiatrist who has been in practice for over 4 years. She specializes in medication management with 30-minute follow-up visits. This may be accompanied by elements of supportive therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and psychodynamic therapy. If more in-depth work is needed, she may refer patients to a collaborating psychotherapist. ‍Dr. Sherhart received her medical degree from Texas A&M Health Science Center and completed her psychiatry residency training at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. She has served as faculty at Texas A&M University College of Medicine, providing education and supervision for psychiatry residents and medical students. ‍She has experience treating adult patients from many walks of life with a broad range of diagnoses, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and trauma-related disorders. Dr. Sherhart has a passion for providing excellent patient care and education. Her goal is for patients to feel heard and find a safe place to discuss their concerns. She is motivated to work collaboratively with patients to find a solution that best fits their treatment goals and improves their overall quality of life.‍

Dr. Kristin Ratz is a Board-Certified psychiatrist who is an expert in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. She specializes in medication management combined with supportive therapy during 30-minute follow-up sessions. Dr. Ratz recognizes that each patient is unique and believes in an environment of collaboration, in which the patient and psychiatrist work together in order to develop the best individualized treatment plan. A California local, Dr. Ratz obtained her undergraduate education at University of California, Davis, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in Human Development. She then attended medical school at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, obtaining her Medical Doctorate. Following this, she completed her adult psychiatry residency training at the distinguished University of California, Irvine. Dr. Ratz has worked in a diverse range of healthcare settings, including county and community clinics, and is very experienced in telepsychiatry. She pays close attention to not only an individual's emotional state, but also their physical, spiritual, and social well-being, in order to provide her patients with exceptional holistic care.

Dr. Cindy Rossetti is board certified in Adult Psychiatry. She has been practicing for over 13 years. Dr. Rossetti received her medical degree from The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. She completed her general psychiatry residency at the University of Kentucky in Lexington where she was chief resident. She worked at Eastern State Hospital in Kentucky treating severe and persistent mental illness. She spent most of her post-graduate time providing outpatient care in a rural and underserved area of Arkansas. Dr. Rossetti offers both medication management and therapy together in 30- and 45-minute follow-up visits. Dr. Rossetti enjoys treating adults of all ages. Her areas of interest include ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, and Autism in adults. She enjoys addressing areas such as personal growth, stress management and self-care. Her treatment is patient-centered and geared toward individual healing and wellness.

Dr. Tim Kelly is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in adult psychiatry. His practice focuses primarily on medication management but often incorporates aspects of supportive, psychodynamic, and cognitive behavioral therapies into his 30-minute follow-up visits. Dr. Kelly also strongly believes in working in conjunction with therapists to achieve the best possible outcomes for his patients. He feels it is important to create strong therapeutic relationships with his patients in order to help patients achieve their treatment goals. Dr. Kelly received his undergraduate degrees in Human Biology and Spanish from Michigan State University. He then completed his medical education and a master's degree in medical humanities and bioethics at Northwestern University. He completed his adult psychiatry residency at the University of Washington. He has authored papers in medical education and LGBTQ advocacy. Dr. Kelly now lives in Pennsylvania with his husband, Kevin, and three dogs: Taquito, Fergie and Mimi. While Dr. Kelly treats adults of all backgrounds, he has a particular interest in working with young adults, students, and LGBTQ individuals.‍

Dr. Kamyl Bogan, a board-certified psychiatrist, attended Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate education and earned her medical degree from the Quillen College of Medicine. She completed her psychiatry residency and community fellowship at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville. Dr. Bogan was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in recognition of her compassionate care and was selected as an APA SAMHSA Fellow, where she designed a conference focused on resources for individuals with substance use disorders.

Dr. Bogan strives to create a welcoming and supportive environment for her patients. She listens with empathy and compassion, ensuring that every individual feels heard and safe throughout their care. She is dedicated to practicing with cultural humility and responsiveness, using evidence-based approaches to meet the diverse needs of those she serves.

In initial appointments, Dr. Bogan takes time to explore each patient’s history, primary concerns, and symptoms. Together, they establish treatment goals and collaborate on a personalized plan that may include medication management, therapy, or a combination of both to promote meaningful and sustainable improvement.

Dr. Khandie Graham is a board-certified psychiatrist who completed her medical training at UCLA/Drew Medical Education and her psychiatry training at University of California, San Francisco/Fresno in 2013. She has served as a psychiatrist in the United States Air Force and prior to joining Talkiatry, was an inpatient psychiatrist. Dr. Graham's practice focuses on medication management. Typically, she offers this in conjunction with supportive therapy in 30-minute follow-up visits. However, occasionally Dr. Graham may believe that additional therapy is also needed and ask that you bring a therapist into your care team to provide the best outcome. Dr. Graham treats all adults and specializes in depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, ADHD, and life changes. She prides herself in partnering with patients to create individualized treatment plans. Dr. Graham is a great listener and spends time with her patients.

Dr. Suneja practices psychiatry through a collaborative, integrative, disability and healing justice-informed lens. He rejects oversimplified binaries, recognizing that healing requires embracing complexity. His training includes Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and a global mental health fellowship at UCSF. His clinical interests include anxiety, OCD, women’s reproductive mental health, climate stress, intergenerational trauma, immigrant and refugee mental health, and substance use concerns. Based in Tucson, he enjoys desert life, reading, baking, making art, and spending time with his two dogs.

Dr. Suneja provides a healing space that prioritizes each service user’s goals and lived experiences. His approach integrates psychiatric and psychotherapeutic practices with complementary, alternative, and natural therapies, as well as harm reduction. His approach is neurodivergence-, queer-, and gender-affirming as well as trauma-informed. Rejecting the binary of “mentally ill” vs. “mentally healthy,” he recognizes the mind, body, and soul’s inherent complexity.

Dr. Suneja tailors care to each service user. The first session explores goals, treatment options, and optimal meeting frequency. In many cases, visits are more frequent at the beginning of treatment and spaced out over time. He prefers visits at least every 4-6 weeks and integrates psychotherapy into all treatment plans, with many service users benefiting from ongoing deeper therapeutic work.

Dr. Mullenix is a board-certified adult psychiatrist who strives to form strong therapeutic and collaborative environments with patients and values patient empowerment. Dr. Mullenix received his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School and then went on to complete his residency in psychiatry at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. His interests and expertise are in helping patients struggling with depression, anxiety, including social/obsessive compulsive and generalized anxiety disorders, and ADHD. He provides psychiatric medication management along with supportive, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other modalities of therapeutic treatment. Dr. Mullenix's practice focuses primarily on medication management, or pharmacotherapy. He routinely incorporates supportive therapy into his 30-minute follow-up visits. Dr. Mullenix may occasionally recommend that a therapist be part of the care team to provide optimal outcomes. The philosophy of his practice is to actively involve patients in the decision-making process to improve adherence to treatment and build trusting relationships with all patients.

Dr. Alexa Hall is a board-certified adult psychiatrist with extensive training and experience across inpatient, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient psychiatry settings. She earned her medical degree from Saint Louis University School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency at Harvard South Shore. Through her clinical work with the Harvard Medical School system and the Boston VA Healthcare System, Dr. Hall developed expertise in caring for diverse patient populations. She has also served as Medical Director for multiple psychiatry practices, overseeing services such as outpatient medication management, Spravato, IV Ketamine, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Outside of work, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her family.

Dr. Hall provides a supportive, non-judgmental environment where patients feel heard, respected, and understood. She takes a collaborative approach, working in partnership with patients to set and achieve individualized wellness goals. Her practice emphasizes whole-person care, integrating both mental and physical well-being into each treatment plan.

Dr. Hall begins by listening closely to understand each patient’s history, experiences, and concerns. From there, she collaborates with patients to identify their personal treatment and wellness goals. She develops individualized treatment plans tailored to these goals, focusing on supporting meaningful progress and long-term well-being.

Dr. Ritchie is trained in both adult and child & adolescent psychiatry, with a focus on the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma- and stressor-related disorders, and ADHD.  He received his bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in French, from The University of Central Florida. Dr. Ritchie completed medical school at Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine. Following medical school, he completed General psychiatry residency and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. His professional experiences include working in inpatient psychiatric hospitals, consult-liaison psychiatry, outpatient clinics, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), partial hospitalization programs (PHP), and emergency rooms. This broad range of experience allows him to provide comprehensive, individualized care to patients at all stages of life.

Dr. Ritchie emphasizes a holistic approach, combining medication management and psychotherapy. He utilizes principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and supportive psychotherapy This method is supported by research indicating improved patient outcomes.

Patients can anticipate a thorough initial evaluation during their first visit with Dr. Ritchie. He conducts a comprehensive assessment to understand the patient's symptoms, history, and personal circumstances. This session sets the foundation for collaboratively developing an individualized treatment plan focused on the patient's specific needs and goals.

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Dr. Kathryn Hu is a board-certified adult psychiatrist. She majored in biology and neuroscience at Brandeis University, attended medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed residency training at Stony Brook University Hospital. ‍Dr. Hu practices a patient-centered approach to mental health care. She works collaboratively on goals of treatment, with a focus on medication management while incorporating supportive therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness. ‍Dr. Hu treats a variety of mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and ADHD.

Dr. Diane Papke holds the position of staff psychiatrist at Talkiatry. After graduating from medical school, she completed internship year in Internal Medicine at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, AZ, followed by two years of neurology residency at Barrow Neurological Institute before completing Psychiatric residency at Maricopa Medical Center in 2005. She then spent the majority of her time caring for SMI/seriously mentally ill patients with a mantra "propelling people forward to wellness.” Working on the supportive level of care for this population honed her skills to care for the highest level of outpatient care through ACT/assertive community treatment. She has a genuine interest in treating psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and most specifically bipolar. She has experience treating medical comorbidities including neurologic disorders. In 2023, she extended her expertise and skills to the general population to include telehealth management of her patients. With a nonsense approach, she prides herself on collaborating with patients to attain their goals of optimum psychiatric health, believing that the cornerstone of a healthy partnership with any patient is a holistic approach. Listening with an open mind and heart while collaborating with her patients to provide the correct medication management and supportive care has always been the key for her. She is looking forward to meeting you!

Dr. Leslie Chavez is a board-certified adult psychiatrist with a diverse background in clinical and academic medicine. She completed her medical school and residency at the University of New Mexico, where she later served as a psychiatrist and assistant professor, treating high-need patients and teaching residents and medical students. During the pandemic, she transitioned to telehealth and has been dedicated to this field for the past four years. Dr. Chavez is known for making her patients feel seen and heard, using both medication management and supportive psychotherapy. Dr. Chavez began her academic journey as a physics major at UNM and then studied biophysics at the University of San Diego, California. During her postdoctoral fellowship at Los Alamos National Laboratories, she was inspired by presentations about professionals working with patients in African countries, which sparked her interest in medicine. During this time, her father died of cancer, and she saw the impact of mental health therapy on his quality of life, further solidifying her motivation to attend medical school. Witnessing the profound impact of mental health on her patients and family, she specialized in psychiatry. Dr. Chavez is a seasoned psychopharmacologist and emphasizes the importance of nutrition, exercise, and community in mental health. She enjoys all aspects of medicine and combines her extensive knowledge with a patient-centered approach.

Dr. Ruiz is a compassionate psychiatrist specializing in adult and maternal mental health. She develops personalized treatment plans to address anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, PMDD, and perinatal conditions. Her goal is to help patients reconnect with their values and live balanced, fulfilled, and meaningful lives.

Her passion for medicine began in childhood, inspired by curiosity about the mind and body. She earned an Honors Chemistry degree with  magna cum laude and completed her medical training and psychiatry residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. With a strong scientific foundation, Dr. Ruiz understands the role of medications, and embraces holistic healing through connection, gratitude, and spirituality.

Dr. Ruiz has experience in diverse clinical settings and has received national awards including the AWP International Fellowship and ADMSEP Innovations Award. She is dedicated to advancing maternal mental health screening and treatment through clinical care and education.

Dr. Ruiz combines pharmacotherapy (medication) with psychotherapy to create individualized treatment plans. Therapy provides powerful tools to manage thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that support balanced brain chemistry. Research shows that medication helps restore this balance more quickly and effectively, especially in moderate to severe cases.  

Dr. Ruiz likens medication for the brain to fertilizer for a garden. Imagine your mental health as a vibrant garden—when well-nourished, it can thrive with resilience, beauty, and balance. But when symptoms like depression, anxiety, ADHD, or mood instability take hold, they act like invasive weeds, crowding out healthy growth and making it hard to enjoy the space. Medication acts like fertilizer, strengthening the garden’s natural systems so the healthy parts can reclaim their place and flourish. Just as some gardens need only seasonal care while others require more consistent tending, medication plans are personalized to support each person’s long-term mental wellness. When the garden is healthy, there's more room to grow, connect, and fully enjoy life.

With a strong background in chemistry and pharmacology, Dr. Ruiz prioritizes educating her patients about how medications work and why they can be helpful. She believes patients should take an active role in understanding their diagnosis and treatment. Her approach emphasizes diagnostic clarity, medication management, patient education, and brief psychotherapy based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

Your first appointment is a supportive, in-depth conversation to share your story, challenges, and goals. Dr. Ruiz will review your medical and psychiatric history and assess symptoms using a whole-person approach that considers biological, psychological, and social factors.

Together, you’ll develop a personalized plan that may include lab work, medication, and therapy. Initial visits last 60 minutes for thorough evaluation; follow-ups typically last 20–30 minutes, focusing on medication management and brief therapy. If needed, Dr. Ruiz can refer you to in-house or community therapists for add-on therapy support.  

Throughout your care, Dr. Ruiz prioritizes shared decision making to ensure you feel informed, empowered, and supported.

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Dr. Garrick Gaffney is board certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). He earned his medical degree from Kansas City University and completed his psychiatry residency at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. A combat veteran, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, including a tour in Iraq, and was honored with the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and a Certificate of Commendation for exemplary leadership.

During medical school, Dr. Gaffney pursued advanced training as an Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine fellow. As a resident, he served as Chief Academic Resident and earned accolades such as Intern of the Year and Outstanding Educator of the Year twice consecutively.

Dr. Gaffney specializes in treating complex psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, bipolar disorder, and insomnia. He has presented case studies and quality improvement projects at national conferences, including the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, and Association for Academic Psychiatry.

A proponent of holistic care, Dr. Gaffney integrates psychotherapy into medication management and emphasizes lifestyle modifications and evidence‑based integrative medicine.

New patients receive comprehensive evaluations to rule out medical causes of symptoms, followed by tailored treatment plans combining therapy, medication, and lifestyle adjustments. Follow‑up visits focus on symptom management through supportive, brief dynamic, or cognitive behavioral therapy, with frequent appointments until stabilization is achieved.

Dr. Gaffney is committed to collaborative, patient‑centered care that addresses both mental and physical well‑being.

Dr. Bellavia is an experienced board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in adult psychiatry. He was a faculty member of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle for 8 years and has been a medical director and attending psychiatrist in several clinical settings including academic medical centers, outpatient private practice and consultation. Dr Bellavia works collaboratively with each patient to identify presenting problems and stressors and utilizes evidence-based medication treatments along with individualized supportive and short-term psychotherapy strategies to reduce symptoms and improve function. If clinically indicated, he may recommend adding a psychotherapist to your care team. Dr. Bellavia has a particular interest in treating psychiatric conditions including, but not limited to, depression and bipolar disorders, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and adjustment problems. He has extensive experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds, such as university students, creative and tech professionals, and expat communities. He uses a relaxed, nonjudgmental, empathic approach that is holistic and considers the biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors that impact mental well-being.