Alessandra Buonopane, MD

Background and credentials

Dr. Vansickle is a board-certified adult psychiatrist with over 25 years of clinical experience. She earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center San Antonio and completed her internship at UAB. She then completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Louisville Hospital, where she served as chief resident and received a national award in community psychiatry. Throughout her career, she has worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings as a staff psychiatrist, primarily in Texas and Alabama.

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Treatment approach

Dr. Vansickle places a strong emphasis on establishing trust and building therapeutic relationships to help patients achieve their goals. Her practice focuses on medication management, often combined with supportive or emotionally focused therapy during 30-minute follow-up visits. If she believes additional therapy would be beneficial, she may recommend that patients work with a therapist as part of their care team. She has extensive experience treating patients in various settings, including community mental health centers, VAMC-affiliated clinics, and hospital-based psychiatric units. She also has expertise in psychiatric consultations for medically ill patients, as well as guardianship and competency evaluations.

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What you can expect in a first visit

Patients can expect a thorough initial evaluation, where Dr. Vansickle takes the time to understand their symptoms, history, and treatment goals. She provides a structured yet compassionate approach to care, ensuring that each patient feels heard and supported. Follow-up visits typically last 30 minutes, during which she monitors progress and adjusts treatment as necessary. If additional therapy is needed, she collaborates with therapists to ensure comprehensive care tailored to each patient’s needs.

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Why Talkiatry?

We’re a virtual mental health practice that makes it easy to find great care. We combine quality and convenience to help you thrive—faster. Our providers, like this one, are highly trained experts who specialize in medication management and collaborate with you on a treatment plan that fits your needs and comfort level.

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Ashlyn Tellers is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She earned her nursing degree with an emphasis in psychiatry in 2020 from the University of Arizona. With over twelve years of experience, she has cared for mental health patients across long-term care, inpatient, residential, and outpatient settings.

Ashlyn specializes in treating adults with depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and OCD through medication management and supportive therapy. She emphasizes patient education and works collaboratively to build therapeutic and safe treatment plans. She encourages open discussions about past mental health history and current stressors to help identify root causes and develop healthy coping strategies. When appropriate, she refers patients to therapists for more specialized care.

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Background and credentials

Dr. Lillian Cole is a board-certified adult psychiatrist. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and went on to earn both a master’s in biomedical sciences and a medical degree from Texas Tech University. She completed her psychiatry residency training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she gained experience working with a diverse range of patient populations across different ethnic, socioeconomic, and clinical backgrounds.

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Treatment approach

Dr. Cole emphasizes a holistic, patient-centered approach that integrates evidence-based medicine, psychotherapeutic techniques, lifestyle interventions, and psychoeducation. She believes that listening, collaboration, and compassion are essential to guiding patients toward recovery. Her practice primarily focuses on psychiatric medication management, and she has extensive experience treating mood disorders, anxiety, trauma-related disorders, and substance use disorders. When additional therapy is necessary for the best outcome, she may recommend integrating a therapist into the treatment plan.

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What you can expect in a first visit

Patients can expect a thorough and compassionate initial evaluation, where Dr. Cole takes the time to understand their symptoms, medical history, and treatment goals. She focuses on fostering a strong doctor-patient relationship and collaborates with each patient to create a personalized treatment plan that may include medication management, therapy, and lifestyle interventions. If additional therapy is indicated, she will coordinate with other providers to ensure comprehensive care tailored to the patient’s needs.

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Why Talkiatry?

We’re a virtual mental health practice that makes it easy to find great care. We combine quality and convenience to help you thrive—faster. Our providers, like this one, are highly trained experts who specialize in medication management and collaborate with you on a treatment plan that fits your needs and comfort level.

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Dr. Jonathan Hertz is board-certified in adult psychiatry. He completed fellowships in child and adolescent and public psychiatry and has been practicing psychiatry for over 18 years. Dr. Hertz's practice focuses on medication management which is offered with supportive and/or dynamic psychotherapy within 30-minute follow-up sessions. If patients have individual psychotherapists, Dr. Hertz will work collaboratively with these providers within a treatment-team approach to patient care delivery. Dr. Hertz received his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He remained in Boston to complete a residency in adult psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Children's Hospital Boston. Dr. Hertz subsequently returned to his hometown of NYC and completed a fellowship in public psychiatry. Dr. Hertz has clinical and administrative experience in the field of psychiatry. These positions include ACT Team community psychiatrist, director of adult outpatient clinic, and medical directorship in behavioral health within community hospitals. With training in child/adolescent, adult, and public psychiatry, Dr. Hertz has a developmental approach to mental health care. That is, he collaboratively explores the bio-psychosocial factors that may have influenced the development of mental disorders. Dr. Hertz believes an ecological approach enables a broader view of the multip

Dr. Michael Underriner is an adult psychiatrist. His approach to treatment is holistic, taking into account the entire person, and emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic bond to help people reduce suffering and achieve their goals. He is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Dr. Underriner's practice focuses on a mix of medication management, offered in conjunction with supportive therapy in 30-minute follow-up visits, and insight-oriented psychotherapy offered in weekly 45-minute visits. He works with people struggling with ADHD, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and difficulties with self-esteem and relationships. Occasionally Dr. Underriner may believe that additional therapy is warranted and recommend a separate therapist to provide the best outcome. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed his residency training at New York University. During training, he gained experience treating patients with various psychiatric illnesses in several different clinics and hospital-based settings. He worked with experts in the field of depression and provided consultations for patients considering transcranial magnetic stimulation. He also published a review article on long-term injectable medications for psychosis. Dr. Underriner has maintained an interest in teaching and remains connected to the psychiatry department at NYU. He has supervised and taught junior residents and medical students. Additionally, he is interested in global health and disparities in access to care and has traveled to Ghana to teach medical students rotating through psychiatry at the university there.

Dr. Emily Goncalves is a board-certified adult psychiatrist who earned her undergraduate degree at Syracuse University and medical degree from the American University of Antigua. She holds an MBA from Plymouth State University focusing on health care administration. She completed her adult psychiatry residency at Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, where she was chief resident and completed her fellowship in consultation liaison psychiatry at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami. Dr. Goncalves specializes in treating patients with psychiatric disorders with complex medical illnesses, cancer, and also has expertise in reproductive psychiatry. She is experienced in treating mood disorders, anxiety disorders, PTSD, psychosis, substance use disorders, and adult ADHD. Dr. Goncalves had the opportunity to work in various settings with a diverse patient population including veterans, inmates, cancer patients, and perinatal and postpartum patients. Dr. Goncalves provides medication management along with psychotherapy.