Briana Mathews, MD

Dr. Steve Paschos is a board-certified Psychiatrist at Talkiatry. He attended Loyola University Chicago on the Lake Shore campus, completing a bachelor's degree in science and a Degree in Classical Studies. He then attended Medical School at Rush Medical College in Chicago and completed a 5-year combined Internal Medicine & Psychiatry residency in 2011. Dr. Paschos subsequently completed a 1-year fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Rush University Medical Center. He has spent the last 12 years fulfilling his passion for integrating Internal Medicine & Psychiatry, working with a diverse range of patients suffering from severe mental illnesses. ‍Dr. Paschos' years of experience have included working at Cook County Health Services � Cermak Health Services at Cook County Department of Corrections with an extremely diverse patient population with varying psychiatric illnesses. He has also worked as an inpatient psychiatric hospitalist and as the director of the Intensive Care Unit at Chicago Behavioral Hospital in Illinois. Dr. Paschos also acted as a medical director of an IOP and established an outpatient psychiatric practice in conjunction with the Intensive Outpatient Program. He has had the opportunity and privilege of treating individuals who suffer from various diagnoses, especially challenging patients who have suffered from integrated or Med-Psych concerns involving primary mood disorders, Bipolar Affective disorders, prior trauma, severe medical problems/diagnoses along with concurrent personality pathology. ‍Dr. Paschos utilizes supportive psychotherapy, brief cognitive behavioral therapy, and at times psychodynamic therapy to address his patients' current complaints and to identify the locus of their symptoms. He believes in utilizing an all-encompassed approach using mindfulness and various psychotherapies along with comprehensive medication management. To quote Hippocrates "Where there is love for the art of medicine there is a love of humanity.”

Dr. Ye Kyung Song is a board-certified psychiatrist with both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in medical humanities and ethics from the University of Texas Medical Branch. She completed her residency at Duke University and has experience practicing in both outpatient and inpatient settings. In addition to her clinical training, Dr. Song has pursued advanced training in several therapeutic modalities, including the Collaborative Approach to Management of Suicidality (CAMS) and Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO-DBT).

Dr. Song takes a collaborative, values-driven approach to treatment, emphasizing partnership in decision-making and tailoring care to each individual’s needs. She uses medication thoughtfully and only when appropriate, considering the whole picture of a patient’s health and life. Her goal is to help patients understand the underlying reasons for their symptoms by examining patterns, conflicts, and meaning. She is committed to creating a safe and supportive environment where patients can explore their experiences openly.

During the initial appointment, Dr. Song focuses on understanding a patient’s clinical history, current concerns, and personal goals. Together with the patient, she develops an individualized treatment plan that clearly outlines areas of focus and aligns with the patient’s values and objectives. Her process emphasizes getting to the root “why” behind symptoms, while using evidence-based medicine and therapy modalities best suited for the situation. Treatment plans and medications are adjusted collaboratively over time to ensure ongoing support and progress.

Background and credentials

Dr. Moni Baidya is double board-certified in adult and geriatric psychiatry with over nine years of experience. She earned her medical degree from Manipal College of Medical Sciences and completed her psychiatry residency and geriatric fellowship training at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Her background includes work in nursing homes, acute rehabilitation centers, inpatient psychiatric units, and outpatient settings, providing care for diverse patient populations.

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Treatment approach

Dr. Baidya strongly believes that developing a good therapeutic rapport is essential for successful treatment. Her practice primarily focuses on medication management, often combined with supportive, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral (CBT), and couple’s therapy in 20–30 minute follow-up visits. She takes a holistic approach, particularly for patients with complex medical conditions that impact emotional health, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and family members when appropriate. In addition to general adult psychiatry, she specializes in geriatric psychiatry and women’s mental health, with a primary focus on treating women with mood and anxiety disorders and geriatric patients with newly diagnosed psychiatric conditions.

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What you can expect in a first visit

During the first visit, patients can expect a comprehensive evaluation where Dr. Baidya takes the time to assess their symptoms, medical history, and treatment goals. She fosters a collaborative and supportive environment, ensuring that treatment plans are tailored to individual needs. Follow-up visits typically last 20–30 minutes, with a focus on medication adjustments and therapeutic support. If additional therapy is necessary, she may recommend integrating a therapist into the patient’s care team for the best possible outcome.

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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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Michael Huang is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who takes a holistic, collaborative, and non-judgmental approach to mental health care. He graduated from Boston College with his MSN after many years of working in inpatient psychiatry at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, and has over a decade of experience in mental health care. He has worked in various outpatient settings, first in Boston and more recently in Las Vegas, gaining extensive experience with individuals from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

Michael strongly believes that each person’s struggle is unique, and the solutions and treatments should be individualized based on the person’s goals. Having experienced childhood trauma himself, he is particularly passionate about and experienced in treating C-PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and borderline personality disorder. His focus is on helping others find peace, whether momentary or lasting, in their chaotic and often overwhelming lives.

The first appointment with Michael includes a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and a discussion about your goals for treatment. While pharmacological treatment may be part of the plan, Michael prefers to focus on the therapeutic aspect of care, as he believes therapy is an essential component of healing. With Michael, you can expect to collaboratively create a treatment plan that you feel comfortable with, rather than simply being told what to do.

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Dr. Marla Richard is a Stanford-trained board-certified psychiatrist and is board-eligible for geriatric psychiatry from UCSD. She has been practicing in a variety of settings for the last 30 years. Dr. Richard uses an integrated health paradigm with general and geriatric patients using traditional psychopharmacology, interpersonal neurobiology practices, and personality assessments to look at root motivations for behaviors to address core issues and with medication management as needed. Dr. Marla believes that you need to take a whole-person approach to both mental and physical health. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and then attended medical school at Stanford Medical School to complete her MD. With visions of becoming a general surgeon, she went to the University Hospitals of Cleveland and completed two years of general surgery training before seeing the light and transferring to psychiatry. She completed her psychiatry training at Stanford University and geriatric training many years later at UCSD. Her focus includes an integrated approach to the consideration of mental and physical health while incorporating mindfulness tools to teach skills of stress and anxiety management in everyday life. In conjunction with medication management, she uses interpersonal neurobiology to help clients understand triggers as well as methods to calm overactive stress responses and reactivity.

Svetlana Schwartz, PMHNP, is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner with 18 years of experience in outpatient psychiatry. She provides care for individuals with a wide range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, ADHD, bipolar disorder, OCD, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia.

Her practice focuses on medication management, often combined with supportive or cognitive behavioral therapy. Svetlana earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in adult psychiatry from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is trained in psychiatric diagnosis, medication management, and both psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapies.

Over the past 18 years, Svetlana has gained extensive experience evaluating and treating adults in outpatient settings. She previously worked at Arbour HRI Outpatient Clinic in Massachusetts and, for the past decade, has served patients at Memorial Healthcare System in Florida.

Svetlana believes that addressing mental health is just as important as addressing physical health. At Memorial Healthcare System, she collaborated with the Mind-Body Wellness Clinic to support both the medical and psychiatric needs of her patients. She has also contributed to the training of psychiatric and internal medicine residents in outpatient psychiatry. Her approach emphasizes the integration of medication management with individual therapy to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care.

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