Bryan Morales, MD

Dr. Vanessa Valdes is an adult psychiatrist specializing in medication management and psychotherapy, with a strong focus on nutrition, wellness, and mindfulness. She earned her combined MD/MPH degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System, one of the nation's leading public healthcare systems.‍During her residency, Dr. Valdes gained broad experience in diverse areas of psychiatry, including inpatient psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, outpatient care, psychotherapy, hypnosis, child and adolescent psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, psycho-oncology, and addiction psychiatry.‍Dr. Valdes primarily provides supportive psychotherapy and acceptance and commitment therapy to help patients better understand and address their stressors. She takes a holistic approach to care, emphasizing the emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being of her patients. Her goal is to inspire meaningful, sustainable changes in patients' lives through compassionate, comprehensive treatment.

Dr. Dennis Valerstain is a board-certified Adult and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. After completing his undergraduate education at Emory University, he attended medical school at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He subsequently completed psychiatry residency at University of Miami/Jackson Health System and further sub-specialized at University of Miami/Jackson Health System with a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Valerstain has had the opportunity of working with a diverse array of patients including children, adolescents, the severely mentally ill, veterans, and cancer patients across three distinct hospital systems. Dr. Valerstain has had varied clinical experiences in specialty inpatient psychiatry units, emergency psychiatry, consultation liaison psychiatry, psycho-oncology, and outpatient clinics via telemedicine and face to face interactions. Dr. Valerstain has experience working with patients of all ages, particularly those with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, Tic disorders, substance use disorders, and more. Dr. Valerstain's practice focuses on medication management and also employs empathic listening, supportive psychotherapy techniques, and a comprehensive and methodological approach to his visits. Given his broad and diverse training experiences, he enjoys problem solving and working collaboratively with patients (and their families) to navigate their complex issues and jointly focusing on simple solutions to work towards improving their mental health.

Dr. Ahmed Valdes is a board certified adult psychiatrist and burgeoning Geriatric Psychiatrist. After completing his undergraduate education at Florida State University, he attended medical school at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine where he graduated with a combined M.D./M.S. in Genomic Medicine. He subsequently completed psychiatry residency at Jackson Health System/University of Miami and further subspecialized with a fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry. Dr. Valdes has had the opportunity of working with a diverse array of patients including veterans, inmates, the severely mentally ill, geriatric, and cancer patients across three distinct hospital systems. Dr. Valdes has had varied clinical experiences in specialty inpatient psychiatry units (detox, geriatric, mood disorder), emergency psychiatry, consultation liaison psychiatry, psycho-oncology, and outpatient specialty clinics (HIV, dementia, integrative and collaborative care) via telemedicine and face to face interactions .Dr. Valdes has experience working with adults of all ages, particularly those with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, PTSD, and more. Dr. Valdes employs empathic listening, supportive psychotherapy techniques, and a comprehensive and methodological approach to his visits. Given his broad and diverse training experiences, he enjoys problem solving and working collaboratively with patients to navigate their complex issues and jointly focusing on simple solutions to work towards improving their mental health.

Dr. Rodriguez is a board eligible adult psychiatrist, who is also fluent in Spanish. He completed residency at North Florida Regional in Gainesville via the University of Central Florida, where he also served as chief resident for education. He received his medical degree from Lincoln Memorial University � DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tennessee. He also holds a master's and bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of South Florida, in Tampa. Dr. Rodriguez has worked with a wide array of patients across various medical settings and has experience treating patients with psychiatric illness who may also be suffering from medical comorbidities, such as obesity, hypertension, pain, and diabetes. He has been deeply involved with teaching and emphasizes psychoeducation while working in collaboration with his patients to help tailor their personalized treatment plan. His primary focus has been on treating adults with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and PTSD. Dr. Rodriguez has an approachable, patient-centered style, combined with a passion for optimizing sleep as it pertains to management of a psychiatric illness and overall well-being. He offers supportive therapy as part of his medication management visits, and at times may also offer cognitive behavioral therapy to address underlying stressors which may be contributing to one's presenting ailments. He may also recommend including a therapist in your care team to optimize outcomes.

Rebecca Johnson, LCSW, is a dedicated mental health professional with experience in a variety of settings. With a MSW from Louisiana State University and licensure in multiple states, she brings a well-rounded, evidence-based approach to therapy.

Rebecca’s work spans multiple roles across in and outpatient settings, with a strong focus on individuals facing substance use, domestic violence, and co-occurring conditions. At Lower Key Medical Center, she served as an inpatient social worker and the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) coordinator, where she provided crisis intervention, therapy, and groups. In her role as IOP coordinator, she managed IOP tracks, ensuring patients receive comprehensive psychotherapeutic support via group and individual therapy.

Previously, her work at the Guidance/Care Center molded her expertise in crisis response, relapse prevention, and intensive therapeutic interventions, in various settings. Finally, her work as a Clinical Counselor at the Children’s Home Society, working closely with parents involved in the child welfare system, providing therapy and court-informed treatment recommendations further solidified this knowledge.

Rebecca uses a person-centered and eclectic style, modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and mindfulness-based. She believes in tailoring interventions to each client’s unique needs, fostering resilience and self-efficacy in their journey toward healing.

Dr. Chelsea Karson is a board-certified psychiatrist who completed her residency training at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital where she was Chief Resident of her program. Dr. Karson is passionate about patient care, believing in caring for the whole person. While completing her residency training, she led an interprofessional team to bring miniature-therapy horses to the inpatient psychiatry unit and thereby forge a relationship between the organization and all of Advocate Aurora Healthcare. Dr. Karson partnered with a mental health counselor to create a virtual therapy program of resources, the Bridge Project, to close the gap between inpatient and outpatient care that is now used throughout the Advocate Aurora network. At graduation Dr. Karson received the 2024 Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Ruggie Humanitarian Award. The Ruggie Award selects and honors a graduating resident or fellow who displays academic excellence, commitment to the education of others, professional bearing, and a concern for the patient within the light of Human Ecology. Dr. Karson attended undergraduate at Elmhurst University, a biology major with minors in chemistry and medical humanities. She went to medical school at Rosalind Franklin University and was chosen to join the Gold Humanism Honor Society for her dedication to compassionate patient care.