Dennis Valerstain, MD

Dr. Mendez obtained his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. He subsequently completed his Psychiatry residency training at the same institution, UT Medical School in Houston. Dr. Mendez has extensive training in the field and is board certified in Adult Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. After professional training, Dr. Mendez has had vast experience of 15 years primarily in the outpatient setting including ample experience with telemedicine services to patients. He has extensive experience in diagnosing and treating adult patients dealing with attention deficit disorders and a wide spectrum of adjustment and anxiety disorders. Dr. Mendez has a special interest in the treatment of mood disorders from Major Depression to Bipolar spectrum disorders. Dr. Mendez prioritizes the development of great communication, mutual understanding and trust with his patients as he finds these elements to be key to a successful treatment. He establishes his treatment plans upon evidence-based guidelines and encourages a holistic approach for optimal well-being. Through effective medication management and supportive psychotherapy, Dr. Mendez leads his patients to optimal mental health. He encourages patients to strive to develop fulfillment and optimal functionality in their life's roles.

Dr. Michael A. Murphy is board-certified in General Psychiatry as well as Child and Adolescent Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He has over 20 years of experience practicing medicine in outpatient, acute, and residential settings. He provides psychiatric assessments and medication management along with brief supportive psychotherapy. He is a strong advocate of collaboration between psychiatric care and psychotherapeutic interventions and encourages the utilization of therapists and counselors. Dr. Murphy holds a bachelor's degree in Chemistry Pre-med from Florida A & M University and a Medical Degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine. He completed both his residency in General Psychiatry and Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Virginia. He formally served as Chief of Behavioral Health Services at Ft. Eustis, Virginia. He has previously provided acute care and residential treatment at Newport News Behavioral Health Center, outpatient services in the community, and the foster care system. He has recently served as medical director of Harbor Point Behavioral Health Center. Dr. Murphy has an extensive history of providing care for both the adult and child population. He specializes in the treatment of children with Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

Kacey Peterson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with Diagnostic Privilege in New York and Florida, where she also serves as a Telehealth Provider. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology from Florida Atlantic University before completing her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Long Island University.

Kacey has experience supporting individuals in residential, crisis, and outpatient settings, helping those managing anxiety, depression, PTSD, low self-esteem, adjustment issues, and relational challenges. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral, Person-Centered, and Trauma-Informed approaches to ensure care is tailored to each individual’s unique needs and goals.

Kacey’s process centers on creating a safe, supportive, and healing environment where collaboration is key. She works alongside individuals to navigate emotions, explore strengths, and focus on personal goals. With compassion and guidance, Kacey helps her patients uncover resilience, foster growth, and move toward lasting healing and meaningful change.

Ana Castro, LMHC received a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Queens College, City University of New York. She completed training at F.E.G.S and has worked in community mental health and outpatient hospital-based settings. Ana has 7 years of experience working with individuals as well as with children and families treating anxiety, depression, family and relationship issues, and other mental health issues. Ana uses methods from psychoanalysis, CBT, DBT, along with light supportive therapy in order to provide a person-centered approach. She began by working at New York Psychotherapy and Counseling Center, working with individuals, as well as children and families in a high-risk area, providing family therapy, psychodynamic and behavioral therapy, and assisting with the coordination of care with outside agencies. Ana has worked at St. Joseph's Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic treating patients with various psychiatric illnesses. She has also worked at St. Vincent's- Westchester Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic, providing intake, diagnosis, and individual therapy to a population ranging from adolescents to late adults. Ana continues to work towards expanding her knowledge of evidence-based approaches in order to provide the best outcomes.

Dr. Dominique Holley is a triple board-certified psychiatrist in Adult Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine. Dr. Holley completed her post-doctoral residency and fellowship training at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. She has served as an active US Army officer and recently separated from the US Army after 11 years of service. In her most recent role, she served as the Deputy Chief of the Department of Behavioral Health at Fort Campbell, KY where she provided clinical and administrative supervision, as well as mentorship and guidance for an interdisciplinary team of over 140 personnel. She maintained oversight of behavioral health care being delivered through 11 clinics and satellite locations, providing patient care for over 30,000 beneficiaries. While in leadership, she continued to provide direct patient care for service members and dependents including child and adolescent populations. Due to her experience with this unique population, she has extensive experience in treating individuals with trauma. She offers an holistic approach when caring for individuals dealing with mental illness as well as phase of life circumstances. She believes in treating the whole person and attending to physical, spiritual, and mental health. Dr. Holley provides supportive, cognitive behavioral, acceptance and commitment, and psychodynamic therapy skills that complement medication management in order to help improve wellness.

Dr. Sheena Dohar is a board certified general psychiatrist. Before joining Talkiatry, she practiced extensively in community mental health with adults of all ages in both outpatient and inpatient settings and as the medical director of several intensive outpatient and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) based programs. She has experience in private practice and in the dual diagnoses of mental health and substance abuse disorders. Dr. Dohar graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology and then completed medical school at West Virginia University School of Medicine. She trained during her residency at WVU, where she served as a chief resident and received the Brandon K. Fuller Award for Physician Empathy in 2017. Dr. Dohar's practice focuses on medication management. Her goals include helping people feel comfortable seeking treatment as well as promoting an understanding of the purpose and reasoning behind the use of various medications to treat psychiatric disorders. Typically, she offers this in conjunction with supportive or emotionally focused therapy in 30-minute follow-up visits. When Dr. Dohar may believe that additional therapy is also needed, she will ask that you bring a therapist into your care team to provide the best outcome. Dr. Dohar appreciates and values working with therapists within the Talkiatry practice and in the community in a collaborative effort to promote wellness. She strives to build strong therapeutic relationships with the people that she sees in her practice. Her passions include working in the community at large to encourage a better understanding of mental health disorders and to promote suicide awareness and prevention. She has interests in pharmacogenomics as well as treatment resistant approaches to depression. Dr. Dohar appears in several professional publications.‍