Greg Morgan, MD

Meet Alex Starmer, LMHC, your friendly mental health counselor here at Talkiatry. She's not just a counselor; she's your partner on your mental health journey. Alex earned her Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Syracuse University in 2020 and has been in the field since January 2021, working closely with clients facing mental health and substance use challenges. Alex believes in the power of the mind-body connection, and she loves to share polyvagal exercises and mindfulness techniques to help you better understand yourself. She's always learning and growing, with ongoing training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Her go-to tools for therapy are Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). With her, you can expect a compassionate and comprehensive approach to your mental well-being. You're in good hands with Alex.‍

Dr. Debbarma is double board certified in General Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. Dr. Debbarma is also certified in mindfulness therapy. Prior to joining Talkiatry, Dr. Debbarma worked as an attending psychiatrist and teaching faculty member in an academic hospital. She has experience of managing diverse patients ranging from chronic severe mental illness, dual diagnosis patients, crisis management, and a high functioning outpatients population. Dr. Debbarma is an International medical graduate from India with postgraduate training in Psychiatry and Family Medicine. To better understand public health and preventive care in the USA, Dr. Debbarma pursued an advanced degree in Master of Public Health from Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia. Due to interest in global health, Dr. Debbarma worked as a post-doctoral fellow in Global Health at Rutgers University. Dr. Debbarma completed psychiatry residency from Cooper University Hospital and served as a chief resident. Dr. Debbarma has diverse experiences in health care. Prior to moving to the USA, she worked as a medical officer in the government hospital system. Dr. Debbarma has years of experience in treating patients from different cultural and religious backgrounds. As an individual, Dr. Debbarma is intrigued by the human mind and behavior, and that's why she chose to specialize in psychiatry. She focuses on "wholeness" by understanding the whole person not just their symptoms. Her treatment approach includes a bio-psycho-sociocultural model and patient-centered care. She offers medication management and supportive therapy. Based on clinical needs, Dr. Debbarma also incorporates CBT, mindfulness, and MI. Dr. Debbarma has a special interest in women's mental health and cultural psychiatry.

Cherese Allen is a Licensed Professional Counselor with extensive experience working with adolescents, teens, and adults. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Houston and earned her master's degree from Houston Christian University. Additionally, she completed an internship at a private practice in Texas. Upon obtaining her license, she achieved certifications in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Shame-Informed Therapy, and Eating Disorders. With years of experience in both education and private practice, Cherese has helped individuals, couples, and families overcome a wide range of mental health challenges. Her expertise includes, but is not limited to, addressing depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, mood disorders, career changes, and major life transitions. Cherese employs a holistic approach that integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Person-Centered Therapy. She believes that with the right tools, you can conquer many obstacles and reach your desired destination. Cherese looks forward to supporting you on your journey!

Dr. Mark Simonds is a Board-Certified general psychiatrist with training and certification in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He has been practicing general psychiatry for about 25 years. His practice focuses on initial assessment of psychiatric conditions, treatment planning, and psychotropic medication management, typically with a one-hour initial intake and 30-minute follow-up visits. Collaboration with a psychotherapist for the best treatment outcome is welcome and encouraged. Dr. Simonds is a graduate of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in General Psychiatry at the University of Southern California, followed by a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry also at USC. Dr. Simonds specializes in psychopharmacology, and as a generalist, he has a lot of experience treating patients with mood disorders (including Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder); trauma and reactive psychoses; pain and psychosomatic disorders; and ADHD and Developmental Disorders, such as Aspergers. Having grown up in the Southern Appalachians but having lived most of his professional life in Los Angeles, he has worked with clients of various socioeconomics, religions, and ethnicities, as well as LGBT youth and adults. He lived abroad in Leeds, England, for one year in college, and continues to travel and obtain knowledge through these experiences. He trains regularly in the gym and does long-distance street biking, and he encourages exercise and a good diet as part of his clients' mental health recovery.

Bridgette K. Hathaway, LCSW holds the position of clinical therapist at Talkiatry. She is board-certified in clinical social work. She has been practicing for over 5 years. Ms. Hathaway's practice focuses on individual psychotherapy. Typically, she offers this in conjunction with solution-focused motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy, in 60-minute visits. She received her bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a focus in behavioral neurobiology and women's studies from Harpur College at Binghamton University, and her master's degree in social work at the College of Community and Public Affairs at Binghamton University. Additionally, Ms. Hathaway studied abroad in Blantyre, Malawi, Africa, completing an Asset-Based Community Development program promoting social-emotional wellbeing for youth. After completing training, she returned and worked in her local community, Binghamton, NY, in myriad roles. First, with adolescents at the Promise Zone Summer Zone Summer Camp as program coordinator, continuing to focus on the wellbeing of youth, before becoming the MICA enhanced residential coordinator for Fairview Recovery Services, where she spent time providing addiction services to the dually diagnosed. She was then the residential treatment center social worker at the Children's Home of Wyoming Conference focused on service provision to adolescent males, before becoming a behavioral health counselor providing integrated mental health and addiction services to individuals of all ages, at Family and Children's Counseling Services. Further, Ms. Hathaway participated in continuing education in LGBTQ, Gender Identity, Expression, and Behavioral Health; OASAS Person-Centered Care and Harm-Reduction; Integrated Mental Health Addictions Treatment; NYSED Safe Schools Against Violence in Education; Borderline Personality Disorder; Integrated Treatment-Individual Interventions; and Motivational Interviewing. Her auxiliary certifications include Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Needs Assessments, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, ASIST-Applied Suicide Intervention Skills, and NYSDOH Opioid Overdose Naloxone Program.‍

Lopa Rana, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist who has been practicing for over 29 years. Dr. Rana completed her medical school at B.J Medical College, Ahmedabad, India. Her Psychiatry training was at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She has practiced in varied settings, like being a faculty at SUNY Buffalo, a Private practice in a suburban town of Detroit, Michigan, for 4 years. She, then held a Senior Psychiatrist position at Henry Ford Behavioral Health for 14 years, in Michigan. She has been an Associate Professor at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. In the recent years, Dr. Ranahasd has been overseeing Outpatient Behavioral health at the Corewell Health William Beaumont hospital for the past 10 years. Throughout her career, she has been training and supervising Psychiatry Residents and Medical Students. Apart from being competent in the management of common Psychiatric conditions like Major Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Psychotic disorders and ADHD, she has an expertise in Advanced Psychopharmacology with a specialty interest in Psychiatric disorders during the pregnancy and the postpartum period. She has almost 2 decades of experience in helping women manage the course of their Mood and Anxiety disorders during and after pregnancy. She has been the consultant for Maternal Fetal Medicine and Obstetricians at Corewell Health for women who have questions and concerns regarding planning, managing, and guiding them during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Rana has performed several Zulresso (Brexanolone) infusions for women with severe postpartum depression, with remarkable outcomes. Dr. Rana values greatly the safety of the customized treatment options for her patients and informed decision making with her patients. Apart from English, she is fluent in Gujarati and Hindi languages.