Holly Corrigan, PMHNP

Dr. Caitlin Gardiner is a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy. Dr. Caitlin Gardiner's practice is based on the biopsychosocial model and believes that the foundation of healing is in psychotherapy and human connection. She is known for incorporating therapy into her medication management practice. Typically she offers 30-minute follow-up visits for medication management with focused therapy based on individual needs. As a known helper, Dr. Gardiner started her career with a bachelor's degree in social work from Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, NY. After changing career paths, she received her medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. She stayed upstate to complete her general psychiatry residency, where she was chief resident at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this, she completed her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Upstate due to the high quality of training. Dr. Gardiner has completed 3 years of advanced training in Dynamic Deconstructive Psychotherapy as well as specialized training in DBT. Dr. Gardiner is a well-rounded psychiatrist who enjoys treating youth and young adults during transitional phases of life while providing a safe and supportive environment. She believes strongly in reducing polypharmacy and providing high-quality medication management through a therapeutic and developmental lens.

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.

Margaret Ngumi, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, is a dual board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health and Family Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years of experience in healthcare. She began her career as a Family Nurse Practitioner and later pursued a post-master’s certification in psychiatry to address the growing need for accessible mental health services. Margaret has extensive experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings, treating conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, mood disorders, and substance use disorders.

She takes a collaborative, patient-centered approach to care, creating a safe and supportive environment where individuals feel heard and empowered. With a strong emphasis on holistic care, Margaret considers all aspects of a patient’s well-being—including lifestyle, relationships, and overall health. Whether through medication management, therapy, or lifestyle modifications, she is committed to helping patients achieve meaningful and lasting improvements in their mental health.

Margaret begins with a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation to understand each patient’s history, concerns, and goals. She then works closely with them to develop a personalized care plan that may include medication, therapy, and evidence-based lifestyle interventions. She prioritizes open communication, patient education, and ongoing collaboration to ensure treatment remains effective and evolves with each patient’s needs. Through her compassionate and evidence-based approach, Margaret is dedicated to helping individuals find balance and improve their overall quality of life.

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Dr. Steven Wilkening is a board-certified adult psychiatrist.He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Cornell University followed by a neuroscience researchfocused Masters degree at the University of Mississippi. He then attended medical school at theUniversity of Mississippi School of Medicine, graduating with his MD degree as a Medical StudentResearch Scholar and member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He completed adultpsychiatry residency training at the University of Cincinnati and has since been working primarily intelepsychiatry.He has experience treating a wide variety of psychiatric conditions and also recognizes that lifestylefactors such as sleep, physical activity and stress-reduction are foundations of good mental health.Alongside medication management, he provides brief supportive psychotherapy, psychoeducation, aswell as elements of cognitive behavioral and solution-focused therapies to assist patients in meetingtheir goals. He often encourages patients to see a therapist in addition to a psychiatrist.

Dr. Alicia Garcete is a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist in practice for over 12 years. Her practice focuses on medication management, recognizing  family involvement is extremely important and is an integral part of treatment. Dr Garcete has treated a wide variety of patients. Her primary focus is treating depression, anxiety disorders, ADHD, PTSD and OCD. Additionally, she can provide supportive therapy and elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy but on occasions more therapy support may be needed, and the recommendation to bring a psychotherapist on the care team may occur to provide an optimal outcome. Dr. Garcete is bilingual and provides care in both Spanish and English.

Prior to Talkiatry, Dr Garcete treated children, adolescents, and adults was at the intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization levels of care with focus on behavioral approaches in the Depression recovery and Anxiety/OCD programs.

Dr. Garcete earned her Medical Degree from the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas in Paraguay. She completed her general psychiatrist residency at Maimonides Medical Center in New York. She was also a Fellow in Psychoanalysis at the Psychoanalytic Institute, Affiliate to New York University School of Medicine, and completed her child and adolescent psychiatrist fellowship at Elmhurst Hospital Center, affiliate to Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Garcete also held a clinical assistant professor appointment from the department of psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

Dr. Alexandra ("Sasha”) Blaes is a board-certified psychiatrist. Before joining Talkiatry, she practiced consult-liaison psychiatry, seeing medically ill patients with psychiatric problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where she also treated veterans in nursing homes. Dr. Blaes graduated from New York University with a B.A. in philosophy and photography and worked in nonprofit marketing in New York before deciding she wanted to pursue a life in medicine. Following a post-baccalaureate, pre-medical program at Columbia University, Dr. Blaes completed medical school at The University of Maryland, followed by a psychiatry residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. While at Johns Hopkins, she mastered clinical assessment and treatment of general psychiatric problems. She also received specialized training in eating disorders, addiction, reproductive psychiatry, chronic pain, and geriatric psychiatry, an interest she pursued further with a fellowship at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In fellowship and in her subsequent experience at the VA, she developed expertise in caring for the difficulties that can accompany aging, including depression, anxiety, and memory loss, as well as the stress of medical illness. Dr. Blaes' practice focuses on medication management. She works to foster a safe and collaborative space in which patients can address psychiatric illness and other barriers holding them back from the lives they want to lead. Typically, she offers appointments for medication management coupled with supportive or emotionally focused therapy in 30-minute sessions. When Dr. Blaes feels that additional therapy is needed, she will suggest inviting a therapist to join the team for additional support and guidance. She welcomes collaborations with other clinicians, be they therapists or other physicians caring for her patients. She strives to build strong therapeutic relationships that help patients grow and meet their goals - whatever their situation, challenge, or life stage. Dr. Blaes welcomes patients from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds and is LGBTQ+ friendly. In addition to her background in geriatrics, she has experience working with peripartum women and enjoys working with patients navigating major life changes.