Krishna Divadeenam, MD

Dr. Routhier was born in Quebec, Canada. She attended medical school at Ross University School of Medicine and graduated in three years with high honors. She trained as a psychiatry resident at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH where she served as a junior attending and the medical student coordinator. She then was recruited by Monterey County Behavioral Health, CA as a clinical psychiatrist where she provided medication management and psychotherapy services to over 400 patients over the course of five years. She also created and led two dialectical behavior therapy groups for teens and young adults while training therapists and social workers to become group facilitators.

Dr. Routhier firmly believes in the mind-body connection. She feels that when the mind suffers, the body hurts as well and vice versa. As a result, she has developed a holistic approach to psychiatry and is comfortable offering a wide array of treatment modalities such as breathwork, dialectical behavior therapy, guided meditation, supportive psychotherapy, behavioral activation and medication management. She maintains that autonomy and a thorough understanding of one’s diagnosis and prognosis are critical for progress and healing. Her broad range of worldly experiences gives her the ability to work in a non judgemental, open-minded and authentic fashion. She connects with clients with ease and is passionate about self-awareness, constant evolution and empowering people so they can find their own way to happiness and health. She pushes her clients to find ways to build a life worth living, way beyond the goal of symptom resolution typical to psychiatry.

1. Getting to know you/understanding your “why”. Why are you seeking mental health treatment and why now? 2. Establish a list of issues and improvement zones. 3. Creating therapeutic goals. What do you want to work on? 4. Choosing treatment modalities to directly address these goals within a specific time frame. I provide updated and evidence-based information, and YOU choose what we do. 5. Figuring out the root causes to problems, symptoms and maladaptive behaviors/habits. How did this all start? Where does it come from? 6. Regular check-ins on how the treatment plan and therapeutic relationship are working for you. Are we a good fit? Are we meeting your goals/expectations? If not, back to the drawing board!

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.

Stephorna Barnes-Patterson, LCSW, brings over 15 years of experience working in community and outpatient settings with individuals across all age groups. She utilizes various treatment modalities to meet diverse needs. Stephorna earned her degree from Adelphi University School of Social Work and is a licensed clinical social worker committed to compassionate, effective care.

Stephorna offers flexible, client-focused, and culturally competent treatment. She tailors every session to meet the individual’s unique needs, creating a space where patients feel heard, understood, and empowered in their healing journey.

During the initial session, Stephorna takes time to understand each patient’s history, concerns, goals, and existing strengths. She collaborates with clients to develop personalized treatment plans aimed at providing both immediate relief and long-term healing.

Dr. Jency Cynthia Sachidanandam completed her Residency and Fellowship at Texas Tech University Health Science Center in El Paso, gaining extensive training in diagnosing and treating various psychiatric conditions. As a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Texas Tech, she works with a diverse patient population, addressing psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, PTSD, and OCD. Dr. Sachi emphasizes the importance of addressing both physical and mental health to achieve a good quality of life. She believes that mental health is interconnected with physical well-being and that treating one aspect without the other leads to incomplete care. Her holistic approach involves medication management, psychotherapy, and lifestyle modifications to promote overall health. Dr. Sachi is skilled in providing supportive psychotherapy and using psychodynamic therapy techniques to help patients understand and address their current stressors and underlying issues. Dr. Sachi has shown a genuine commitment to her patients and a passion for helping them achieve their best possible outcomes. She is dedicated to staying current with the latest advancements in psychiatry and continuously improving her skills to provide the highest standard of care. Her compassionate and patient-centered approach has earned her the respect and trust of her patients and colleagues alike.

Dr. Karla Garcia is a board-certified psychiatrist trained in Adult Psychiatry. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Education. She then went on to complete her medical education and residency training at the University of Chicago. She is board certified in Adult Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Garcia believes in patient-centered care, seeking to care for the whole person.  She values the therapeutic relationship, working to guide patients in their treatment while also encouraging patients to take an active role in their care. Dr. Garcia cares about getting to know you as a person and helping you reconnect with your values. Her clinical approach is holistic, collaborative, and supportive.

Dr. Garcia focuses on evidence-based treatments for psychiatric illness that utilize a combination of medications and psychotherapy. Using a range of skills and interventions, Dr. Garcia believes in a multi-faceted approach to treatment.

Dr. Garcia has experience working in a wide variety of inpatient, emergency, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient psychiatric settings and in treating a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, substance use disorders, personality disorders, ADHD, and OCD. She treats patients in English and Spanish.

Dr. Kerstin Asquith is a board-certified psychiatrist at Talkiatry. She has extensive experience working with a wide range of diagnoses and patient populations, with particular interest in treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD. She also has additional training in college mental health. Dr. Asquith believes in the importance of getting to know each of her patients and the unique issues that bring them into treatment. Her approach involves collaborating with patients to create personalized treatment plans and considering both medication and non-medication methods.

Dr. Asquith is from California and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis. She obtained her medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine and then trained at Stanford University's Adult Psychiatry Residency Program. She subsequently completed a fellowship in student mental health at Stanford University. Most recently, Dr. Asquith worked as an outpatient psychiatrist at The Permanente Medical Group. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and spending time with friends and family.