Madison Perington, DO

More Clinicians

Dr. Amanda Carrera-Alvarez is double board-certified in Psychiatry and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. She received her medical degree from Universidad Central del Caribe in Puerto Rico, completed a 1-year Internship in Internal Medicine at the Ramon Ruiz Arnau University Hospital in PR, and went on to complete Residency in Psychiatry at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx. Dr. Carrera-Alvarez then completed a 1-year Fellowship in Consultation Liaison at St. Luke's and Roosevelt Medical Centers in New York City, further acquiring proficiency in caring for patients with complex medical and psychiatric comorbidities. After completing training, Dr. Carrera worked briefly as a Psychiatric Consultant for patients admitted to medical units and as an Electroconvulsive Therapy Psychiatrist to patients in the Inpatient Psychiatric Units, in Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn. During this time and through training, she worked part-time/moonlighted in the Margaret Cochran Corbin VA Campus located on NYC and eventually moved to work there permanently in the roles of Outpatient Psychiatrist, Consultant Psychiatrist to outpatient medical specialties, and ECT Psychiatrist. More recently she held the position of Acting Program Manager and Outpatient Psychiatrist to the VA Mayagüez Outpatient Clinic in Puerto Rico. Dr. Carrera-Alvarez focuses on medication management while also implementing elements of supportive, psychodynamic, and cognitive behavioral therapy within each session to fully address individual needs. At times, Dr. Carrera-Alvarez may recommend a therapist for additional and/or more specialized therapy. Dr. Carrera-Alvarez is experienced in treating a wide range of psychiatric conditions including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, among others.

Kevin Seske, LCPC

Staff Therapist

Kevin Seske is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who specializes in Sport and Health Psychology. His approach to therapy is collaborative, empowering, nonjudgmental, trauma informed, and goal-focused. He sees therapy as a method to find the individual's strengths to help overcome any hardships.‍Kevin integrates treatment modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma-Focused CBT, Existential Therapy, and mindfulness techniques. In addition, he incorporates Sports Psychology in sessions where appropriate as he believes physical activity can empower us and teach us life skills that boost self-esteem, promote team building, and aid in relaxation. These methods are proven to show reduction in anxiety and depression.‍Kevin specializes in treating PTSD among young adults, adults, and/or immigrant populations. He is also skilled in treating mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, grief, emotional abuse, and life transitions. Kevin has been told by clients and colleagues that he has a calming presence and is a good listener.‍Kevin's 10 years of experience as a counselor has included providing trauma-informed care for undocumented minors who arrived at the US border seeking refuge from their home countries, including ones experiencing Adjustment Disorder, PTSD, and ODD. Additionally, Kevin served in a FQHC on the Southwest side of Chicago, in their clinical setting and school-based health center.

Theresa Colberg, MD

Staff Psychiatrist

Dr. Theresa Colberg is a board certified adult psychiatrist. She offers guidance with navigating difficult and painful emotions that may result from mood disorders, stressful life situations, the loss of a loved one, traumatic events, attachment traumas, or neurodevelopment disorders. Within a safe, and supportive working relationship, Dr. Colberg will strive to reach an understanding of your unique situation, identify the issues that are interfering with progress, and develop a plan to better identify and achieve your goals. Previous to joining Talkiatry, Dr. Colberg served as a clinical psychiatrist for the VA Healthcare System, providing care for veterans with a predominant focus on treatment of post traumatic stress disorder. She has also worked collaboratively as an integrated psychiatrist for a primary care FQHC, treating psychiatric symptoms within a primary care setting. Dr. Colberg completed her Psychiatry Residency from Mount Sinai-Beth Israel in New York City and obtained her medical degree from Temple Medical School in Philadelphia. She offers 60-minute initial appointments and 30-minute follow-up appointments, and she won't hesitate to collaborate with other mental health experts as necessary to better support your needs.

Ahmed Valdes, MD

Staff Psychiatrist

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.

Ashlyn Tellers, PMHNP

Staff Nurse Practitioner

Dr. Ashlyn Tellers is a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She received her Doctorate degree in nursing with an emphasis in psychiatry, in 2020 from the University of Arizona. She has been caring for mental health patients for twelve plus years in the long-term care, inpatient, residential, and outpatient settings. She specializes in treating adults with depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and OCD with medication management and supportive therapy. She focuses on educating her patients to build a therapeutic and safe treatment plan with every patient. Dr. Tellers encourages her patients to discuss their past mental history and current stressors to finding the root cause of their triggers and identify healthy coping skills, while also referring patients to therapists for more specialized therapies.

Mary Stephenson, MD

Staff Psychiatrist

Dr. Mary Stephenson is a board-certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with more than 25 years of clinical experience working with this population. Dr. Stephenson's practice focuses on medication management. She believes that the support and involvement of the family are an integral part of the treatment of the client. Additionally, more therapy support may be needed on occasion, and the recommendation to bring a psychotherapist on the care team may occur to provide an optimal outcome. She received her medical degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and her child and adolescent training at the Bingham Child Guidance Center, also part of the University of Louisville, in Louisville, Kentucky. After completion of her training, she moved to Colorado where she worked at The Cleo Wallace Center, in Westminster, CO, providing care for hospitalized youth, and clients in the Day Treatment and Residential setting. In 2000, Dr. Stephenson became the primary Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist on the outpatient team at Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. Her role was providing diagnostic evaluations, and medication management in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and the hospital clinic, working closely with residents, child fellows, and other trainees. She had an academic appointment through the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She treated a varied demographic and had a wide range of diagnoses in the child and adolescent population. From 2016-2021, she worked at Intermountain Health Center in Tucson, AZ providing care in the outpatient setting of the community mental health center. The care was a hybrid model of "in-person” and Telehealth treatment of children and adolescents with various disorders, with an emphasis on diagnostic evaluations of Autism and Autism spectrum disorders.‍

Alexis Lanzillo, LPC

Staff Therapist

Alexis Lanzillo, MA BC-DMT, NCC, LPC (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania and Dance/Movement Therapist. She received her master’s degree as a Dance/Movement Therapist from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also board certified through the American Dance Therapy Association. She has over 15 years of experience working with adolescents and adults of various demographics, living with a vast array of mental health needs.

Alexis is a humanistic therapist, maintaining a clinical focus of a trauma-informed lens. She uses a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches, rooted in dance/movement therapy principles, while integrating elements of additional evidence-based therapies including CBT, DBT, and other mindfulness-based techniques, all with a deep commitment to creating a supportive and non-judgmental space for her clients. She encourages clients to use their voice, verbally and non-verbally enable self-expression to help people build and maintain a positive sense of self.

Meet people where they are at, is always her focus. Alexis believes in the power of the relationship, to self and others, and works with each motivated individual to explore one's own unique experiences, challenge negative beliefs, while gaining a deeper understanding of the mind-body connection. Alexis will be there to support clients in reaching personal goals, challenge beliefs that no longer serve a purpose, encourage healthy risk taking, and establishing healthy boundaries with self and others.

Blanca Osorio Candelaria, MD

Staff Psychiatrist

Dr. Blanca Osorio-Candelaria is a board-certified adult psychiatrist and has been practicing for over 16 years. Her practice focuses on medication management, which she typically combines with supportive therapy in 30-minute follow-up visits. If Dr. Osorio-Candelaria feels you would benefit from working with a therapist in conjunction with medication management, she welcomes collaboration with your therapist to make for the best outcome. ‍Dr. Osorio-Candelaria is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in San Juan, PR. She completed her residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, followed by a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Her years of experience started as a medical officer for the Army, including a deployment to Iraq. Her working experience after her military service includes working as a medical director of a community health center, a medical director of a community hospital, a medical director of an inpatient unit, and working for an Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACT) specializing in the Serious Mentally Ill population.‍Dr. Osorio-Candelaria specializes in psychopharmacology, especially tailoring individualized treatment to serve the needs of patients with a variety of conditions. She has a lot of experience in treating patients with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, Insomnia, and ADHD. She also has experience in treating patients with medical comorbidities.

Tetyana Tarnavsky, MD

Staff Psychiatrist

Dr. Tetyana Tarnavsky is a board-certified psychiatrist trained in Adult Psychiatry. She attended Dnipropetrovsk State Medical Academy in Ukraine where she received her M.D., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Psychiatry. Dr. Tarnavsky completed her residency at Harvard South Shore Psychiatry Residency Training Program in MA, where she was elected chief resident. Dr. Tarnavsky has an extensive research experience in Ukraine and the USA. She had studied computer addiction for her dissertation; had multiple abstracts and presentations; published several articles in peer-reviewed psychiatric journals as well as a book entitled Computer Addiction: Formation, Diagnosis, Correction and Prophylaxis. She has helped organize international conferences with the goal of improving access to and quality of healthcare in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, and providing a national model for health care reform. Dr. Tarnavsky has worked with a variety of patients with diverse backgrounds in a Community Health Center and in the Partial Hospitalization Program as well as supervised medical students, psychiatry residents, and nurse practitioners. She has been a lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and was involved in the training of psychiatry residents in the Harvard South Shore Psychiatry Training Program. Her primary focus has been on treating adults with depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder, ADHD and other disorders. Dr. Tarnavsky strives to provide quality and compassionate treatment to individuals and their families.‍

Puja Kumar, MD

Staff Psychiatrist

Background and credentials

Dr. Puja Kumar is trained in adult, child, and adolescent psychiatry and is a board-certified pediatrician. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Calgary and her medical degree from St. George’s University in Grenada. She completed her pediatrics residency at Maimonides Medical Center in New York and practiced pediatrics with MedStar Shah Medical Group in Maryland before transitioning to psychiatry. She later trained in child and adult psychiatry at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.

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Treatment approach

Dr. Kumar provides medication management combined with supportive therapy, typically in 30-minute follow-up visits. She takes a holistic approach to treatment, considering the impact of lifestyle, parenting practices, and family dynamics on mental health. She emphasizes integrative care, ensuring that treatment plans are tailored to each patient’s unique needs and circumstances.

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What you can expect in a first visit

During the first visit, patients can expect a thorough and compassionate evaluation, where Dr. Kumar takes time to understand their symptoms, medical history, and environmental influences. She prioritizes collaborative decision-making, working closely with patients and, when applicable, their families, to develop a comprehensive and personalized treatment plan. Follow-up visits typically focus on medication adjustments, supportive therapy, and lifestyle recommendations to optimize mental health outcomes.

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Why Talkiatry?

We’re a virtual mental health practice that makes it easy to find great care. We combine quality and convenience to help you thrive—faster. Our providers, like this one, are highly trained experts who specialize in medication management and collaborate with you on a treatment plan that fits your needs and comfort level.

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Cody Chua, LCSW

Staff Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Cody Chua is a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience working in the mental health field. He has a passion for helping individuals, children, couples, and families by assisting them in finding their inner strengths and natural capabilities that aid in creating positive change and fostering healthy relationships. Cody completed school at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work, in Houston, TX, while completing his practicum at Texas Children's Hospital Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. Cody has 3 years of experience as a therapist in inpatient, outpatient, and virtual settings, offering individual, group, and family counseling to teens and adults. He specializes in working with clients with mood disorders, behavioral issues, grief and trauma, substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders. Cody tailors his treatment approach to each individual client, and has experience with various modalities, including mentalization based therapy, logotherapy, and cognitive based therapy. Outside the therapy room, Cody is passionate about cooking, travel, hiking, drawing, music, and theater. He enjoys spending time with his dog, and his family.

John Ewing, MD

Staff Psychiatrist

Dr. Ewing is a board-certified psychiatrist who did his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, and then completed his medical training at the University of Texas, in Houston, Texas, where he was inducted into the AOA honor society. After a medical internship in Seattle, he did his psychiatric residency at the University of California, San Diego where he was chief resident. He went on to complete a child and adolescent fellowship at Columbia University in New York, where he was also chief resident, and earned additional board certification in addiction psychiatry.

Over the past twenty plus years, Dr. Ewing has worked with adolescents, adults and families as the Director of Psychiatry at the Wellspring Foundation, a residential treatment facility in Connecticut, where he spent his time treating patients and supervising therapists. For more than a decade he taught Child and Adolescent Psychiatry residents at Columbia University, and has been in private practice in New York and CT. The length of his experience helps him in understanding the treatment of bipolar disorder, major depression, OCD and anxiety disorders, as well as substance use disorders and eating problems and how they evolve over time. He is an expert in the medical management of these disorders. He is a careful listener and a real person, with a wry sense of humor.

Madison Perington, DO

Education and training

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