Mary Bartek, MD

Cassandra Thomas-Jingles is a dedicated, board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with dual certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is deeply passionate about helping others and takes a holistic, evidence-based approach to mental healthcare, empowering patients to live life to their fullest potential.

Her practice focuses on medication management and supportive therapy, offering 30-minute follow-up sessions. When additional therapy is needed, she recommends including a therapist in the care team to ensure the best possible outcomes. With extensive experience in both outpatient and inpatient settings, Cassandra has worked with adults and children facing a wide range of mental health conditions, including ADHD, anxiety, depression, and psychotic disorders. She strongly believes in prioritizing client involvement and fostering interprofessional collaboration.

Your mental health journey is unique, and Cassandra is here to listen with compassion and without judgment. All conversations are confidential, and her goal is to create a safe, welcoming space where you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and concerns.

During your initial appointment, Cassandra will review your mental health history, current symptoms, lifestyle factors, and any previous treatments to gain a comprehensive understanding of your needs. Together, you will develop a personalized treatment plan that may include therapy, medication, or other supportive strategies. She values shared decision-making, ensuring your input is considered at every step of the process.

If medication is part of your treatment, Cassandra will clearly explain its benefits, potential side effects, and how your progress will be monitored. Adjustments can be made as needed to achieve the best possible outcome.

Healing takes time, and Cassandra is committed to supporting you throughout the process. Follow-up appointments are essential for tracking progress, making necessary adjustments, and ensuring you receive the care you need.

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Dr. Cheng is a board-certified psychiatrist who provides medication management alongside supportive therapy. She takes an individualized, patient-centered approach, creating comprehensive treatment plans tailored to each person's needs. With an approachable and caring demeanor, she helps patients address both immediate concerns and underlying stressors. Dr. Cheng believes in evidence-based practices while maintaining sensitivity to each patient's unique mental health journey.

Dr. Karina Fatova is a board certified psychiatrist who hails from New York City but has made New Orleans her home for the past ten years. She is a graduate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and she did her adult psychiatry residency at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. She was proud to have her first position post-residency at the River Oaks Hospital Trauma Unit in New Orleans, LA where she treated patients with Complex PTSD and eating disorders. The Trauma Unit was one of a few of its kind nationally because it provided very specialized treatment that was affordable to many. Dr. Fatova then went on to work at the New Orleans Veterans Affairs Hospital for the last five years in its ambulatory outpatient mental health clinic. Though her passion is Complex Trauma/PTSD, she also regularly saw veteran patients who have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and adjustment disorder. During her five years at the New Orleans VA, she received three special commendations from the director of the VA for feedback from her patients about her effective integrative approach to supportive psychotherapy and medication management. She believes that her rapport with her patients, and their therapeutic work together, is just as important as the medication she prescribes to heal or alleviate their symptoms. Dr Fatova employs psychodynamic therapy techniques, at times, to help those patients who would like to explore childhood experiences that may continue to impact them in their adult lives. With respect to medication management she regularly helps patients target symptoms such as sleep issues, nightmares, persistent worry, emotional dysregulation, frequent mood changes, impulsivity, and "toning down the nervous system," among others. She strongly believes that treatment decisions are best approached as a collaboration between patient and doctor. She sees young adults who are just starting their journey into adulthood, as well as adults who have been navigating life with challenges, which may include untreated, or poorly treated, mental health symptoms. Often, by the time Dr. Fatova sees a patient, they may have lost a significant amount of faith in their mental health doctors, and she is particularly attuned to helping individuals with this type of experience.

Dr. Ani Maria Tejada is a double board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist who provides holistic, comprehensive outpatient psychiatric care at Talkiatry via telehealth. She is fully bilingual in English and Spanish and works with patients of all ages. Dr. Tejada has a special interest in caring for individuals with developmental disabilities, including Autism and Asperger’s, and treats a wide range of conditions such as ADHD, anxiety disorders, OCD, trauma-related disorders, mood disorders, postpartum depression, personality disorders, and other mental health conditions that affect daily functioning.

Dr. Tejada takes a warm, compassionate, and collaborative approach to care. She deeply respects each patient’s dignity, autonomy, and personal values, and believes informed patients are empowered patients. She provides clear education on treatment options, benefits, and risks based on current national guidelines, creating a judgment-free space where patients feel heard, understood, and supported as active partners in their care.

During the initial visit, Dr. Tejada takes time to understand the patient’s full personal history and current circumstances to better see the world through their perspective. Ongoing visits use measurement-based tools to guide treatment decisions, including medication adjustments when appropriate. She supports patients in building coping skills, reducing negative thought patterns, and developing healthy habits that promote long-term emotional well-being and improved quality of life.

Dr. Stuart Hedgpeth is a board-certified psychiatrist. While Dr. Hedgpeth primarily focuses on medication management, he understands that mental health often requires approaches from multiple perspectives. Psychodynamic and supportive therapies are offered on an as-needed basis in addition to medication management. New patients are provided 60 minutes for initial visits, and follow-ups are given 30 minutes. Dr. Hedgpeth graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, NC. He completed his adult psychiatry residency training at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond, VA. Dr. Hedgpeth's training has positioned him to care for adults of all ages with a wide spectrum of mental health disorders and related conditions. In his residency he sought out additional experience working with patients undergoing treatment for HIV, patients with trauma-related disorders, and the LGBTQ+ population.

Dr. Ramsey is board certified in general and child and adolescent psychiatry. His practice primarily focuses on medication management. He sees himself as a collaborator with therapists and counselors in caring for their shared patients and their families. He received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. He completed his residency at West Virginia University Hospitals and WVU School of Medicine and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, and Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven and Middletown, CT. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Memphis. Dr. Ramsey remained in CT for two additional years, working in the Department of Children and Families, serving the state's at-risk youth and adolescents at a psychiatric residential treatment facility. He then returned to West Virginia University as clinical faculty in its School of Medicine. During the 12-year academic appointment, he had active roles in educating, training, and supervising medical students, general psychiatry residents, child and adolescent psychiatry fellows, and trainees from various disciplines. He worked for many years with adolescent males at both the Dually Diagnosed and Specialized Residential Treatment Centers within West Virginia University Healthcare. He provided outpatient and acute inpatient care, as well as hospital-based consultation services. Within the community, he provided medication evaluation and management services to residential treatment facilities and university student health. He has been seeing patients and collaborating with providers through telemedicine since 2016. While Dr. Ramsey specializes in working with patients with anxiety, he does not prescribe benzodiazepines.‍