Maxine Zhou, MD

Ashlyn Tellers is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She earned her nursing degree with an emphasis in psychiatry in 2020 from the University of Arizona. With over twelve years of experience, she has cared for mental health patients across long-term care, inpatient, residential, and outpatient settings.

Ashlyn specializes in treating adults with depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and OCD through medication management and supportive therapy. She emphasizes patient education and works collaboratively to build therapeutic and safe treatment plans. She encourages open discussions about past mental health history and current stressors to help identify root causes and develop healthy coping strategies. When appropriate, she refers patients to therapists for more specialized care.

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Dr. Lisa Oliveri is a double board-certified psychiatrist in Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry. She completed her undergraduate training at the University of Florida, followed by medical school at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University. She completed both her residency in Psychiatry and fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Since graduating from fellowship, Dr. Oliveri has held an academic appointment at the University of Miami, teaching medical students, residents, and fellows, and serving as the Miami Veterans Healthcare System Site Director for the University of Miami Psychiatry residency and fellowship programs. Additionally, she has served as the Medical Director of the inpatient psychiatry unit and subsequently as the Assistant Chief of Psychiatry for the Miami VA Healthcare System. Dr. Oliveri has a strong interest in treating a broad range of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders. She has extensive experience in treating adults with severe psychiatric illnesses in the inpatient setting. Patients looking for a psychiatrist will find that Dr. Oliveri is approachable, open-minded, and collaborative in her diagnostic interviews and treatment planning. She believes that a strong doctor-patient relationship with a thorough understanding of a patient's condition and concerns is key to effective treatment.

Dr. Hajer Ben Cheikh earned her medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School, where she worked with refugee populations and participated in global health initiatives. She completed her psychiatry residency at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, serving as inpatient chief resident. Dr. Ben Cheikh has experience across the full continuum of psychiatric care, including higher levels of care, collaborative care, and outpatient settings. She has a particular interest in perinatal mental health.

Dr. Ben Cheikh values open communication, transparency, and collaboration, and takes a friendly, supportive approach to patient care. She practices evidence-based medicine with a thoughtful, minimalist approach to pharmacologic treatment, often favoring single agents that can address multiple concerns when clinically appropriate.

Her approach to care is holistic, integrating psychiatric diagnoses, comorbid conditions, social context, and lifestyle factors. Sessions include supportive psychotherapy, incorporating techniques from other modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and psychodynamic approaches as appropriate. Initial visits emphasize diagnostic clarity and collaborative goal-setting, while follow-up sessions focus on patient priorities, shared decision-making, and personalized strategies that support meaningful, sustainable progress.

Dr. Kathryn Hu is a board-certified adult psychiatrist. She majored in biology and neuroscience at Brandeis University, attended medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed residency training at Stony Brook University Hospital. ‍Dr. Hu practices a patient-centered approach to mental health care. She works collaboratively on goals of treatment, with a focus on medication management while incorporating supportive therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness. ‍Dr. Hu treats a variety of mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and ADHD.

Dr. Jaffarzad is a board eligible adult psychiatrist who completed her undergraduate training at the University of Texas at Austin and earned her medical degree at the American University of the Caribbean. She completed her psychiatry residency at Louisiana State University Our Lady of the Lake Psychiatry Residency Program. After completing residency, she worked in an outpatient setting and provided consultation liaison services at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital. Moreover, she held volunteer academic positions supervising and instructing residents and medical students. She has experience treating culturally diverse patient populations with a variety of mental health conditions. Dr. Jaffarzad primarily offers medication management in conjunction with supportive therapy during follow-up visits. She values the importance of open communication and a strong doctor-patient therapeutic alliance.

Dr. Vargas is an adult psychiatrist who received her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center of San Antonio. She subsequently completed her psychiatry residency training at UT Health San Antonio.

Dr. Vargas has a patient-centered and thorough approach to treatment. She has experience treating a broad spectrum of mental health disorders, with particular interest in depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She has also worked in clinic with severely mentally ill patients at the South Texas VA in San Antonio.

Dr. Vargas's primary focus is medication management with an emphasis on shared decision-making; however, she frequently also utilizes supportive therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and psychodynamic therapy principles in her approach. She may refer patients to a therapist if further support would be beneficial.

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