Saba Mughal, MD

Background and credentials

Dr. Stefan is a psychiatrist with extensive experience in outpatient care, inpatient care, and assertive community treatment. She has served as a medical director for large institutions, overseeing the treatment of individuals with complex mental illnesses. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she is fluent in both English and Spanish. She earned her medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Florida, where she received recognition for her skills as a psychotherapist.

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Treatment approach

Dr. Stefan is deeply committed to patient-centered care, adapting her role to the individual needs of each patient. She believes in treating the whole person, rather than just a diagnosis, recognizing that each patient has unique psychosocial circumstances. She has a strong foundation in psychotherapeutic interventions and is dedicated to providing engaging, compassionate, and meaningful therapy in every patient interaction. With over 10 years of experience as a psychiatrist, she has worked extensively in telemedicine since 2013, ensuring that remote care is as effective and personal as in-person visits.

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What you can expect in a first visit

Patients meeting Dr. Stefan for the first time can expect a comprehensive and holistic evaluation that considers their symptoms, personal history, and life circumstances. She takes the time to build strong therapeutic relationships, fostering a caring and engaging environment where patients feel understood and supported. Whether through telemedicine or in-person care, she prioritizes personalized treatment plans that integrate medication management and psychotherapy, ensuring the highest quality of care tailored to each patient’s needs.

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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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Lopa Rana, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist who has been practicing for over 29 years. Dr. Rana completed her medical school at B.J Medical College, Ahmedabad, India. Her Psychiatry training was at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She has practiced in varied settings, like being a faculty at SUNY Buffalo, a Private practice in a suburban town of Detroit, Michigan, for 4 years. She, then held a Senior Psychiatrist position at Henry Ford Behavioral Health for 14 years, in Michigan. She has been an Associate Professor at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. In the recent years, Dr. Ranahasd has been overseeing Outpatient Behavioral health at the Corewell Health William Beaumont hospital for the past 10 years. Throughout her career, she has been training and supervising Psychiatry Residents and Medical Students. Apart from being competent in the management of common Psychiatric conditions like Major Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Psychotic disorders and ADHD, she has an expertise in Advanced Psychopharmacology with a specialty interest in Psychiatric disorders during the pregnancy and the postpartum period. She has almost 2 decades of experience in helping women manage the course of their Mood and Anxiety disorders during and after pregnancy. She has been the consultant for Maternal Fetal Medicine and Obstetricians at Corewell Health for women who have questions and concerns regarding planning, managing, and guiding them during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Rana has performed several Zulresso (Brexanolone) infusions for women with severe postpartum depression, with remarkable outcomes. Dr. Rana values greatly the safety of the customized treatment options for her patients and informed decision making with her patients. Apart from English, she is fluent in Gujarati and Hindi languages.

Dr. Amada holds the position of staff psychiatrist at Talkiatry. She was born and raised in Queens, NY. She completed her undergraduate education at New York University, followed by medical school at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, NY. She went on to complete her psychiatry residency at Stony Brook University Hospital, where she received an award for academic achievement. Dr. Amada believes in a holistic approach to mental health that addresses lifestyle factors alongside medication management. She values the importance of both therapy and medication in treating mental illness.

Dr. Amada takes a collaborative approach to care and strives to involve her patients in every step of the treatment process. She believes in creating a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where patients can openly discuss their concerns. While her focus is on medication management, she often recommends incorporating additional therapy into the treatment plan and may ask that patients work with a therapist to help achieve the best outcomes.

Dr. Amada works closely with her patients to develop personalized treatment plans. She believes in open communication, shared decision-making, and taking into account the whole person when addressing mental health concerns. Her goal is to ensure that patients feel heard, supported, and actively engaged in their care.

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Ernest Smith, LPC, specializes in supporting adolescents, young adults, adults, and older adults as they navigate grief, anxiety, depression, trauma, and life transitions. With a compassionate and client-centered approach, he creates a safe, nonjudgmental space for individuals to explore their experiences and build the skills necessary for healing, growth, and resilience.

Ernest draws from a range of evidence-based modalities—including solution-focused therapy, person-centered therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). He tailors each session to meet the unique needs of his clients, whether helping adolescents manage emotional regulation and identity development or supporting older adults in coping with grief and life changes.

Ernest provides trauma-informed care and recovery-focused strategies that foster emotional safety, self-awareness, and long-term well-being. His goal is to walk alongside each person with empathy, understanding, and practical tools that promote lasting change and inner strength.

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.

Mr. Hogate is a skilled therapist with over 25 years of experience providing psychotherapy in a broad range of clinical settings. He is licensed both as a Clinical Social Worker and a Professional Counselor. Mr. Hogate has provided private counseling services since 2001 and additionally has worked in a vast range of clinical settings including outpatient counseling for individuals and families, inpatient services for children and adults, outpatient treatment for individuals with co-occurring substance use and other behavioral health concerns. Mr. Hogate is driven by a deep belief in the centrality of human relationships and the benefits clients can gain from a deep connection with a skilled clinician.

Mr. Hogate has a balanced and informed perspective on therapy and seeks to draw from patient experience and strength in partnership toward a common goal of reducing stress and symptoms of various life challenges such as depression, anxiety, relationship conflict, life transitions and others. His clinical perspective is practical and informed by various clinical orientations, yet unique to each individual. Mr. Hogate is collaborative and integrative in his approach to therapy and seeks to build connections with client’s medical providers or others to enhance clinical outcomes.

Typically, Mr. Hogate starts work with clients as a conversation in the context of an enduring interest and belief in the capacity of individuals to make meaningful changes in their lives. Interventions are an important aspect of Mr. Hogate’s clinical work, often rooted in CBT, Narrative Therapy, Systems Theory, ACT and elements of Positive Psychology. Mr. Hogate approaches clients from a biological, psychological and sociological perspective seeking to understand individuals from each of these domains.

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