Sophie Weinberg, MD

Dr. Carolyn Benson has 21 years of experience in treating adults, adolescents, and children. After graduating medical school at Brody School of Medicine in Greenville, North Carolina, she moved to Rochester, NY to complete her residency and fellowship at University of Rochester School of Medicine. Her focus over the last ten years has been on working with young adults, children/adolescents, and their families. Her expertise covers a wide array of therapeutic modalities and mental health diagnoses. The primary focus of her sessions is to provide medication management with education on treatment options. She will provide therapy models that are appropriate within that 20�30 minute medication session. If longer therapy time frames are indicated, she will discuss the need to add a therapist to your treatment team to achieve optimal care. Her successful treatment outcomes are based on experience, staying current on psychiatric treatments, and having open communication with patients and families of children/adolescents so they can choose the most effective treatments. Prior to medical school, she worked in both marine and biochemical research venues and was coauthor in several research papers. She has an avid interest in the emerging field of neuroscience and frequently gives talks to colleagues and students on current research topics. Her primary objectives in her work are to help patients achieve success in both treatment and life goals and to always take time to truly listen to her patients.

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.

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.

Background and credentials

Dr. Seicarescu is a board-certified adult psychiatrist with over 12 years of experience. She received her medical degree from Carol Davila University of Medicine in Romania and completed her psychiatry residency at Wayne State University in Detroit. Following residency, she gained extensive clinical experience practicing psychiatry in diverse outpatient settings, including a multi-specialty center in North Dakota and community mental health centers in Ohio and Michigan. Dr. Seicarescu has also served as an assistant professor at the University of North Dakota and Michigan State University, where she taught and supervised medical students and residents.</p>

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Treatment approach

Dr. Seicarescu employs a collaborative, supportive, and patient-centered approach to psychiatric care, integrating medication management with therapy tailored specifically to each patient. She utilizes supportive therapy along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), adjusted according to individual patient needs. Her specialty areas include the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, PTSD, and a broad range of mental health conditions.</p>

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What you can expect in a first visit

Patients can expect an initial appointment with Dr. Seicarescu to include a thorough evaluation focusing on their unique psychiatric symptoms, personal experiences, and treatment goals. She offers a supportive and compassionate atmosphere, carefully combining medication management with individualized therapy recommendations. Her patient-centered approach ensures the creation of a personalized treatment plan to effectively address each patient’s specific needs.</p>

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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.</p>

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Dr. Kirk Carruthers is a board-certified psychiatrist with experience in both outpatient and inpatient psychiatry, as well as addiction medicine. He completed his medical degree at Morehouse School of Medicine and trained at University Hospitals – Case Medical Center, where he completed general psychiatry residency and fellowships in addiction and community psychiatry. His experience includes roles in community mental health, academic teaching, and the VA system. Outside of work, he enjoys music production, soccer, spending time with loved ones, and all dogs.

Dr. Carruthers brings a casual, easygoing communication style to create a comfortable space where patients feel at ease. He emphasizes forming strong therapeutic bonds based on trust, and combines supportive therapy with medication management. He encourages collaboration with therapists and uses evidence-based treatment approaches tailored to each individual’s needs.

Dr. Carruthers begins with a thorough understanding of each patient's concerns, history, and goals. He then creates a personalized treatment plan and works collaboratively with the patient to reach their goals, adjusting care as needed for ongoing progress.

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Dr. Namrata Shah is a board-certified adult psychiatrist who completed her undergraduate training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her medical degree at the American University of Antigua. She completed her psychiatry residency at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center with training at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

In addition to experience providing inpatient and outpatient care, Dr. Shah has worked with a wide variety of patient populations. The conditions she treats include depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, panic disorder, OCD, and ADHD. In addition, Dr. Shah is particularly interested in issues related to women’s mental health, including perinatal mental health issues.

Dr. Shah emphasizes the importance of a strong doctor-patient therapeutic alliance and a patient-centered approach. To provide the best care, she believes in compassion, open communication, and collaboration. As a primary treatment method, she combines psychopharmacological medication and supportive therapy.