Sumbal Akhter, DO

Andrea Roth is an LCSW in New York. Her recent work was at a community-based mental health clinic, where she worked with people of all ages and with various goals for counseling. She has 18 years of experience in human service and nonprofit organizations. She previously worked at a community organization in Syracuse that provides support to people with sensory loss, to maintain or establish independence. Additionally, she worked as a therapist with a Mobile Crisis team. Andrea received a Master's Degree in Social Work and a BA in Psychology from Syracuse University. She has also completed training in Conflict Resolution. Her therapeutic approach is client-centered and strengths-based, emphasizing collaboration and empowerment. She believes in creating a safe and supportive environment where clients can explore their concerns, gain insight, and develop skills to cope effectively with life's challenges. Her clinical approach is to utilize the treatment model that best fits the unique needs of each individual. She strives to be sensitive to the various factors that might impact a person's identity, such as culture, ethnicity, disability, neurodivergence, or being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Andrea's work is informed by several different modalities, including CBT, DBT, IFS, and Mindfulness-based interventions. She has experience treating many mental health conditions such as Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar disorder, Trauma, Anger, Grief, and PTSD.

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.

‍

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.

‍

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.

‍

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.

‍

Dr. Alejandra Cattan is a bilingual psychiatrist who delivers care in English and Spanish. She went to medical school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and completed her psychiatry residency at Bronx Care Health system. She then completed additional training in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy at NY Medical College Psychoanalytic Institute. After completing residency, she worked as an attending psychiatrist in New York and later transitioned to dedicated outpatient work. Dr. Cattan brings exceptional care to her patients. She provides supportive psychotherapy and applies psychodynamic psychotherapy skills to discover the root of their suffering, in conjunction with medication management resources. Dr. Cattan believes in a biopsychosocial model to address her patients' issues. Her areas of expertise include medication management, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and substance use disorders.

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.‍

Dr. Michael Underriner is an adult psychiatrist. His approach to treatment is holistic, taking into account the entire person, and emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic bond to help people reduce suffering and achieve their goals. He is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Dr. Underriner's practice focuses on a mix of medication management, offered in conjunction with supportive therapy in 30-minute follow-up visits, and insight-oriented psychotherapy offered in weekly 45-minute visits. He works with people struggling with ADHD, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and difficulties with self-esteem and relationships. Occasionally Dr. Underriner may believe that additional therapy is warranted and recommend a separate therapist to provide the best outcome. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed his residency training at New York University. During training, he gained experience treating patients with various psychiatric illnesses in several different clinics and hospital-based settings. He worked with experts in the field of depression and provided consultations for patients considering transcranial magnetic stimulation. He also published a review article on long-term injectable medications for psychosis. Dr. Underriner has maintained an interest in teaching and remains connected to the psychiatry department at NYU. He has supervised and taught junior residents and medical students. Additionally, he is interested in global health and disparities in access to care and has traveled to Ghana to teach medical students rotating through psychiatry at the university there.

Bridgette K. Hathaway, LCSW holds the position of clinical therapist at Talkiatry. She is board-certified in clinical social work. She has been practicing for over 5 years. Ms. Hathaway's practice focuses on individual psychotherapy. Typically, she offers this in conjunction with solution-focused motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy, in 60-minute visits. She received her bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a focus in behavioral neurobiology and women's studies from Harpur College at Binghamton University, and her master's degree in social work at the College of Community and Public Affairs at Binghamton University. Additionally, Ms. Hathaway studied abroad in Blantyre, Malawi, Africa, completing an Asset-Based Community Development program promoting social-emotional wellbeing for youth. After completing training, she returned and worked in her local community, Binghamton, NY, in myriad roles. First, with adolescents at the Promise Zone Summer Zone Summer Camp as program coordinator, continuing to focus on the wellbeing of youth, before becoming the MICA enhanced residential coordinator for Fairview Recovery Services, where she spent time providing addiction services to the dually diagnosed. She was then the residential treatment center social worker at the Children's Home of Wyoming Conference focused on service provision to adolescent males, before becoming a behavioral health counselor providing integrated mental health and addiction services to individuals of all ages, at Family and Children's Counseling Services. Further, Ms. Hathaway participated in continuing education in LGBTQ, Gender Identity, Expression, and Behavioral Health; OASAS Person-Centered Care and Harm-Reduction; Integrated Mental Health Addictions Treatment; NYSED Safe Schools Against Violence in Education; Borderline Personality Disorder; Integrated Treatment-Individual Interventions; and Motivational Interviewing. Her auxiliary certifications include Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Needs Assessments, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, ASIST-Applied Suicide Intervention Skills, and NYSDOH Opioid Overdose Naloxone Program.‍