Holly Shiao, MD

Dr. Juliet Nichols has been a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology since 2002 and has been practicing psychiatry for over 25 years. While an expert in psychopharmacology, Dr. Nichols has an integrative approach to treatment and she often incorporates psychotherapeutic techniques when appropriate, tailoring every treatment to each patient's individual needs. She completed her Psychiatry residency at Stony Brook-SUNY and Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine. Over the last two decades, Dr. Nichols served as an attending psychiatrist at JT Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY, where she became proficient in delivering stellar psychiatric care in a variety of settings. She specializes in treating adult and geriatric mental illnesses, including: Depression, Anxiety Disorders (eg, OCD, Panic Disorder, GAD, PTSD), ADHD, and Cognitive Disorders in the elderly. Dr. Nichols strives to help her patients gain insights into their inner conflicts, unveil their strengths, accept their limitations, and build their coping skills. Her approach is dynamic, straightforward, and empathic so patients always feel safe, understood, and at ease. She engages the patient to be an active participant in treatment decision-making, creating a strong therapeutic alliance.‍

Alicia Lakin has been counseling for over 20 years. She possesses an LPC-MHSP license. Alicia earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology at the University of Tennessee. She then went on to earn her Master's Degree, with a focus on Guidance and Counseling, at Lincoln Memorial University. Alicia has been trained in Trauma Focused � Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Motivational Interviewing. Alicia's professional career has provided her with the opportunity to work with individuals in a variety of settings. She has provided treatment in residential care programs for children and adolescents, in the family home, community-based mental health center, and substance abuse treatment outpatient services. In these settings, Alicia has been afforded the opportunity to treat all ages, dealing with a wide range of issues including trauma, substance abuse and recovery, and mood disorders such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therapeutically, Alicia describes her approach as "person-centered”, strength-based, and collaborative. She believes in providing a safe space for individuals to be able to express themselves openly, as well as explore any changes they desire to make in their lives. She believes in building a trusting relationship so that she and the individual can work together to help create change. Her style is reality-based, and she views herself as having many roles as a therapist, including that of a support, teacher, advocate, facilitator, and listener in the treatment relationship.

Sandra is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of New York with extensive experience working in the mental health field. Sandra attended both undergraduate and Graduate school in Queens, New York, studying and obtaining degrees in Psychology and Mental Health Counseling. Sandra has been practicing for over a decade as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor, in diverse settings ranging from community outpatient clinics to academic settings and private practices. She has worked with individuals, families, and groups, with a wide variety of situational, behavioral and emotional mental-health conditions as well as those who have experienced relational and other traumas. Sandra is trauma-trained and working with her delivers a warm and inviting atmosphere, blending different techniques with talk-based therapy to connect to the needs of each person. Sandra's work has recently focused on treatment of anxiety disorders, relationship issues and complex family dynamics, life-transitions and stress management. Sandra helps clients work on chronic maladaptive patterns that keep them feeling unwell or stuck in life situations. Her work leads to symptom relief, emotional stability, goal attainment, and improved relationships.

Background and credentials

Dr. Corona is a board-certified psychiatrist who earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio School of Medicine. He then completed his Adult Psychiatry Residency training at UT Health San Antonio. He has extensive experience treating diverse patient populations in various clinical settings.

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Treatment approach

Dr. Corona integrates medication management with therapeutic techniques and collaborates with therapists as needed to create individualized treatment plans. He is transparent in his thought process, ensuring that patients are actively involved in shaping their care. His treatment approach focuses on clarifying diagnoses and optimizing treatment modalities, considering both pharmacological and therapeutic interventions. He specializes in treating depression, anxiety, stress management, life transitions, strained relationships, trauma-related conditions, and other psychiatric challenges.

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What you can expect in a first visit

During the first visit, patients can expect a detailed and comprehensive evaluation, where Dr. Corona takes the time to understand their concerns, symptoms, and personal goals. He prioritizes thorough follow-ups to assess treatment progress and refine the care plan. His collaborative approach ensures that patients feel heard and actively involved in their personalized treatment journey, with clear communication on medication management and therapy recommendations.

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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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Robynn Cavaliere, DNP, PMHNP-BC is a Nationally Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and received a Doctorate in Nursing Practice Degree from University of San Diego (USD).  Cavaliere's passion for helping others started at the age of 16 when she became an EMT and volunteered to ride on an ambulance for a local emergency unit. Her strong belief in Service to Country and her eagerness to follow in her brothers' footsteps gave rise to her proudly serving in the United States Marine Corps. Cavaliere's nursing journey started over two decades ago when the calling to help others in need was too strong to ignore. Her career started as an LVN working on medical/surgical/telemetry floors to becoming an RN working in the ER to progressing to being an NP in psychiatry.

Cavaliere's vast amount of nursing experience in a wide range of settings, involving many different disease pathways, and treating patients across the lifespan has significantly influenced the framework for her interviewing, assessment, and interventions. She believes in applying the Biopsychosocial Model formulation approach in every patient encounter since truly understanding the person as a whole will lead to better treatment recommendations, outcomes, and prognosis. Cavaliere genuinely appreciates the opportunity to facilitate positive changes in the lives of her patients and giving back the field of nursing by precepting student NPs in her practice and teaching student NPs as a Clinical Assistant Professor at USD.

Cavaliere believes it is imperative to her practice to perform comprehensive assessments; actively listen to help facilitate the most appropriate questions and responses; establish a therapeutic alliance that fosters trust and helps patients feel they are in a safe space to share their thoughts, questions, and concerns; collaborate with patients to ensure patients feel like they are heard, encourage patients to take an active role in their treatment, provide education to assist in improving behaviors and increasing insight, and providing supportive psychotherapy. She incorporates Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Reality Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy techniques into medication management visits.

Dr. Kristina Kurtz is a board-certified adult psychiatrist who graduated from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania. She completed a Transitional Internship at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Oakland in Pontiac, Michigan, and Psychiatry Residency training at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan. During her residency training, she held multiple professional leadership positions, including ethics committee consultant, associate chief resident, and chief resident. She has experience developing residency curriculum, and teaching psychiatry residents and medical students. Prior to relocating to Colorado Springs, Dr. Kurtz served as the Adult Inpatient Service Chief at Henry Ford Kingswood Hospital. She joined Talkiatry after serving as the Medical Director of Behavioral Health at UCHealth Memorial Hospital as well as Regional Medical Director for Colorado for Lifestance Health. Dr. Kurtz is passionate about providing holistic, evidence-based care to both adults and geriatric patients. She believes in providing a well-rounded approach to care which includes both medication management as well as psychodynamic psychotherapy and supportive therapy for a wide variety of disorders including depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, substance use disorders, and bipolar disorder. She believes that medication management is most effective when an environment of shared decision-making exists between the prescriber and the patient and tailors her approach to meet each individual patient's needs.