Maria Mann, MD

Barb VanHouten, LCSW, provides a safe, non-judgmental atmosphere where clients feel heard and supported. She brings a wealth of personal and professional experiences that have shaped her insight, knowledge, and empathy, enabling her to walk alongside others during their most difficult times. Barb believes that everyone has a story, and that life’s challenges can sometimes become overwhelming, leading to feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and despair.

Barb specializes in treating a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, anger management, addiction, bipolar disorder, antisocial behaviors, family relationships, grief and bereavement, life transitions, job and employment issues, medical and physical health concerns, PTSD, somatic symptom disorders, learning disorders, stress, and trauma. Her goal is to create a therapeutic space where clients feel empowered to explore challenges and build resilience.

Barb uses a variety of evidence-based approaches tailored to each individual’s needs. Her methods include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Mindfulness, Family Systems, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Trauma-Informed Care, Behavioral Modification, Internal Family Systems, Strength-Based approaches, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). She collaborates with clients to develop practical, effective solutions for growth and healing.

Dr. Candice Hacker is a board-certified Psychiatrist at Talkiatry. She completed her Psychiatry residency and a fellowship in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry at Mount Sinai/St. Luke's Hospital. She is passionate about a holistic approach to patient care, trained in psychosomatic medicine, and she has a deep appreciation for the intricate connection between the mind and body. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Hacker has facilitated excellent outcomes in the treatment of various mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and trauma-related conditions. Dr. Hacker believes in creating a safe, nurturing and non-judgmental environment where patients can openly explore their emotions and experiences. By integrating evidence-based psycho-pharmacological modalities with mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral techniques, she empowers her patients to challenge a negative mindset and reach their goals. Beyond her clinical practice, Dr. Hacker is deeply committed to community mental health advocacy and the destigmatization of mental illness.

Dr.Gusta Shurdut is a board-certified adult psychiatrist with 8 year experience. She completed her medical training at SUNY Downstate Medical center in Brooklyn, and psychiatric residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, NYC. After her residency, she worked as an assistant professor at Mount Sinai Psychiatric Ambulatory Services. Dr.Shurdut graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University with an undergraduate degree in biology. Prior to moving to New York, she obtained a degree in communications and public relations and worked as a journalist at her hometown in Latvia.

Dr.Shurdut believes in individual, empathetic, and collaborative treatment approach. Through her residency and work experiences, Dr.Shurdut has developed expertise to treat various mental health conditions including mood disorders, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, PTSD. While her primary focus is medication management, she also incorporates CBT, psychodynamic and supportive psychotherapy.

Dr.Shurdut’s goal is empowering patients to participate in their healthcare choices. As a psychiatrist, she feels honored to witness the complexity of the human experience, and curious to explore the factors that contribute to it.  On intake appointment, she will take time to understand your concern, provide assessment, discuss treatment options and collaboratively decide on most appropriate action. The follow up appointments are usually 30 minutes and include a psychotherapy modality.

Dr. Gregory Marc Varhely is a board-certified general adult psychiatrist. He grew up in Austin, Texas, and attended Texas State University, where he earned a BA in Psychology and a Master's degree in Biology/Biochemistry. After graduating from medical school at Ross University, he completed his residency in Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Varhely has served as an outpatient psychiatrist at the Department of Veterans Affairs and acted as an attending physician for resident psychiatrists at Texas A&M and UT Dell Medical Schools. He then acted as a sole proprietor of an outpatient psychiatric medication management and psychotherapy practice in Georgetown, Texas and later started contracting for North Central Health Care Mental Health Clinic, applying psychotropic medication management expertise to community-based treatment facilities in Wisconsin. Dr. Varhely's approach is rooted in forming meaningful connections with his patients. He wholeheartedly believes that psychological suffering stems from a blend of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Dr. Varhely works together with his patients to uncover these factors and create treatment plans tailored to their specific needs using an eclectic blend of the latest in psychopharmacology, as well as psychodynamic, supportive, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

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.

Amy Gonzalez is a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner as well as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She has been practicing in the field of nursing since 1996. Amy has been a practicing Family Nurse Practitioner since 2007, and she started to focus on substance abuse treatment in 2010. She found that many people with substance use disorder also struggle with their mental health and went on to get her Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner degree completing it in 2017. Her past experience includes working in both outpatient and inpatient psychiatry, 24-hour crisis care, substance use treatment, mental health court, and both adult and geriatric psychiatry. Amy has expertise in treating depression, bipolar spectrum disorder, anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, substance use disorders and thought disorders.

Amy believes in providing a safe and supportive environment where she really gets to know her patients as individuals and works collaboratively with them to develop a treatment plan. She is concerned with a patient's overall wellness, emphasizing nutrition, movement, hobbies, social connection, and mindfulness. She takes a holistic approach to treatment which focuses on evidence-based treatments including conventional medications, supplements, and alternative and complementary treatments.

Amy focuses on medication management as well as providing supportive therapy, psychoeducation, and motivational interviewing to her patients in 30-minute follow up appointments. Sometimes Amy may recommend more intense therapy and ask that you bring a therapist into your care team to provide the best outcome.