Zeshen Wu, MD

Dr. Yaejin Park is a board-certified adult psychiatrist at Talkiatry. She received her medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency training at Mount Sinai Morningside West.

Dr. Park has professional interests in treating a wide range of psychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and eating disorders.  She strives to provide compassionate and holistic care with the integration of supportive psychotherapy and medication management.

Zakiyyah Weatherspoon is a dual-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with over a decade of experience. Since 2011, she has worked in family medicine, and since 2013, she has focused on mental health care across the lifespan. Her background includes treating children, teens and adults in hospitals, private practices, and community settings.

Since 2017, Weatherspoon specialized in helping individuals manage depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, ADHD, ODD, eating disorders, and substance use. She uses supportive therapy, solution-focused therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy to help clients feel heard, understood, and empowered.

Weatherspoon is passionate about breaking the stigma around mental health. She encourages her clients to speak up, get help, and take control of their mental wellness. Her approach is based on the Mental Health Recovery Model, which focuses on hope, healing, and building a life beyond diagnosis.

‍

Sherra St. Clair is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with over a decade of experience supporting individuals with a wide range of mental health concerns. Her areas of expertise include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depressive and anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and trauma-related conditions.

She completed her advanced nursing degree at the University of Wyoming, where she was recognized for her compassionate and welcoming approach to patient care. Before becoming a nurse practitioner, Sherra was inspired to pursue further education while working as part of an inpatient treatment team that included psychiatrists, psychologists, patients, and their families. Witnessing the profound improvements patients experienced after a crisis motivated her to transition toward outpatient and preventative care.

Prior to her nursing career, Sherra worked as a medical illustrator and animator, having studied at the University of Michigan’s medical school. She enjoyed creating educational materials for patients, physicians, and attorneys.

Sherra is passionate about working with individuals of all genders and socioeconomic backgrounds. She uses a collaborative, strengths-based approach that incorporates evidence-based medication management, psychotherapy, and patient education. She believes each person is the expert in their own life and strives to empower individuals to build on their self-worth, progress, and potential.

‍

Dr. Joshua Riederman is a board-certified psychiatrist with a specialization in the treatment of adults aged 18 to 65. Dr. Riederman obtained his undergraduate degree in brain, cognition, and neuroscience from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He subsequently attended medical school at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and completed his residency training at JFK Hospital in Palm Beach, Florida.

Dr. Riederman places a strong emphasis on establishing meaningful relationships with his patients and supporting them in achieving their individual life goals through effective treatment. He actively incorporates patient preferences into all treatment plans and integrates psychotherapy with medication management. Dr. Riederman recognizes the importance of educating patients about their care and dedicates time during each appointment to address any questions or concerns they may have.

In his clinical practice, Dr. Riederman begins by facilitating an open dialogue with patients regarding their primary concerns for the appointment. During initial consultations, he conducts a comprehensive assessment, which includes gathering relevant medical, familial, and social histories that may influence the course of treatment. In subsequent appointments, Dr. Riederman engages patients by inquiring about developments that have occurred since their last visit, as well as any issues related to medications or significant life events.

‍

Dr. Alexandra ("Sasha”) Blaes is a board-certified psychiatrist. Before joining Talkiatry, she practiced consult-liaison psychiatry, seeing medically ill patients with psychiatric problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where she also treated veterans in nursing homes. Dr. Blaes graduated from New York University with a B.A. in philosophy and photography and worked in nonprofit marketing in New York before deciding she wanted to pursue a life in medicine. Following a post-baccalaureate, pre-medical program at Columbia University, Dr. Blaes completed medical school at The University of Maryland, followed by a psychiatry residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. While at Johns Hopkins, she mastered clinical assessment and treatment of general psychiatric problems. She also received specialized training in eating disorders, addiction, reproductive psychiatry, chronic pain, and geriatric psychiatry, an interest she pursued further with a fellowship at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In fellowship and in her subsequent experience at the VA, she developed expertise in caring for the difficulties that can accompany aging, including depression, anxiety, and memory loss, as well as the stress of medical illness. Dr. Blaes' practice focuses on medication management. She works to foster a safe and collaborative space in which patients can address psychiatric illness and other barriers holding them back from the lives they want to lead. Typically, she offers appointments for medication management coupled with supportive or emotionally focused therapy in 30-minute sessions. When Dr. Blaes feels that additional therapy is needed, she will suggest inviting a therapist to join the team for additional support and guidance. She welcomes collaborations with other clinicians, be they therapists or other physicians caring for her patients. She strives to build strong therapeutic relationships that help patients grow and meet their goals - whatever their situation, challenge, or life stage. Dr. Blaes welcomes patients from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds and is LGBTQ+ friendly. In addition to her background in geriatrics, she has experience working with peripartum women and enjoys working with patients navigating major life changes.

Dominika is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has been in the field for ~20 years performing individual, group, and family service. During her education, Dominika focused on various forms of treatment modalities including DBT, ACT, CBT, trauma informed, family systems, motivational interviewing, and substance abuse treatment. Dominika has been an active remote, mental health therapist for the past several years, and has experience with working with diverse populations providing services to adults and children in mixed settings.

Dominika has an extensive background working with survivors of trauma, depression/bipolar disorder, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, grief, PTSD, schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis, gender/sexual identity difficulties, eating disorders, substance abuse, domestic violence, life transitions, as well as combinations of multiple problems. Dominika is a firm believer meeting people at their own pace to accomplish their objectives at their own speed.

Dominika’s initial appointment is an assessment, gathering the client’s background information and reason for seeking treatment, focusing on the client's own specific goals/desires for therapy and helping ct envision what this would look like for them in order to establish a general roadmap on moving towards their aspirations. After the first session, Dominika concentrates on what complications exist to ct’s objectives and how ct can utilize supportive tools/resources to help overcome these barriers. Dominika then helps cts establish weekly, smaller goals that can lead cts to their larger scale aspirations.