A guide to behavioral and mental healthcare at Inova

Serious female counselor gestures while talking with Caucasian female client. The counselor is holding eyeglasses and a pen. They are discussing serious issues.

Not all mental health struggles look the same. Inova offers a full range of behavioral health services across Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, from routine check-ins with your primary care doctor all the way to emergency psychiatric care. Here’s a simple guide to help you or someone you love find the right…

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Three tools to tackle treatment-resistant depression, from an Inova psychiatrist

A middle age man sits on a sofa across from his therapist who is sitting in a chair, discuss and gestures as his speaks to her. Hopeful expression, Mental health and counseling concept.

Eric C. Alcera, MD, MBA, DFAPA, DAACAP, is the President of the Behavioral Health Service Line at Inova. He is double board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry and has more than 20 years of experience in behavioral health. His particular specialties include pediatric psychopharmacology and the treatment of depression, anxiety and…

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Collis Warner Foundation’s $1 million gift fuels psychiatry residency program at Inova Fairfax Hospital

A small medical team of professionals sit around a boardroom table as they meet together to discuss patient cases. They are each dressed professionally in scrubs and lab coats as they work together to find solutions for their patients.

Falls Church, VA – Inova is proud to announce a generous $1 million gift from the Collis Warner Foundation to support Inova’s innovative psychiatry residency program. The four-year training program, developed in partnership with Inova Fairfax Hospital and the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI), offers residents the opportunity to train within two of Northern…

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Lettuce be happy: nourishing our minds through food

Happy senior woman preparing food in kitchen at the stove top

Poonam Maru, DO  is a primary care physician board certified in internal medicine. Dr. Maru is passionate about primary care, preventive medicine, nutrition and climate health – helping patients live healthier, longer lives in ways that are sustainable and personalized. She sees patients in the Inova 360º Concierge Medicine – Elm St. office. As we move…

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How to recognize depression and anxiety in kids and teens

Satish Shashidhara, DO, is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist. He serves as the Division Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Inova Behavioral Health Services. As the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have made all too clear, depression and anxiety are increasingly common among children and adolescents. Generally speaking, one in 12 young people…

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Inova opens Northern Virginia’s first EmPATH Unit to address growing behavioral health needs

Adult and pediatric ERs at Inova Fairfax Hospital expanded to serve more patients Fairfax, VA — November 12, 2024 — Inova Fairfax Hospital announced today that it will open the region’s first EmPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing) unit, a specialized facility designed to provide a safe, calming environment for patients experiencing a mental…

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When a Loved One Faces Mental Health Challenges, Be Sure to Keep Self-Care on Your Priority List

Christina Barker, LCP, NCC, is a licensed professional counselor and completed National Certified Counselor Certification. She serves as the Manager of the Behavioral Health Ambulatory Program for Inova Behavioral Health Services. Mental health is just as important as physical health is. After decades of dismissing the role of mental wellness in a person’s overall wellbeing,…

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Surprising Symptoms of Depression and When to Talk with Your Provider

Chandni “Chunnu” Bhatia, MS, LPC, NCC, CMHIMP, is a licensed clinical professional counselor, she serves as an Integrated Behavioral Health Therapist with Inova Behavioral Health Services. When we think of the word “depression,” often times many of us get a certain picture in our minds of an individual closed off from the world in a…

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Men and Suicide: A Quiet Crisis

James Murphy, MD, MBA, LSSBB, is board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychiatry. He serves at the Division Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for Inova Behavioral Health Services. Who is at greatest risk of dying by suicide? The answer may surprise you. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, of the approximately…

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