INNOVATIVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SOLUTIONS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Lead Medical Assistant
Brenda comes to SMHWI newly transported from San Diego CA with a few years of clinical experience after graduating at the top of her class. She has spent her career working in both front and back office in a variety of settings including internal medicine, weight loss, women's health clinics, school and office administration. Brenda brings her can do attitude and compassion for others to give the best care for those she meets. When she isn't working with patients at SMHWI, she spends her time playing board games or trivia with friends and family, playing the guitar, and cooking/experimenting with new recipes. One of her favorite quotes is: When you focus on the good, the good gets better. This quote is what drives her to bring her infectious smile to work every day.
Cory M.J. Groman has been a practicing psychotherapist for the past 8 years. Cory received his Bachelor's degree in psychology from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and his Masters in counseling from Franciscan University of Steubenville, located in Steubenville, Ohio. Throughout his career, Cory has served in several leadership positions, including as the lead to the crisis response team while working with Talbert House in Cincinnati, Ohio. Most recently, he has served as Lead Therapist at Valley Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. He has also conducted research having been published in the journal of ADHD. He has served as faculty and written lectures for the American Physicians Institute for Advanced Professional Studies, a web-based learning center for the continuing education of medical professionals.
Besides, he has been a peer reviewer for the OMICS publishing group, a peer-review journal. Cory has treated a variety of populations from children to adults with a variety of conditions/issues, including anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, social anxiety, loss of meaning, addictions, grief/loss, employment issues, decision making, impulsivity.
Dr. Bahar Altaha completed her medical school at the University of Hamburg in Germany. She started her training in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD and continued with General Adult and Child-Adolescent Psychiatry training at WVU in Morgantown, WV.
Dr. Abdallah obtained his medical degree from Alexandria University in Alexandria, Egypt. He completed his residency training in psychiatry at West Virginia University.
Dr. Abdallah is a triple board-certified in General Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison (Psychosomatic) Psychiatry, and Addiction Psychiatry.
Dr. Abdallah is experienced in treating psychiatric illness in people with complex medical/mental conditions and is an expert in addiction medicine. He is passionate about quality care.
Dr. Fariba Pfitzner is a board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in adult, child, and adolescent psychiatry. Dr. Pfitzner completed her medical training at Ludwig-Maximillian University School of Medicine, in Munich, Germany. She completed her residency in adult psychiatry and two-year subspecialty fellowship program in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. She was the chief resident in the child psychiatry fellowship program.
Dr. Fariba Pfitzner is licensed to practice medicine in Arizona, New York, and the European Union. Before entering private practice, she worked as the Director of the Adolescent Inpatient Unit at the Arizona State Hospital. Her professional experience also includes working for many years in community mental health clinics providing psychiatric services involving a multidisciplinary team approach.
Dr. Pfitzner has been practicing in a private setting since 2008 and focusing on both child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry providing comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, pharmacological treatment, and psycho-educational supportive therapy. Dr. Pfitzner's treatment approach is inspired greatly by her training in family therapy and working closely with the family therapy department at the University of Rochester. She approaches her treatment with emphasis on teamwork and collaboration with the patient, family, school, and other providers including therapists, pediatricians, primary care physicians, and psychologists.
In addition, Dr. Pfitzner is fluent in many languages and has an established reputation in the Valley. She is providing great support to the Adolescent Intensive Out-Patient Program at Scottsdale Mental Health and Wellness Institute and we are proud to have her as a member of the team.
Dr. Segal completed his medical school education at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, in Tucson, Arizona. He continued training in a general psychiatry residency at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Then Dr. Segal completed a forensic psychiatry fellowship at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, in Los Angeles.
Dr. Segal is double board-certified in General and Forensic Psychiatry.
Dr. Segal is the Chief Medical Officer at the Valley Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
Emina Foci holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice with a specialty in Adult Psychiatric/Mental Health. Along with that, she holds a Master's in Science and Leadership. She is board certified as an Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
She started her career as an RN in 2003 at Barrow Neurological Institute where she gained invaluable skills as a healthcare professional. In 2010, she became a Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and started working for private practice. During that time, she also became a professor and pursued her passion for teaching and patient care at the same time.
Over the years, she has worked in various areas of the mental health field including inpatient, crisis, outpatient, SMI, and general mental health.
With her vast experience in the field of mental health and natural ability for problem-solving, she is eager to take on the most complex of cases. With genuine empathy and understanding of the human experience, she will take on a humanistic and "down the earth" approach to help improve your quality of life. She will focus on evidence-based practice to ensure your care is safe and efficacious.
Jacob Johnson graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2015 with his Master's Degree in counseling after receiving his Bachelor's Degree in philosophy there prior. He started his counseling work in the field of substance use and co-occurring disorders working inpatient in Flagstaff and Prescott before moving back to Phoenix where he has worked as both an outpatient counselor and a clinical supervisor.
He is a licensed professional counselor who has worked extensively with adults, adolescents, and families in the fields of substance use, co-occurring disorders, and general mental health utilizing a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, motivational interviewing, and positive psychology.
Jose A. Rodriguez, PMHNP-BC is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Jose graduated from Oregon Health & Science University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. He then received a Master of Science in Nursing with the specialty of Psychiatric Mental Health in 2021 from Frontier Nursing University. Jose specializes in treating patients throughout their lifespan and is passionate about aiding military veterans suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Jose's work experience includes 9 years as a critical care nurse and crisis nurse in Boise, Idaho. Jose has a total of 18 years in the United States Army Infantry with six of those years in active duty. He is a Sergeant First Class and is currently serving in the Oregon Army National Guard. Jose recently moved to Arizona with his lovely wife and two sons and is looking forward to exploring the "Grand Canyon State". Not only does Jose provide evidence-based pharmacological therapies to help patients struggling with their mental health, but he also utilizes a patient-centered approach which individualizes the plan of care to the patient.
Kristin graduated from Arizona State University with her undergraduate degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences and obtained her Master's degree from Ottawa University in Professional Counseling. Kristin is a licensed clinician that has extensive experience working with all populations. Kristin started her career working with families in non-profit organizations focusing on victims of domestic violence, trauma, and abuse. This allowed her to work with children on the spectrum and adolescents diagnosed with mood disorders. Kristin worked for several years in acute psychiatric hospitals working with individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders and patients struggling with self-harm and chronic mental health issues. She has a background working with military and veterans that have struggled with addiction and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She developed and implemented an inpatient substance abuse rehabilitation program for military members in an acute psychiatric setting.
Kristin was a Clinical Director for a counseling clinic specializing in DUI's, domestic violence, and anger management. Kristin provided supervision with clinicians providing court-ordered group and individual offender treatment. Kristin is certified as a Trauma Professional with training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and substance abuse/addiction.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Practice Administrator
Our Practice administrator, Kyra Coates comes to SMHWI with six years in the medical background. While working in medical hospitals and clinics, she obtained her bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration.
Kyra combines her education with personal hands-on experience. With a passion for day-to-day operations of the practice and the management side of the successful programs offered at SMHWI. With this Kyra brings compassion and understanding to the patients and the employees.
Lauren Tosca Bonner, MD is double-board certified in Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. She has extensive experience in patient care in the inpatient and outpatient settings. She has provided care to patients in academic, public and private health care sectors. Dr. Bonner has participated in patient centered research in the fields of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia and Schizophrenia. She was the recipient of a grant from the National Institute of Health to research a treatment for agitation in Alzheimer's Disease. She was chosen to present her research at the International Alzheimer's Disease Scientific Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. She has written and co-authored a number of journal articles that have been published in a number of peer reviewed journals including Neurology and Academic Psychiatry. She has also coauthored book chapters in publications such as the Medical Clinics of North America and the Textbook of Geriatric Psychiatry. Dr. Bonner's academic and patient care excellence has been recognized by her election to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and her recognition as a Leonard Weisskopf Scholar. Dr. Bonner has extensive experience in the care of patients with Mood Disorders, Trauma Spectrum Disorders such as PTSD, Psychotic Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, ADHD, Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias and Women's Mental Health Issues.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Staff Member
- Medical Assistant
- Certified Nursing Assistant
Maureen is a certified nursing assistant (CNA) licensed by the AZ Board of Nursing with over eight years' experience inpatient care. Her clinical background includes geriatrics, acute care rehabilitation, behavioral health with the SMI patient population, and dual-diagnosis, adult residential treatment. She is also a certified Reiki practitioner (energy therapist) with experience in palliative care, hospice, and medical-surgical units-most recently at Brigham and Women's Hospital in downtown Boston.
Maureen is excited to be joining SMHWI at a time of considerable growth for the clinic, and hopes to make a strong, positive impact on the lives and wellbeing of patients, colleagues, and the broader community. A practicing Buddhist in the Tibetan tradition, Maureen moved to Arizona from Massachusetts with her son and cat in July of 2020, and thoroughly enjoys desert hiking, visiting family in the Rocky Mountain states, traveling, skiing, and reading and writing fiction.
Dr. O'Brien earned her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University. She came to the Phoenix area in 2015 to complete residency training at Creighton University School of Medicine Valleywise Health Center (formerly Maricopa County Hospital). Over the course of her training, she worked closely with the underserved and became experienced in treating persons with the most complex and serious mental illnesses. Dr. O'Brien's background also includes a variety of experiences in the outpatient setting caring for patients of diverse cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. Upon completing her four-year residency training, Dr. O'Brien worked at Valleywise Health in Phoenix, AZ as an inpatient psychiatric consultant before deciding to transition to mostly outpatient work. She has a strong background in psychotherapy with special interest in treating young professionals.
Job Titles:
- Certified Physician Assistant
Dr. Tara Iacono is a nationally certified physician assistant specializing in psychiatry and addiction medicine. She graduated with honors from the St. John's University Physician Assistant program in 2006 and earned a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) with a concentration in healthcare administration and leadership from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in 2021. Dr. Iacono is an active advocate for her profession in the PA community and is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Arizona State Association of Physician Assistants. Dr. Iacono feels honored to care for her patients during some of the most challenging times in their lives. Her approach to their care is holistic, collaborative, and compassionate.
Victoria Emanuelson, MPAS, PA-C, is a nationally certified Physician Assistant. She graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and recently relocated to the Phoenix area. Over the course of her training, she worked with diverse patient populations in a variety of clinical and geographic settings. Victoria enjoys working with patients of all ages and sees patients ages 17 and older. She provides psychiatric assessments, diagnosis, and treatment plans, as well as medication management. She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Arizona State Association of Physician Assistants. She is empathetic and collaborative in her approach to patient care and is passionate about patient education and improving patients' quality of life. Victoria has a special interest in treating patients living with chronic conditions, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and patients with complex family backgrounds. Victoria is looking forward to exploring Arizona and putting down roots in the community with her family.