Dr. Mahelet Yalew

I'm a psychiatric nurse practitioner with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. I provide psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults in Virginia, and I treat anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, sleep problems, ADHD and substance use.

Much of my work has been in addiction treatment programs, including partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient care. If you're leaving detox, residential treatment, PHP or IOP, I can take over your medications from there, including medications for opioid and alcohol use disorder.

I'm direct, I explain my reasoning, and I'm careful with controlled substances.

We decide on treatment together. I'll tell you what I think is going on, what the medication options are, and what each one is likely to do, side effects included. You choose with that information in front of you.

Alongside medication I use motivational interviewing and skills from CBT and ACT, because medication tends to work better when the rest of your week supports it. Follow-up visits are short and focused: what's better, what isn't, and what we change.

The first visit is 60 minutes by video. We'll go through what brought you in, your history, and every medication you take or have tried. If you were recently in a treatment program, keep your discharge paperwork nearby if you can.

By the end you'll have my assessment and a plan. If a medication makes sense, I can usually send it to your pharmacy the same day. We meet more often at first and space visits out as things settle.