Staff | The Pisgah Institute
Bill Barley, Ph.D
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Barley is a clinical psychologist with three decades' experience using several cognitive-behavioral therapies to diagnose and treat anxiety and panic disorders, phobias, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders (e.g. trichotillomania) and borderline personality disorder. He is past president and newsletter editor of the North Carolina Psychological Association and twice past president of the Western North Carolina Psychological Association. He is a 1980 graduate of Texas Tech University's clinical psychology program. He has several professional publications and has made many presentations to professional audiences in his areas of interest.
Stephen E. Buie, M.D., D.F.A.P.A
Psychiatrist
Dr. Buie attended UNC-Chapel Hill as an undergraduate on a Morehead Scholarship. He obtained his medical education at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at a Columbia University training Hospital in New York and a psychiatry residency at Cornell Medical College, also in New York. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association in recognition of his contributions in several areas of psychiatry. He is President Elect of the North Carolina Psychiatric Association. He provides medication management for all psychiatric conditions with particular interests in bipolar disorder, ADHD, depression, and anxiety disorders. He is trained in neurofeedback and is currently organizing a study to examine the effectiveness of neurofeedback in treating depression.
Jeff Carter, M.D.
Child Psychiatrist
Dr. Carter treats children and adolescents with a comprehensive approach that includes medications, psychotherapy and involvement with families. He provides consultation to the Asheville City Schools.
Mary Berg, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dr. Berg obtained her undergraduate degree at Duke University and attended East Carolina University School of Medicine for medical school and psychiatry residency. She has been practicing general adult psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry at The Pisgah Institute since 1999. Her clinical interests include evaluation and medication management of a broad range of adult and geriatric mental disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, dementia and psychotic disorders.
Susan Hill, Ed.D.
Psychologist
Dr. Hill received her doctorate in counseling psychology from Rutgers University. She works with children 3 years and older, adolescents, adults and families. Her areas of interest include individual and/or family therapy as well as psycho-educational testing, personality testing, and evaluating adaptive/developmental levels. Over the years, Dr. Hill has worked with persons with Developmental Disabilities; issues surrounding abuse; family conflicts; mood disorders; and other personal issues.
Nancy McKeel, Ph.D
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. McKeel specializes in cognitive- behavior therapy for depression, women's issues and post-traumatic stress. Dr. McKeel is trained in neurofeedback and treats a variety of disorders with it.
Judy McKay, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dr. McKay is a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist who specializes in Mood disorders during pregnancy and postpartum. Additionally, she works with children age 6 and under. Before coming to Asheville, Dr. McKay ran a "Perinatal Mood Disorder Clinic" in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the University of South Carolina, School of Medicine for women who wanted to become pregnant, were pregnant or were postpartum. Because perinatal mood disorders affect the whole family, she has developed a Perinatal Mood Disorder Team at Pisgah Institute. The team works with the mother, father, and infant relationship as well as treating the mother. Since fathers can experience postpartum depression or worsening of a current mood disorder after a baby is born, Dr. McKay also treats fathers having problems during the postpartum period. She has completed a Zero- To-Three Fellowship that focuses on working with young children.
Laura Bradley Yurko, M.A.
Clinical Psychologist
Ms. Yurko has a master’s degree in clinical psychology. She received post-graduate training in family systems therapy, which is particularly helpful in her work with families managing post-partum depression and anxiety. Ms.Yurko specializes in working with women in transition. With a holistic and mindful approach, she supports clients in their navigation of life’s transitions, including marriage, fertility issues, pregnancy, new parenting questions, couples work, divorce, grief and loss, peri-menopausal and menopausal issues, and end-of-life decisions. Ms. Yurko is a member of The Pisgah Institute’s Perinatal Mood Disorder Team and is the chairperson and co-Founder of the Perinatal Emotional Health Network of Western North Carolina.
Doug McKee, Psy.D.
Psychologist
Dr. McKee attended Rollins College, Sydney University, West Georgia College, and Georgia School of Professional Psychology. He specializes in relationship issues between family members, couples and blended families. He is a licensed addiction specialist. He sees adults, children, teens, couples, and families. He is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy. He also does experiential therapy and will use a family systems approach when appropriate. He has specialized training in psychomotor therapy, and in sexual addiction therapy. Dr. McKee has presented at many conferences. He is past president of the Western North Carolina Psychological Association and is a member of the American Psychological Association. He has taught graduate classes at several universities. He is creative in his approach to helping his clients develop new patterns to help them succeed in achieving their goals. Clients are appreciative of the individual attention he gives to their needs.
Amy L. Palmer, Ph.D.
Psychologist
Dr. Palmer earned her doctoral degree from the University of South Carolina. She completed her Pre- Doctoral Internship and two-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland with a focus on children with developmental disabilities and behavior disorders. Prior to moving to the Asheville area, Dr. Palmer worked as a psychologist in the Behavior Management Clinic at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Her specialty is in the area of child psychology and she provides behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatment for children and adolescents. Dr. Palmer is particularly interested in the treatment of young children, birth to 6 years of age, who are experiencing a behavioral difficulty or developmental delay. Dr. Palmer has extensive experience working with children struggling with anxiety, depression, adjustment problems, and behavioral challenges. She enjoys providing group therapy for social skills deficits and anger management training. Dr. Palmer conducts testing and assessments for young children through college level students.
Pam Rogers, P.M.H.N.P.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Ms. Rogers attended the University of Tennessee for her undergraduate degrees (B.A. in Spanish and Bachelors of Science in Nursing). She was a Captain in the Army Reserve, honorably discharged in 2003. Ms. Rogers has over 25 years nursing experience including 11 years as a nursing instructor. She received her Masters in Nursing from Vanderbilt University and is board certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
Danielle Mitchener, A.N.P.
Adult Nurse Practitioner
Ms. Mitchener completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked for six years at Duke University Medical Center in neurology critical care and as a research coordinator. She joined The Pisgah Institute in 2008 and enjoys working with patients who experience depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and brain injury. Ms. Mitchener is board certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner.
Richard E. Johnson, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Johnson is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience in teaching, research, and psychotherapy in inpatient, outpatient, community mental health, and private practice settings. He received his doctorate in Psychology from The University of Georgia and completed a two year post doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at Kent State University and The Eastern Virginia Medical School. Combining cognitive behavioral therapy with therapeutic story telling, he focuses on adults of all ages with anxiety, mood disorders, addictions, and relationship issues in both individual and couples formats. His office is in Hendersonville and he can be contacted directly at 828-698-6390.
Caroline Lewis, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dr. Lewis obtained her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. She attended the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University for her medical training. She completed an internship in obstetrics and gynecology and residency in psychiatry at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Lewis provides pharmacologic treatment for a wide range of psychiatric conditions and has a particular interest in women’s health.
Sarah Wells, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dr. Wells completed her undergraduate work in psychology at UNC—Chapel Hill on a Morehead Scholarship. After graduating, she did medical volunteer work abroad and then worked with an Americorps Program before beginning medical school at the UNC School of Medicine. Dr. Wells completed a general psychiatry residency and a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UNC Hospitals. She enjoys providing medication management and psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults.
Suzanne A. Fullar, P.N.P
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Suzanne is an infant mental health specialist who earned her master’s degree in nursing at the University of Rochester in 1980 and her master’s in public health (maternal and child health) at UNC – Chapel Hill in 1990. She has been a pediatric nurse practitioner since 1980 and has worked with parents and young children in home, community, and clinical settings in North Carolina, New York, and Oregon. Suzanne began working at The Children’s Developmental Services Agency of the Smokies in 1996, where she developed expertise in the medical, developmental, and relationship needs of medically fragile infants. In 2005 Suzanne was chosen to receive a National Zero to Three Fellowship based on her efforts in training child welfare workers and DSS attorneys about infant development and the needs of medically fragile infants. She moved to Portland, Oregon in December 2007 to work at the Northwest Early Childhood Institute in behavioral and developmental pediatrics with children birth to five years. While living on the West coast Suzanne began the Napa Infant – Parent Mental Health Postgraduate Certificate Program. She graduated from this program in April 2010 and is looking forward to working in infant mental health in the Asheville area. Suzanne is a founding member of the North Carolina Infant Young Child Mental Health Association and will be its first President as of October 2011.
Ed Hamlin, Ph.D
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Hamlin obtained his clinical psychology training at UNC-Chapel Hill and worked at Duke University before returning to Asheville to work at Highland Hospital. He specializes in neuropsychology, including neurofeedback, for a variety of conditions, including attention deficit disorder, traumatic brain injury and stroke. He also works with clients to develop optimum brain functioning.
Andrea Meckley, M.A.
Neurofeedback Therapist
Ms. Meckley has a master's degree in health psychology. She has received postgraduate training in EEG neurofeedback and in administering quantitative EEG. She treats a variety of disorders with neurofeedback.
Steve Gold, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Gold earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Purdue University. He worked for nine years in residential treatment for adolescents with drug problems. He directed a masters level clinical training program at Western Carolina University and a doctoral clinical program at Northern Illinois University, each for twelve years. He also maintained a private practice providing individual and couples therapy. His clinical work focuses on adults with concerns about anxiety, depression, sexuality, childhood abuse, and anger management. He also provides couples therapy for relationships in distress or seeking enhancement. He utilizes cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal based approaches to psychotherapy. When not working he enjoys riding his horses, running and reading.
Mary Ammerman, Psy.D.
Counselor/Neurofeedback Therapist
Dr. Ammerman earned both her master's degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. She has worked in juvenile detention centers, a veteran's hospital, an adolescent outpatient substance abuse treatment program, a women's prison, and a university community counseling center. Her clinical interests include working with adolescents and adults who are chemically dependent; helping people enhance their relationships with themselves and their loved ones; and helping people create fulfilling lives that they enjoy.
Terry Sloan, M.S., LPC
Counselor/Neurofeedback Therapist
Ms. Sloan has a master’s degree in community counseling from Western Carolina University. She has received postgraduate training in EEG neurofeedback. She integrates cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused talk therapy with neurofeedback and other forms of biofeedback. Her areas of interest include college transition, grief, anxiety, depression, and stress reduction. She sees adolescents, adults and couples.
Ashley Dorough, Ph.D.
Clinical Health Psychologist
Dr. Dorough specializes in behavioral medicine, the interdisciplinary field concerned with the integration of behavioral, psychosocial, and biomedical science knowledge and techniques relevant to the understanding of health and illness, and the application of this knowledge for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. She treats adults experiencing physical and psychological issues related to pain (e.g., fibromyalgia; neuropathic pain), weight-related issues, and other psychophysiological-based illnesses. She has experience in biofeedback, behavioral weight loss/management, and lifestyle behavior change (e.g., physical activity; nutrition) for purposes of health promotion and disease prevention (e.g. stress management, prevention of hypertension). Her research focuses on the interaction between psychological states and physiological processes, as it relates to physical functioning and wellbeing. Dr. Dorough earned her doctorate in clinical health psychology at Virginia Tech University and completed her training in medical psychology at Duke University Medical Center. Her clinical approach is largely cognitive-behavioral, and her perspective stems from the biopsychosocial model of health and wellness.
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