Dr. Charles specializes in treating a range of complex mental health conditions. She approaches each diagnosis with a focus on understanding the unique way it affects a patient's life. Her areas of expertise include:

• Depression: Depression is a serious medical condition that can profoundly affect how a person thinks, feels, and functions. It often disrupts sleep, appetite, concentration, and energy levels, making daily life feel overwhelming. It can be caused by a combination of factors, and is a mood state found in a number of conditions. Dr. Charles provides a comprehensive evaluation to understand the biological and psychological factors at play, creating a personalized plan to help restore stability and well-being.

• Anxiety: Anxiety is a normal part of life, but when it interferes with daily activities and causes distress, it tips over into a disorder that needs treatment. Whether manifesting as generalized anxiety, social fears, or panic attacks, Dr. Charles helps patients manage these symptoms through evidence-based treatments, allowing them to function with greater ease and confidence.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): PTSD can develop after exposure to significant trauma, resulting in symptoms such as intrusive memories, flashbacks, avoidance, and heightened reactivity. Dr. Charles is an expert in this area and approaches trauma care with sensitivity, offering a safe environment to process these experiences and using proven therapies to reduce their impact on daily life.

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): OCD is characterized by unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that a person feels driven to perform. This cycle can be distressing and time-consuming. Dr. Charles uses effective medical and therapeutic strategies to help patients break this cycle and reduce the severity of symptoms. Helping patients with OCD live more freely is a one of the most satisfying parts of Dr. Charles’ work.

• Bipolar Spectrum Disorders: Bipolar disorders involve significant fluctuations in mood, energy, and activity levels. Dr. Charles specializes in the long-term management of these conditions, focusing on mood stabilization and medication management to support a consistent and healthy quality of life.

• Psychosis: Psychosis involves a disruption in a person's perception of reality, which may include hallucinations or delusions as well as loss of motivation, social withdrawal, difficulty thinking clearly and other symptoms. All of these symptoms can be confusing and distressing for both the patient and their loved ones. Dr. Charles provides expert, compassionate psychiatric care to manage these symptoms and support recovery.

• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and other Personality Disorders: BPD is a condition defined by extreme interpersonal hypersensitivity and emotional dysregulation, while personality disorders more broadly are categories developed by researchers and clinicians to address clusters of symptoms involving overly rigid ways of coping with the world. Dr. Charles has worked with many patients with BPD and other personality disorders to reduce suffering and build a life worth living.

• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): ADHD is not just a deficit, but a difference in how the brain prioritizes and processes information. Dr. Charles offers a sensitive and thorough assessment, helping you manage the challenges of the condition while preserving the creativity and energy that often accompany it.

• Co-morbid conditions: Very often psychiatric disorders go together, whether it’s a combination of ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, PTSD and psychosis, or any number of other other combinations. Dr. Charles will work with you to determine what conditions best match your history and symptoms and how to consider co-occurring conditions in a thoughtful treatment plan.

If you aren't sure if your specific needs fall into these categories, we can discuss that during our introductory call.

Dr. Charles provides a holistic approach tailored to your individual needs. Depending on the best care plan for you, she can provide medication management, psychotherapy, or a combination of both.

Dr. Charles offers a hybrid model to accommodate your lifestyle. She can meet with you in person at her private office in Santa Monica, or virtually via a secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform for anyone located in California.

Dr. Charles frequently collaborates with other therapists. If you already have a therapist you love, she is happy to focus on your medication management while coordinating closely with them to ensure your care is seamless.

Dr. Charles works with adults ages 18 and older. If you are looking for care for a child or adolescent, she can often provide referrals to colleagues who specialize in those age groups.

No, Dr. Charles operates as a private-pay, out-of-network practice. This model allows for your privacy and the quality of your care to be prioritized, without the administrative constraints of insurance companies. While she does not bill insurance directly, she can provide a detailed invoice ("superbill") that you can submit to your insurance plan for potential out-of-network reimbursement.