Personalized Psychiatry in Santa Monica & West Los Angeles
Hi, I’m Dr. Ellen Charles.
Psychiatric care should feel personal and professional. As a direct-pay, out-of-network practice, I provide treatments that are tailored to you, guided by what evidence shows works best.
I offer in-person visits in Santa Monica—serving patients throughout West Los Angeles—as well as telehealth for California residents. Let's start with a free 15-minute introductory call to see if we're a good fit.
What We Can Face Together
Everyone's mental health journey is unique. My goal is to understand exactly how these challenges are impacting your everyday life so we can build a personalized, evidence-based plan to help you feel like yourself again. If you aren't sure if your specific needs fall into these categories, we can discuss that during our introductory call.
PTSD & Trauma
Trauma can leave you feeling constantly on guard or exhausted not just from painful memories but also from the energy it takes to avoid them. Trauma can also profoundly impact your identity and ability to trust others. As a specialist in trauma recovery, I provide a safe, highly sensitive space to help you process difficult experiences at your own pace. Using evidence-based therapies, we will work together to reduce the impact of intrusive thoughts, reactivity, and avoidance, thereby helping you reclaim your sense of safety and move forward.
Request Free Consultation ➜OCD
Obsessions—unwanted, intrusive thoughts—and the compulsions used to manage them can create an exhausting, time-consuming cycle. I specialize in helping patients break this pattern using effective medical and therapeutic strategies. My goal is to help you reduce the severity of these symptoms so you can reclaim your time and energy, and get back to living with greater freedom.
Request Free Consultation ➜Women's Mental Health
Women navigate unique biological, emotional and identity shifts throughout their lives, including when trying to conceive or during pregnancy, the postpartum period, and perimenopause. Whether you are coping with infertility, experiencing peripartum depression or anxiety, finding that your mood changes with your menstrual cycle, or noticing that perimenopause has brought with it unwelcome changes to your mental health, I provide specialized, empathetic care to support your well-being through every stage of life.
Request Free Consultation ➜Depression
Depression can make daily life feel overwhelming, disrupting your energy, sleep, and focus. I provide comprehensive psychiatric evaluations to understand the biological and psychological factors at play, creating a personalized medication and therapy plan to help restore your sense of vitality.
Request Free Consultation ➜BPD & Other Personality Disorders
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by a pattern of emotional dysregulation, interpersonal sensitivity, and shifting identity. I specialize in helping patients navigate BPD through the principles of Good Psychiatric Management (GPM). My approach focuses on your life beyond the diagnosis—providing clarity on the illness, integrating evidence-based medication management, and collaborating with your broader care team, including DBT therapists.
For those managing other personality disorders, such as Narcissistic or Obsessive-Compulsive PD, I provide tailored psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic strategies designed for your specific symptoms and goals.
Request Free Consultation ➜Bipolar Spectrum Disorders
Navigating significant highs and lows in mood, energy, and focus can feel like a constant balancing act. I specialize in the subacute and long-term care of bipolar spectrum disorders, focusing on compassionate mood stabilization and thoughtful medication management so you can build a more consistent, fulfilling life and reduce the impact of your mood disorder on your life, career and relationships.
Request Free Consultation ➜Anxiety & Panic
When anxiety, social fears, or panic attacks start interfering with your activities and causing distress, you don't have to push through it alone. Through tailored, evidence-based psychiatric treatments, I can help you manage these symptoms so you can navigate the world with greater ease and confidence.
Request Free Consultation ➜Schizophrenia & Psychosis
Navigating a disruption in your perception of reality can be deeply confusing and frightening for both you and your loved ones. I provide expert, compassionate psychiatric care to help manage these complex symptoms, stabilize your daily life, and support your ongoing journey toward recovery.
Request Free Consultation ➜ADHD
ADHD is a difference in how your brain processes the world. In adults, it often presents with executive function problems - difficulties with sustaining attention, completing lengthy tasks, staying organized, and controlling impulsive behavior and emotion - as well as hyperactive symptoms, which may have you feeling restless and fidgety. I offer thorough, compassionate assessments and personalized treatment plans to help you manage these daily challenges, build systems that work for you, and preserve your unique creativity and energy.
Request Free Consultation ➜What I Offer
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Psychiatric Evaluations
Getting a comprehensive understanding of current symptoms, your psychiatric and other medical history, and your goals is an important first step. In an extended, in-depth session, we’ll take our time looking at your history so we can decide on the right treatment plan together.
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Medication Management
For those patients for whom medication is an appropriate part of the treatment plan, follow up sessions will focus on your response to medication, side effects and evolving goals of treatment.
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Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is an evidence-based treatment for many conditions and can be used in addition to medication or on its own, depending on the patient.
Experience You Can Trust
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Extensive Clinical Background — I'm here to help you navigate complex mental health challenges, drawing on my previous experience as an attending psychiatrist and lead of the psychiatric emergency department at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.
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Dedicated to Women’s Mental Health — I provide personalized medication management and psychotherapy, built on the strong foundation of my time providing continuous, everyday care for hundreds of female veterans at the VA Women’s Clinic.
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World-Class Training — You can expect the highest standard of evidence-based care, backed by my medical degree (MD) from UCLA and a specialized four-year psychiatry and psychotherapy residency at the renowned UCLA Semel Institute.
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At the Forefront of Psychiatry — I always bring the latest, most effective treatments to our work together, staying at the forefront of the field through my ongoing role as a clinical instructor and supervisor at the UCLA Psychosis Clinic.
How It Works
Getting started is simple. From our very first conversation to your ongoing care, my goal is to ensure you feel heard, supported, and completely confident in your personalized treatment plan.
Let's Chat
We’ll start with a free, 15-minute phone call to understand what you're looking for, and see if my practice is the right fit to support you.
Psychiatric Evaluation
Next is a comprehensive session—held either in person or virtually—to get a full picture of your health. Together, we'll agree on a clear, personalized treatment plan.
Ongoing Support
Through careful medication management, psychotherapy, or both, we will work closely together to track your progress, adjusting your care as your needs evolve over time.
Let's Connect
Request a free 15-minute introductory call to see if we're a good fit. Appointments are typically available within a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No, my practice operates as a private-pay, out-of-network clinic. This model allows me to prioritize your privacy and the quality of your care without the administrative constraints of insurance companies. While I do not bill insurance directly, I can provide a detailed invoice (a "superbill") that you can submit to your insurance plan for potential out-of-network reimbursement.
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I offer a hybrid model to best accommodate your lifestyle. We can meet in person at my private office in Santa Monica, or virtually via a secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform if you are located anywhere in California.
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I frequently collaborate with other therapists! If you already have a therapist you love working with, I am happy to focus strictly on your medication management while coordinating closely with them to ensure your care is seamless.
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I works with adults ages 18 and older. If you are looking for care for a child or adolescent, I can often provide referrals to colleagues who specialize in those age groups.