OUR STAFF

x 100 Reception Front Desk

x 105  Medical Records – Judith LaRochelle

x 108 TMS Technician – Natalie Urena 

x 200 Refill Request Line VM only

x 206 Office Manager – Maryann Mathieu

x 104 Dr. Vemuri

x 107 Dr. Merritt

x 109 Carol Mackiewicz

x 110 Patty Venega 

Meenakshi Vemuri, MD

Dr. Vemuri is a board certified adult and child and adolescent psychiatrist. She has   has been practicing psychiatry for several years. Formerly she has worked as Chief of Psychiatry at Harington Memorial Hospital, Southbridge, MA. She has expertise treating patient across the life span. She is comfortable treating the various psychiatric conditions with comorbidities and presenting with different degrees of severity. She has worked in several different settings including acute inpatient, chronic and long term as well as outpatient setting. She does consultations for ECT as well as TMS for adults and adolescents. She has been involved with clinical studies involving adults and adolescents, working at UMass Medical Center. She has worked as a supervisor and mentor for medical students and residents at UMass Medical Center as well as residents from St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Watertown, MA.

Dr. Vemuri completed her medical education at Guntur Medical College, India. Her Adult Psychiatry  Residency was from MCP- Hahnemann University, Philadelphia. She did her fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from Weill- Cornell Medical Center, Westchester, NY. She completed a Psychopharmacology fellowship at UMass Medical School, Worcester.

Zafar Nafis Naqvi, MD

Dr. Zafar Nafis Naqvi is a Psychiatrist and a Founding Member of the Institute of Coaching, affiliated with McLean Hosp
ital, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Z Naqvi has 21 years of cross-cultural experience as a Psychiatrist and 10 years as a Psychoanalyst. His special interests include treating patients with Eating disorders including Anorexia
Nervosa,Obesity,Bulimia and Binge-eating disorders as well as patients with Drug and Alcohol addiction.

Dr. Z.N. Naqvi remained actively involved in academia throughout his career as he believes that the process of teaching helps one learn how to learn. He is working as an Assistant Professor Psychiatry at UMass Medical School. He is also an ex-faculty at Harvard Medical School,Department of Psychiatry. He also completed his extensive training in England (United Kingdom), and he is an International Associate of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

He is triple American Board Certified in Psychiatry & Neurology, Addiction Medicine and Addiction Psychiatry. He has also done his Fellowships in Addiction Psychiatry and Psychoanalytic Psychiatry. He is a trained Psychoanalyst and also a Teaching Supervisor of Psychoanalytic training at UMass Medical School. He has written several articles to combat the stigma associated with Mental illnesses.

He believes that Psychiatric illnesses are analogous to “rain drops” falling on different textures , as the rain drops produce different sounds when they fall on different textures like, glass, wood, plastic, desert sand etc., same is the infinite variety of disease manifestations when they test someone’s psychological make up/ego-strength”

He values the in-depth understanding of individuals in Psychiatry for providing comprehensive care and believes that through Psycho-dynamically-informed treatment model and addressing the Addiction Psychiatry facet, which is almost ubiquitous in co-occurring disorders with mental illness, the dynamics behind the patient’s needs can be understood to effectively reduce their longitudinal sufferings by modifying their prognosis.

 Mary Johnson, LMHC

Mary is a Master’s-level licensed therapist who graduated from UMass – Amherst and Assumption College.  She has 29 years post-graduate experience treating clients suffering from the effects of anxiety, depression, co-dependency, and substance abuse issues, including family members suffering from the effects of addiction.  Her experience includes individual, group and couples counseling.  She has also conducted court evaluations, performed crisis intervention services, and sees clients with chronic mental illness, co-occurring diagnoses, and trauma histories.  She is currently in private practice and a provider for most major insurance companies as well as Employee Assistance Programs.

Carol Mackiewicz

I provide art therapy and traditional talk therapy to all ages.  Art therapy interventions provide information and insight beyond our spoken language.  I specialize in treating anxiety, depression, and trauma.  I also enjoy helping clients identify strengths, passions, interests, and goals.  I love working with young individuals who are open to exploring their identities and roles in this world. Furthermore, the therapeutic work between Mothers and Daughters is also a passion of mine, helping both parties resolve misunderstandings and strengthen their relationship.

I also provide Child Parent Psychotherapy to parents or caregivers with children under the age of 6, who have experienced trauma.  The method treats the relationship between child and caregiver, focusing on understanding, compassion, and growth through play and processing.

Mary Judd-Pechie, M.Ed, MSSW, LICSW

When life gives you new challenges that seem difficult and even impossible…. learn and practice new ways to take care of yourself! Engaging in therapy is a gift that you give yourself. It also benefits the people you love and care for. Skills like Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, Gratitude, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and DBT skills can help you feel better by reducing stress and improving ability to cope with different situations.

I studied Rehabilitation Counseling at Springfield College, with a Concentration in Substance Use Disorders and received a Master’s Degree in 1984. I worked exclusively in the Addictions field for ten years at inpatient detox/rehab programs (Nashua Brookside Hospital, Stonington Institute) and outpatient at Harrington Recovery Services. I returned to Springfield College to earn a Master’s in Social Work in 1996. For the last 23 years I have worked in Community Hospitals and in Private Therapy Practice as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. My experience includes working for Emergency Psychiatric Services with both children and adults, with Dually Diagnosed patients on Inpatient and Partial Hospital Units, and with medically involved patients.

My understanding of life challenges facing families and individuals today has been broadened by my own experience as a parent and a family caregiver.

Patricia Venegas, LMHC- CAGS, MBA, Certified DBT

Patty is a bilingual (Spanish/English) License Mental Health Clinician who has been practicing counseling for many years in Massachusetts.  She has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology as well as a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study. In addition, she is Certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and has advanced training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. (UMASS)

Patty’s therapeutic approach includes the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, DBT, Supportive Therapy as well as Spiritual Counseling.   In combination, these techniques have been found to be effective treatments for a range of problems including depression, anxiety, trauma, personality disorder and bereavement. Patty is sensitive to cultural issues of many types and is comfortable in working with a range of backgrounds and orientations.

She has expertise treating people across the life span and while she is currently working only with adults, she is knowledgeable of a range of relationship and family issues.

Ann Carter, Clinical Social Worker

Ann Carter is a clinical social worker who provides individual psychotherapy for adults, as well as therapy for couples and families.    Her strengths-based,  and interactive approach to psychotherapy draws from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including: psychodynamic, attachment, cognitive behavioral (CBT), systems and recovery-oriented models.  Ann has worked for more than 35 years practicing clinical social work, having worked with adults who have experienced a wide range of mental health challenges including; psychotic disorders, mood disorders, emotional dysregulation, PTSD/trauma, anxiety, and complex family issues.  Ann earned her undergraduate degree from Northeastern University, and her Master’s degree in Social work from Boston College.  She has a Certificate in Intensive Family Systems, from Therapy Training Boston.

Randi Krogstad, LICSW

The core of my treatment style is to focus on what’s going on in the here and now, look at what could change for the better, then move out from there to look at factors that might be causing problems. My clients set the goals and have control of the pace of therapy, particularly when we are working with trauma. I got my masters’ degree at Smith College, where I was trained in psychodynamic psychotherapy. I worked for many years in Harrington Hospital’s behavioral health programs, including twelve years doing outpatient therapy and 8 years as an inpatient psychiatric social worker. I enjoy working with couples and families, but currently I mostly work with adolescent and adult individuals.

Jack Tracy LICSW

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, educated at Harvard University and Simmons College, with over 30 years of experience as a Psychotherapist. I have worked at some well known locations in Central MA including UMass Medical School, the Fallon Clinic and Harrington Hospital. My experience has been both on inpatient psychiatric inpatient units as well as outpatient clinics and so I am familiar with a wide variety of psychological problems and conditions.
At this time, I have four main areas of clinical work with which I am involved, anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship issues. Clearly, some people experience a combination of these issues and problems can become quite complex. Other complicating factors of which I am familiar can include substance dependence and medical issues. I work almost exclusively with adults and have an interest in issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community, neurodiversity as well as issues related to sexual, racial and ethnic diversity.
Using a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychodynamic Theory I am interested in assisting people to relieve the pressures and problems of the present day while also attending to underlying causes. Issues of stress management, mindfulness, motivation and self-care frequently come into play. The overall goal is to try to reduce the stresses of everyday life and work toward addressing issues that serve as obstacles.