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Elizabeth Casalegno, MD, is a board-certified adult psychiatrist at Adelpha Psychiatric Group in Pasadena, California. 

Dr. Casalegno graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, San Diego, with a degree in biochemistry and cell biology. While at UCSD, she also studied abroad in the Bordeaux region of France, immersing herself in French culture and language. Later, she pursued her medical studies at the University of California, Davis. She ran a student-run clinic for low-income and minority patients and became an Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society member. 

Her interest in human behavior led her to complete her psychiatry residency training at UCLA, where she served as the chief resident of the whole training program.  

Dr. Casalegno specializes in treating various disorders with a careful selection of psychotropic medications in combination with individual psychotherapy and other interventional treatments such as TMS. She is also interested in reproductive psychiatry, psychotic disorders, and applying psychodynamically-informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to treat mood and anxiety disorders, including OCD, aggressively.

Dr. Casalegno is a former member of the Volunteer Clinical Faculty at UCLA, where she was an attending physician in the Psychosis Clinic and the Resident Psychotherapy Clinic. She is also a UCLA Psychiatric Clinical Faculty Association (PCFA) board member.

Esther Kim, MD, is a board-eligible adult psychiatrist practicing at Adelpha Psychiatric Group in Pasadena, California. She has a diverse background in both music and psychiatry. 

Dr. Kim earned her BA in Music with a minor in Biology and Chemistry. She continued on to earn her MD from Wake Forest School of Medicine, where she conducted pivotal research on depression and anxiety management in patients with epilepsy, studying innovative mental health care models and screening tools for epilepsy patients. In addition, she also founded the Wake Forest Musical Outreach Program, organizing musical events and concerts for individuals in the community.

Dr. Kim completed her psychiatry residency at the UCLA-Resnick Neuropsychiatric Institute, where she also served as chief resident of the UCLA Consult-Liaison and Psychiatric Emergency Room Services. She is highly active and passionate about the intersection of music and psychiatry, participating in the Mindful Music series at UCLA and in musical storytelling research projects that highlight resilience and help reduce the stigma of mental illness.

Dr. Kim specializes in the treatment of mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders and has interests in women's mental health and reproductive psychiatry as well. She adopts an integrative approach to care, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness, exercise, diet, and lifestyle. In addition to her expertise in psychopharmacology, Dr. Kim is well-versed in several evidence-based psychotherapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. She also has experience in neuromodulation, specifically transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Outside of her professional life, and as a classically trained violinist, Dr. Kim regularly enjoys playing and performing music with friends. Additionally, she is an avid yogi, enjoys cooking and baking, and is a dedicated dog mom, raising her spunky Pomeranian, Schumann (named after the composer Robert Schumann).

Maya Smolarek, MD, is a board-certified adult psychiatrist at Adelpha Psychiatric Group in Pasadena and Oakland, California. 

Dr. Smolarek graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley with a degree in Religious Studies. Although she pursued medical training to enter end-of-life care, she could not escape the allure of focusing on internal experience, meaning, and personal narrative in the specialty of Psychiatry. 

Dr. Smolarek graduated from UCLA medical school with a leadership award and induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society for her merits in compassionate care. During Psychiatry Residency at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, she and a colleague co-founded the Women in Psychiatry group to further the education of trainees on issues related to women. She developed curricula for medical students and residents on sexual harassment during training and delivered talks on the subject at two national conventions. She served as Volunteer Clinical Faculty member at UCLA , teaching in the Interpersonal Therapy Clinic. 

Dr. Smolarek is experienced in treating the gamut of mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. She has specialty training in reproductive psychiatry (pertaining to menstrual, menopausal, and peripartum issues), geriatric psychiatry, PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, and bipolar disorder. She brings a background study of mysticism and Buddhism to her psychodynamic psychotherapy. Her holistic approach to care also includes an interest in affect-oriented and somatic therapy. LGBTQ+ affirming. 

Joan Striebel, MD, is a board-certified adult psychiatrist at Adelpha Psychiatric Group in Pasadena, California.

Before deciding to pursue medicine, Dr. Striebel taught in elementary schools, and her love of teaching has been a theme throughout her career. She attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.  After completing her residency at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Addiction Fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, she spent ten years working in forensic settings, caring for patients with serious mental illness, providing psychopharmacology consultations, and teaching psychiatry residents and fellows. 

Dr. Striebel has specialized expertise in treating psychosis and implementing clozapine and in treating substance use disorders, particularly opioid use disorder. She completed a visiting fellowship in ECT, has served as an expert witness on ECT, and has written several book chapters related to mental illness and addiction. Her interests also include how physical, mental, and social health are interwoven and interdependent. 

She is a voluntary Clinical Assistant Professor and a teaching attending at the UCLA Psychosis Clinic. The UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences honored her with the award for Outstanding Volunteer Clinical Faculty Teaching 2024-2025.

Rahael Gupta, MD, is a board-certified adult psychiatrist and board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist at Adelpha Psychiatric Group in Pasadena, California. 

Dr. Gupta earned her BA in Human Biology from Stanford University and her MS in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She went on to earn her MD from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, where she was awarded the Raymond W. Waggoner Award for distinguished performance in psychiatry.

Dr. Gupta completed adult psychiatry residency training and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UCLA, serving as Program Chief Fellow and pursuing the Parent and Infant Mental Health Area of Distinction. During her fellowship, she became a certified facilitator of the Circle of Security International Early Intervention Program for Parents and Children (an attachment-based, reflective parenting program), facilitating groups for new mothers at UCLA’s Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Program. She received the 2024 UCLA Gertrude Rogers Greenblatt Award in Child Psychiatry, given to one fellow annually noted for their “deeply humane commitment to children and families requiring psychiatric care.”

Dr. Gupta has specialized training in psychopharmacology and psychotherapy for anxiety disorders, mood disorders, ADHD, eating disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. She has experience with a wide variety of therapeutic techniques, including cognitive behavioral therapy, family-focused therapy, exposure and response prevention, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and executive function coaching. She is committed to a holistic and trauma-informed approach to care.

Adelpha Psychiatric Group is a full-service practice that provides elite psychiatric care to more than just the elite few. At their offices in Encino, Oakland, and Pasadena, California, the team of outstanding mental health specialists provides psychotherapy and medication management to children, teenagers, and adults as well as other interventional treatments, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). 

The psychiatrists and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) specialize in treating patients with severe mental health problems, including addiction, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and other conditions. They treat a highly diverse group of patients with widely varied backgrounds and mental health histories.

The Adelpha Psychiatric Group physicians practice the type of medicine that originally drew them to psychiatry by treating the whole patient through combining psychotherapy with medication management. They possess many unique clinical skills rarely found within the mental health community.

While these experienced mental health providers pride themselves on their clinical acumen, they don’t rest on their laurels. They continually improve their knowledge and skills by remaining active in their professional associations and collaborating with world-renown leaders in research and clinical care from UCLA. They bring the most up-to-date tools available to help patients get the very best psychiatric care.

The practice focuses on making the cost of psychiatric care more manageable for their patients, and that’s where their relationship with leading insurance companies comes in. Through established relationships with providers like Aetna® PPO, HMC HealthWorks, Cigna™, Lyra Health, and ComPsych®, patients can get the care they deserve, as often as they need it.

The practice also helps patients with out-of-network PPO plans by providing courtesy out-of-network billing directly to insurance companies so patients can receive the maximum reimbursement without the hassle of superbills.

The Adelpha Psychiatric Group team also prioritizes providing a safe space for LGBTQIA+ patients and those from every background, race, religion, and orientation.

Call Adelpha Psychiatric Group now or request an appointment online for help finding wellness as soon as possible.

I provide a safe environment coupled with active listening to establish a trusting rapport with my clients. I use evidence based practice to treat the identified diagnosis and meet my client's specific needs. I attended school at California State University Long Beach. I have been practicing as a nurse practitioner, in several settings, for 5 years. I have 30 years of clinical experience and was first trained in healthcare at LAC/USC level 1 trauma center allowing me to develop efficient assessment skills, effective critical thinking and a compassionate bedside manor. I encourage patients and families to participate in their treatment plan.

Salisu Aikoye, MD, is a board-certified adult and addiction psychiatrist. At Sal Psychiatry Services, located in Norwalk, California, they adhere to strict controlled substance protocol. Dr. Salisu attended medical school at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and completed his psychiatry residency at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Nigeria. Dr. Salisu then completed a psychiatry residency at Central Michigan University, Saginaw, and completed his addiction psychiatry fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles/VA. Dr. Salisu also obtained a master’s in public health at the University of Southern California with a special interest in global mental health. He is a passionate and well-rounded psychiatrist known for his excellent listening skills, knowledge of psychiatry/dual diagnoses, and ability to work well with diverse patient populations. Dr. Salisu promotes evidence-based biological treatments with an emphasis on the role of psychotherapy in mental health care.

I provide a safe environment coupled with active listening to establish a trusting rapport with my clients. I use evidence based practice to treat the identified diagnosis and meet my client's specific needs. I attended school at California State University Long Beach. I have been practicing as a nurse practitioner, in several settings, for 5 years. I have 30 years of clinical experience and was first trained in healthcare at LAC/USC level 1 trauma center allowing me to develop efficient assessment skills, effective critical thinking and a compassionate bedside manor. I encourage patients and families to participate in their treatment plan.