top of page

Our Mental Health and Wellness Approach

At Chesapeake Behavioral Health our providers not only diagnose and treat based on our expertise but use a collaborative team approach of medication and therapy. We recognize the importance, synergy that occurs when both therapy and medication are used together in treatment. While we cannot change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to better understand and resolve challenges in your life.

Diagnostic Evaluations

Diagnostic evaluations assess difficulties in the behavioral, emotional, and social realms of life – childhood through adulthood.

Medication

People often think of medication as the last option, to be used when other interventions have failed. Some psychiatric symptoms and disorders improve quickly with the proper medication at the right dose, which then allows a patient to either go back to their lives or access other therapeutic interventions more effectively. We know the medications, we let you know what we know, we monitor medications, and when appropriate, discontinue them. Our prescriber's expertise and/or training is unparalleled.

Therapy

In some cases, a combination of medication and therapy is the right course of action. Our providers will work with you to determine what is best for you. It is our belief therapeutically that both therapy and medications are most effective when practiced together which has been proven through research by the

National Institutes of Mental Health. 

Chesapeake Behavioral Health Team

Who We Are

woman in white

Elsa I. Correa, MD

Board Certified Psychiatrist, Medical Director

Dr. Elsa Correa, MD is a Psychiatry Specialist in Reisterstown, MD, and has over 49 years of experience in the medical field. Dr. Correa is a Board Certified Psychiatrist ...

woman in white

Dr. DeLeonardo, DNP, PMHNP-BC

Board Certified, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner & Speaker

Dr. DeLeonardo is a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing ...

woman in white

Jennifer Elkins, LCSW-C

Licensed Clinical Social Worker,
Senior Psychotherapist

Jennifer Elkins, LCSW-C earned her Master's (MSW) from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 2009 with a concentration in Mental Health. She has been ...

woman in white

Dr. Psonak, DNP, PMHNP-BC

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Dr. Jessica Psonak is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from University of Maryland.

woman in white

Zainab "Lola" Giwa, MSN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-C

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Zainab "Lola" Giwa is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, dually certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner....

woman in white

Lucy Cashdollar, RN

Psychiatric Nurse, Practice Manager

In 1992, Ms. Cashdollar earned her nursing degree from CCBC. In 2005, she became Practice Manager at Chesapeake Behavioral Health Center. She works with the ...

Support Team

bottom of page