Department of Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry

This subspecialty department provides outpatient psychiatric care for adults, including comprehensive evaluation and treatment. Our team includes psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, psychologists and therapists.

About

Program Overview

Our board-certified clinicans provide psychiatric and psychological services including diagnostic evaluations for mental health conditions as well as treatment with medication and therapy. Our interventions are evidence-based and emphasize quality and safety for our patients. As a teaching hospital, we work with students and residents to train the next generation of clinicians, and they are often involved in seeing patients in the clinic. We have a growing number of research projects, many of which are open to our patients for participation.

Virginia Tech Carilion Partnership

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) formed out of an innovative public-private partnership with Virginia Tech. Together, we are working to transform mental health care by educating the physician leaders of tomorrow. VTCSOM uses a patient-centered curriculum designed to develop physicians who can take research from the lab to patient treatment. Students learn, train and work side by side with Carilion’s highly experienced psychiatry staff.

Mission, Goals and Strengths

Our mission is to advance the mental and physical health of our communities, and to become an internationally recognized pioneer of clinical excellence through the dedicated integration of education, discovery and recovery. The Division of Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry will provide excellent care for adults coping with mental illnesses.

Message from Leadership

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine. We are grateful that our community has trusted us with the care of their families. We strive to care for every patient we see with kindness and excellence. Patient care is always our first priority.

In addition to general psychiatric services, we have clinicians who specialize in grief and healing, women's mental health, psycho-oncology, traumatic brain injury, ECT/ketamine/TMS, and substance use disorders.

Explore our website to learn about our many offerings and opportunities in patient care, education and research.

Virginia O/Brien, M.D. - Curriculum Vitae

Virginia O'Brien, M.D.

Virginia O'Brien, MD, director, Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry

View Profile

Department specs

Program Size

  • Roanoke Valley
  • ~ 14 psychiatrists
  • ~ 3 nurse practitioners
  • ~ 4 psychologists
  • ~ 4 therapists
  • New River Valley
  • ~ 5 psychiatrists
  • ~ 3 psychologists
  • ~ 2 therapists

Volume of Procedures

  • Approximately 500 patients seen per week (Roanoke)
  • Approximately 150 patients seen per week (New River Valley)

Quality Measures

  • All clinicians are board certified in their area of expertise
  • Use evidence-based measurement scales to best track patient symptoms and outcomes

Services

  • Multidisciplinary Substance Use Disorder Treatment
  • Peer Recovery Support
  • Grief and Healing
  • Medication Therapy
  • Telemedicine
  • Trauma-Based Therapy
  • Young Adult Services
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Psychological Evaluations
  • Ketamine
  • ECT
  • TMS

Clinical Interests

  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Psychological Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Depression
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Women's Mental Health
  • Interventional Psychiatry
  • Cancer and Mental Health
  • Young Adult Services
  • Grief and Healing

Conditions Treated

  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Bipolar Affective Disorder
  • Depression
  • Cognitive/Behavioral Problems
  • Eating disorders
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Psychotic Disorders
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Grief and Loss

Specialties within Department

  • Outpatient psychotherapy and counseling services
  • Health behavior interventions and behavioral modification including ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), ketamine/Spravato treatment and vagal nerve stimulation (VNS)
  • Center for Grief and Healing
  • Group and individual psychotherapies for substance use disorders
  • Collaborative care

Awards

  • Shine Award 2022 for Co-localized Hepatitis C and Psychiatry OBOT team
  • Shine Award 2022 for the ED Bridge to Treatment Collaborative Program

Areas We Serve

  • Roanoke Valley
  • New River Valley

Contact and Careers

Contact

Rob Way

Professional Staffing Consultant, Recruitment

(540) 224-5189

rjway@carilionclinic.org

Education

Overview

Residency and fellowship trainees at Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) receive a superior education. Our network of hospitals, along with our primary and specialty physician practices, provides ample opportunities to gain hands-on clinical experience in an academic setting. Learn more about our Graduate Medical Education programs.

Visit the Psychiatry Residency page by clicking here.