Our Care Team
Our staff comprises warm and friendly people! Coming from a wide variety of backgrounds with expertise in high-quality mental health care, we aim to help our patients reach their goals in health and wellness. Come in for a visit!
Providers
Nicole Brooker
PMHNP-BC, AGPCNP, MSN, RN, TOBACCO TREATMENT SPECIALIST (DUKE CERTIFIED), ACUDETOX SPECIALIST
NICOLE BROOKER, MSN, RN, AGPCNP, TOBACCO TREATMENT SPECIALIST (DUKE CERTIFIED) ACUDETOX SPECIALIST
Nicole Brooker’s dream was to become a Registered Nurse. She realized that dream when she graduated as a Registered Nurse in Atlanta, Georgia in 1999. Her enthusiasm to work in more challenging roles led her to devote 15 years of her nursing career in the Neonatal ICU, Pulmonary ICU, and the Emergency Department. These experiences prompted Nicole to obtain her Master’s degree as a Nurse Practitioner in Adult Gerontological Nursing in 2013 from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. Upon graduation, Nicole recalled the experiences and satisfaction she encountered while working in the Emergency Department of a military hospital at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California. There, Nicole treated a variety of illnesses which included mental illness and drug addiction. In addition, drug addiction was fast becoming a huge epidemic. This problem in turn created a shortage of certified trained personnel needed to meet the needs of this underserved population. Nicole moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2013 where she began her work in the field of mental health and drug and nicotine addiction.
Nicole believes that recovery from mental illness and drug addiction is a journey that she and her staff will take with their patients to help them achieve their individualized goals of health and wellness maintenance. Nicole realizes that her expertise in treating patients with the above-mentioned issues emboldened her to create “Journeys in Mental Health and Wellness”. Here, patients will be afforded high-quality care where dynamic individualized programs will be implemented to foster and promote restoration and maintenance of mental health and wellness. Nicole met and married her wonderful husband in Brooklyn, NY. They have 2 beautiful children; daughter Isabella and son Noah. Nicole’s favorite thing in the world is traveling and experiencing different cultures. She also enjoys cooking, reading, and Broadway musicals.
Carissa Berry
MSW, LCSWA, LCASA, OUTPATIENT THERAPIST
CARISSA BERRY, MSW, LCSW, OUTPATIENT THERAPIST
Carissa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is from Long Island, New York, but has been in N.C. since her teenage years. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology at William Peace University in 2017 and her Master’s in Social Work in 2019 from Louisiana State University. Carissa started her journey into the healthcare field as a Certified Nursing Assistant, providing in-home healthcare. Carissa uses a person-centered approach and has experience in both inpatient and outpatient treatment. She has worked with many populations including children, adolescents, couples, and adults. Carissa has worked with individuals combatting Physical and Intellectual Disabilities, PTSD, Depression, OCD, Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse, Mood Disorders, and Behavioral Struggles.
Her passion in life is to help break the stigma of mental illness; by empowering individuals with the skills needed to combat mental health struggles.
Brittany Cherry
MSW, LCSWA, LCASA, OUTPATIENT THERAPIST
BRITTANY CHERRY, MSW, LCSWA, LCASA, OUTPATIENT THERAPIST
Medical Team
Michelle Catalan
Associate of Science
Certified Medical Assistant
MICHELLE CATALAN, CERTIFIED MEDICAL ASSISTANT
Michelle Catalan is an experienced Certified/Registered Medical Assistant born in San Diego, California. Growing up in a Mexican family, she has been the first of her family to attend college and graduate in 2020 with her Medical Assistant Certification and Associates degree. She is a proud new mother of an 11-month-old baby. She graduated from Wake Technical Community College and will be continuing her education for the Bachelor’s Degree in Biology in the fall.
As a Medical Assistant and student, her ultimate goal in life is to become one of North Carolina’s well-respected Specialty Doctors. With her, she brings to us a variety of clinical experiences from Primary Care, Pulmonology, to Internal Medicine with knowledge of infectious diseases and medications. Driven by her love for helping others, she takes pride in providing the best medical care possible to all of her patients. In her busy life, she enjoys learning how to cook, and spending time with her son and family, along with a passion for body modifications.
Kay Christmas
Certified Phlebotomist
KAY CHRISTMAS, CERTIFIED PHLEBOTOMIST
Administrative Team
Caridad Calzadilla
B.S Healthcare Administration
Operations Manager
CARIDAD (CARY) CALZADILLA, OPERATIONS MANAGER
Cary was born and raised in sunny Miami. Born to Cuban parents, she is fluent in Spanish and in English. Her language skills have made her invaluable in her role as an Operations Manager at Journeys, where we serve a large Latino patient population. Growing up in Miami, gave her the opportunity to experience life with many different cultural groups. She developed love, appreciation, and respect for all people. Cary has a natural ability to make patients and staff feel welcomed. She loves to see people achieve their goals and derives great satisfaction from helping others. She is a mentor to her colleagues and an advocate for our patients.
Cary has over 15 years of experience in the medical field. She is adept at performing all duties that promote the efficient functioning of a medical practice. Whether it’s front office, billing and coding, credentialing, office management, and or staff training, she does it with precision, compassion and always with a smile. As if this wasn’t enough, she has become the office tech guru. There isn’t a technology problem she has not been able to solve. These qualities have always thrust her into leadership positions. Future plans include furthering her education to enhance her expertise in her field.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and four kids. Her hobbies include graphic design, cooking delicious Cuban cuisines, and tending to her plant babies. These activities allow her to nurture her creative side and show off her green thumb!
Sandra Pena
AAS Billing and Coding
TMS/Referrals Coordinator
Medical Records
SANDRA PENA, TMS/REFERRALS COORDINATOR & MEDICAL RECORDS
Sandra has called Wendell home her entire life. She is currently attending school at Wake Technical Community College majoring in Business Administration. She devotes her free time to her passion for baking treats and making delicious chocolate-covered strawberries. Sandra is bilingual in Spanish and English and is a great asset to Journeys and to our fast-growing Wendell community. As one of the first faces you’ll see when you arrive at Journeys, she hopes to make you feel welcomed.
Cielo (Sky) Ceballos
Certified Spanish Interpreter
Patient Support Specialist
CIELO (SKY) CEBALLOS, FRONT OFFICE RECEPTIONIST
Khalil Saltani
Patient Support Specialist
KHALIL SALTANI, INSURANCE SPECIALIST
Khalil Saltani is a proud army veteran who served as a linguist during multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is fluent in Arabic, French, English, and the different dialects of the Middle East and parts of North Africa. He is also a very proud Moroccan who emigrated to New York, but has made NC his home since 2013. Having served in the military and having experienced the traumas of war, he knows first hand how important mental health care is to overall well-being. He brings his passion for mental health to Journeys in his role as patient support specialist. He is gregarious, easy to talk to, makes it his priority to ensure that patients’ needs are met. During one of his calls to schedule a new patient, he was asked by the patient if he could be their therapist! This just goes to show the compassion that is felt during one of his interactions. Khalil is married with two beautiful children. We are delighted to have Khalil join our Journeys family. If you happen to get a call from him, thank him for his service.
Isabella Buchanan
Insurance Specialist
