Providers
The Southlake Psychiatry PC team creates a welcoming, nonjudgmental atmosphere for our patients. Our goal is to provide the best psychiatric care with a deep understanding that patients are not merely "cases" or "diagnoses", but instead, are people with unique experiences of their symptoms and individual paths to their recovery. Our belief is that medication can be instrumental in recovery, yet often only one part of a person's treatment. We help patients find the next logical step in their recovery, gaining and maintaining their improvement for the long-term. We wish to share knowledge and experience with our patients regarding available options in order to help everyone make the most informed, productive and collaborative treatment decisions as they move towards well-being.
For continuity of care and support, your initial provider will be YOUR provider throughout your care at Southlake Psychiatry PC.
Thomas Fitzgerald MD
Dr. Fitzgerald earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from Brown University and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Vermont. He did his Internal Medicine Internship at the University of California, Irvine and his Psychiatry Residency at the University of California, San Diego as Chief Resident.
Dr. Fitzgerald has been practicing psychiatry since 1993; has been licensed in California since 1991 and North Carolina since 1993. He opened Southlake Psychiatry in 2002, where he continues to treat patients and serve passionately as Medical Director. Dr. Fitzgerald is American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Certified in General Psychiatry since 2005; and American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Certified in Addiction Psychiatry since 2007.
Dr. Fitzgerald has voraciously continued to seek leading-edge answers and solutions to help guide patients to greater well-being. In addition to Southlake Psychiatry, he serves as the Naval Medical Center Staff Psychiatrist in General Psychiatry and Pain Psychiatry. He continues to lecture for various educational and professional conferences.
Dr. Fitzgerald is not accepting new patients at this time, though he works with adults, adolescence and children, he primarily focuses on pharmacology for mood disorders, addiction and ADD.
His strength and experience is primarily in medication management while looking for solutions with his patients on their paths to wellness including, but not limited to: psychotherapy techniques, mindfulness practices, spirituality, exercise and treating the patient as a whole by taking into consideration any other medical conditions.
Southlake Psychiatry has been the foundation of Dr. Fitzgerald’s career for more than 20 years. He has cultivated a warm, inviting, non-judgmental atmosphere for patients to meet with providers and improve their mental health through pharmacology when needed. The warm collegiality between providers and staff has allowed Southlake Psychiatry to collaborate and discover with patients a path to recovery as individualized as they are.
Under his medical direction, Southlake Psychiatry has continued to improve its processes with amazing flexibility—especially given the myriad of changes in technology and, most recently, the fluctuating demands of the pandemic. Since its inception, it has remained paramount to Dr. Fitzgerald and the staff at Southlake Psychiatry to maintain a welcoming, efficient and professional environment that provides excellent care for each patient while embracing them with the same personal attention and compassion held for friends and family.
Benjamin Epstein DMSc, PA-C
Dr. Epstein earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts and his Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte; his Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree and his Master of Science degree from Wingate University, Wingate, NC; and his Doctor of Medical Science, including a one-year fellowship in psychiatry from the University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, VA.
Dr. Epstein began his medical career in emergency services while working as an EMT in 2012. He continues to feed his fervent curiosity for leading-edge information, solutions, and technology to help care for patients by seeking out new continuing education opportunities as well as volunteering as an EMT in the Charlotte area. He exercises his desire to give back to the industry by working as an educator/preceptor for the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Epstein has been skillfully and compassionately serving as Assistant Medical Director for Southlake Psychiatry since 2015. His vast education and training make him well-rounded in the field of psychiatry, and his passion for psychopharmacology and building relationships with patients allows him to treat each patient with a holistic sensibility combined with deep medical knowledge. His approach to treatment is collaborative, cooperative and engaging with each patient’s preference, culture, and goals taken into consideration to develop an inclusive and effective medical plan. His goal for each patient is remission and the best quality of life possible. To ensure well-rounded care for each patient, Dr. Epstein is active with a large network of therapists, psychologists, and other medical providers from the community.
Rebecca Kraus PA-C
Rebecca earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Indiana University in 2007 with minors in both Psychology and Spanish. She earned her Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Kentucky in 2012, where she took a special interest in pharmacology.
Rebecca has worked in psychiatry for 10 years and has been at Southlake Psychiatry since 2016. Prior to joining Southlake Psychiatry, she worked in neuropsychiatry where she was able to help a variety of patient populations and broaden her knowledge base on psychiatric, developmental, and neurological disorders.
She is passionate about treating children, teens, and adults within a full spectrum of psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorders, gender dysphoria, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Rebecca has also undergone buprenorphine training to provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence.
Psychopharmacology is a strong passion of hers; one that she believes is but a part of achieving total mental and emotional wellness. This philosophy of treating a patient’s whole mind and body keeps her seeking new information and ways to advance and enhance her clinical practice and knowledge base. Rebecca believes in collaborative care across specialties. Southlake Psychiatry supports this approach to practice, and prides itself on providing specialized care to the individualized needs of each patient.
Allyson Savery PA-C
Allyson earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Society, with honors, from the University of Rochester in New York. She earned her Master of Clinical Medical Science and Physician Assistant Certificate from Barry University in Miami, Florida, where she graduated with Dean’s List Honors as well. She is in the process of completing her Doctor of Medical Science degree with an Advanced Professional Practice Concentration from the University of Lynchburg (anticipated graduation date 12/2022). She is a member of: NCCPA, NAMI, MHA, and the North Carolina Medical Society.
Allyson has been practicing psychiatry since 2006 and been with Southlake Psychiatry since 2012. She sees patients ages 18 and older. She is passionate about promoting health and wellness in others. Therefore, she is committed to using a compassionate, experienced hardworking and well-rounded approach—not just psychopharmacology. She feels it’s important to get to know her patients and what’s important to them, so that she can create tailored treatment plans to ensure they don’t just get “better,” but that they are truly able to experience a remission of symptoms in order to live their lives to the fullest.
Allyson has always had a passion for helping women, which fueled her desire to become a psychiatric PA focusing on women’s wellness. Allyson has a special interest in women’s mental health, and those who are challenged by eating disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, ADD, OCD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or PTSD. Allyson also sees patients who are struggling with grief, career transitions, stress, or relationship issues..
Alexis (Lexie) Sprankle, MPAS, PA-C
Formerly Alexis Christensen
Lexie earned her Bachelor of Science degree from NC State University in 2015. She earned her Master of Physician Assistant Studies from Gardner Webb University in 2019. She is board certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) and is licensed to practice medicine by the North Carolina medical board.
Lexie started working in psychiatry in 2016 and has been at Southlake Psychiatry since 2021. Prior to joining Southlake Psychiatry she provided compassionate mental health care to adolescents and adults in the Mecklenburg County Jail where she took a special interest in providing mental health care to children and adolescents.
She enjoys treating all aspects of general psychiatry including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorders, gender dysphoria, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She focuses her treatment modalities on evidence-based medicine and strives to stay up to date on the most recent advances in psychopharmacology. She also strongly believes in analyzing one’s physical well-being and lifestyle to better support a healthy mind. Collaboration with the patient’s care team is an important part of Lexie’s treatment philosophy, as is creating an individualized treatment approach based on the patient’s specific needs.
Lexie has also undergone buprenorphine training to provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence.
Lisa Suddreth MSN, BSN, RN, PMHNP-BC, NP-C
Lisa earned her Master of Science in Nursing (FNP) from Indiana State University and her Post-Master’s Certification in Psychiatric Mental Health from the University of Southern Indiana. She is a board-certified nurse practitioner in psychiatry and family medicine with over twenty-five years of experience in the healthcare industry as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner. Lisa has also undergone Buprenorphine training to provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence.
She is passionate about providing quality, compassionate and comprehensive mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults. Lisa possesses strong clinical skills enhanced by a natural ability to build rapport with patients and families. She follows evidence-based guidelines blended with clinical experience, personal observation, and intuition. Lisa’s practice focuses on a holistic, patient-centered approach for optimal emotional and physical well-being. In her free time, Lisa enjoys spending time with her family and pets, reading, traveling, hiking, kayaking, and volunteering.
Haley Johnson, MSPAS, PA-C
Haley originally hails from Northern Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Elon University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Exercise Science and a double minor in Neuroscience and Psychology. Haley spent time working in emergency medicine and pain management before deciding to pursue her career in the field of medicine. She graduated Shenandoah University’s PA program in 2019 and moved to the Charlotte area, where she has been practicing since 2020.
Haley specializes in treatment of depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, PTSD, eating disorders, OCD and more. Haley has also undergone MAT (medication-assisted treatment) training to provide specialized care for patients suffering from opioid and/or alcohol dependence. She treats both adults and children - often the whole family wants to schedule with her after the first family member comes to see her! Haley will tell you off the bat that one of her greatest strengths is getting anyone to smile at the end of the day. Her ability to connect with her patients and try to understand their personal needs is paramount in her approach to providing care - how can we possibly know how our patients are progressing if we do not take time to know and understand them as individuals? Haley is interested in treating the “whole patient” - encouraging psychotherapy and physical wellness in addition to pharmacotherapy.
Haley is an animal lover - she has two large dogs and two cats - and would have more if square footage allowed. She is an avid traveler (30 countries and counting) and enjoys reading, hiking, eating delicious food, kayaking, history and crime shows, and being on the water.
Haley aims to treat all of her patients with the same kindness and care as her friends and family - when you are her patient, you will always be met with respect, empathy and a passion for mental wellness that is infectious.