Mental Health Virtual Assistant
Sarita Turner
About Us
Sarita Turner
MS Ed / Founding Director
I am a native New Yorker and earned my BFA from the School of Visual Arts and my MS in Education in School Psychology from Fordham University with a 4.0 GPA. At Fordham, I specialized in the psychology of bilingual students, with focus on multicultural issues and cultural identity. I have substantial experience providing executive level and administrative support in the fields of mental health, education, and social work. I formed my virtual practice supporting group and solo practices in psychiatry and counseling.
Once I reached capacity with the amount of clients I could personally assist, I began hiring Virtual Assistants with backgrounds in mental health, matching them to clients, and training the assistants to tailor their skills and expertise to the style and work of each client’s practice.
I’ve always been passionate about the mental health field. I was one of the establishing members of the Pathways to Housing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team in New York’s East Harlem. At the time, it was the first and only program of its kind to provide housing to homeless adults with psychiatric disabilities and substance abuse issues as a first step in their treatment. We provided immediate housing to our clients, along with psychiatric support, substance abuse counseling, assistance in obtaining disability benefits, and vocational training. I played a key role in setting up the initial office and in renting and furnishing the program’s first apartments. In addition to general office management, I worked directly with clients daily in the dispensing of medication, money management, crisis interventions, apartment and hospital visitations, and outreach activities.
After working with adults, I decided to pursue my interest in working with children and families through my graduate studies in the Psychology of Bilingual Students at Fordham University. Simultaneously, I worked as an administrator at an early childhood school, and then as an early childhood head teacher at a prestigious private school in NYC.
At this point in my career, I have chosen to apply my education, skills and experience to supporting mental health practitioners and organizations in the administration and management of their practices. I am highly effective in my work and find it personally and professionally rewarding, allowing me to create a positive work-life balance. I’d love to put my skills to work to help you achieve that work-life balance as well.
Sarita Turner, M.S. Ed.
Founding Director
Laura Mory
MBA / Director of Client Relations and Human Resources
I’ve been in the project and production management field for over 25 years. I have an undergraduate degree in Marketing as well as a Masters in Business Administration. I spent many years in the publishing industry, working in a variety of positions including Project Manager and Associate Creative Director. I also hold agency experience as the Director of Agency where I have gained extensive experience in client management, resource assignment and project prioritization.
At ST MHVA, I work closely with Sarita to help grow her business in a managerial and financial way. I enjoy organizing tasks and offering my thoughts and opinions on different business scenarios. I work with our VAs from their initial application through our lengthy screening and hiring process, and then again as a support resource throughout their stay with our agency. I also provide direct and indirect support to our clients to ensure they are happy with our services.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my three kids, reading, cooking, and watching movies.
Norlisha Gistarb
MA / Billing Specialist, Lead Billing VA
I’ve worked in the field of Physician Revenue Cycle Management for over 18 years. I’ve held supervisory roles throughout my career, such as Insurance Coordinator, Senior Billing Specialist, and Business Office Manager for one of the largest orthopedic practices in Savannah, Georgia. My educational background includes a B.S. in Psychology and an M.A. in Adult Learning and Development from Northwestern State University at Louisiana.
At ST MHVA, I utilize my knowledge of office based revenue cycle management to evaluate and assess the needs of potential billing clients. I realize that no single solution is going to be right for every mental health provider. Through a remote evaluation of the potential client’s current billing and collections process, I help Sarita to identify the most appropriate workflow arrangement between ST MHVA and the practice.
My ultimate goal is to enhance the provider’s overall efficiency through comprehensive claims and denials assistance, prior authorizations, benefit verification, and or collections management.
In my free time I love to write, listen to Audible books and visit the beach.
About Our Virtual Assistants
Our Mental Health Virtual Assistants come to us with education and/or work experience in mental health related fields. Our Billing Assistants come to us with training and professional experience in medical and mental health billing. We then build upon that foundation by providing training in best HIPAA practices for mental health.
We will train your Virtual Assistant in areas specific to your practice, such as the systems you are using, the tasks you are requesting, and how to best represent you in a manner that reflects the persona of your practice. All our assistants are based in the United States.
We start out by discussing what areas you are seeking support in. We listen to the details and vision of your practice, and when needed, help you brainstorm how best to use a Virtual Assistant for both your needs and your budget. We will then connect you with the Mental Health Virtual Assistant best suited for your needs and style. Please click here to learn more about our rigorous hiring process. Each Virtual Assistant is chosen and trained based on years of experience working with mental health practitioners in various stages of creating and building their practices.
To get to know some of our VA’s better, please see our VA Spotlights.
Meet Our Virtual Assistants
Reisa
Jamie
Leigh Ann
Lauren
Nikki
Kelsye
Kim
Chelsea
Chelsey
Taylor
Michelle
Alaina
Cuoshatta
Heather
Jennifer
Lindsey
Melissa
What Our VA's Are Saying!
Why did you choose to work with Sarita Turner Mental Health Virtual Assistance?
Norlisha
"I chose to work with Sarita Turner because her company represents an ideal mix of class and organization. I was, and still am impressed with the dedication and support Sarita gives to her assistants."
Jamie
"I really enjoy assisting, being a team player (so to speak), and working behind the scenes. Over the past few years, I became fascinated with the emerging field of virtual assistance, but thought that basic office work wasn’t quite for me. I happened to fall upon Sarita’s job posting one day and it seemed like a perfect fit for my background. Between Sarita’s personality and the flexibility, this job was a win for me."
Nikki D.
"I chose to work with Sarita because we both share the same passion for maneuvering through the complexities of the healthcare system."
Nikki V.
"I am a mental health therapist and was seeking more experience in how to run a private practice."
Lauren
"Being able to work from home part time has been very flexible in my schedule as a first time stay at home mom. It helps keep me relevant and up to date in the Mental Health Field but on a schedule that works for my family."
Michaela
"I choose to work for Sarita because she provides a service that allows me to use the knowledge and experience I have, as well as gives me the opportunity to learn new skills in the mental health field."
Taylor
"I've really had such a wonderful experience working with you and working with Laura, you have an incredibly supportive network of VAs and it's such a positive work environment that I've never had before."
Michelle
“As a first time mom, I wanted a supportive and flexible work environment that allowed me to use not only my clinical skills and judgment within the mental health field but my experience as a previous business owner as well. I thoroughly enjoy working at ST MHVA as my background and experience make me an excellent fit. As a new VA, Sarita provides unwavering support and guidance which has allowed me to excel with my clients and feel confident in the services that I provide.”
Melissa
"I chose to work with Sarita as it not only allows me to use my skills and be flexible but I have also been able to implement what I've been learning in grad school. I also enjoy that Sarita and her team provide support and collaboration to best serve our clients."
What is your favorite part about your role and why?
Jamie
"Intake work for sure! I love gathering history and helping to determine how a service or which therapist can be helpful to the client/patient."
Dana
"Knowing that the little things I’m doing, with each appointment I schedule, I’m already helping someone get one step closer to where they want to be."
Nikki D.
"I love working with multiple clients! Determining the individual needs of each client and helping them become more efficient in their day to day is rewarding to me."
Norlisha
"I enjoy assisting mental health providers in increasing their revenue while getting back some of their much needed time."
Lauren
"I enjoy talking to clients and completing the intake information. It is nice knowing that those who need help are able to get it and I am one small stepping stone in helping them get the help they need."
Michelle
"As a clinician who wished they had an assistant to support them behind the scenes, I feel an immense amount of purpose in having the privilege to lighten the workload and stress off my clients so they can focus on what’s most important."
Melissa
"I have enjoyed collaborating with clinicians in implementing new systems and helping them grow their practice. Watching them feel more confident in making changes since they are better supported administratively, brings me joy!"
What type of background do you have in this industry?
Nikki V.
"I have 4 years of experience as a social worker in various roles – therapy, case management, and program development."
Nikki D.
"I have over 20 years experience in healthcare billing. Mental health billing has been my main focus for almost 5 years."
Norlisha
"I’ve worked for over 18 years in the field of Physician Revenue Cycle Management. Although new to mental health billing, I earned my BS in Psychology and MA in Adult Learning and Development from Northwestern State University at Louisiana. I’m blessed to be able to apply the skills and knowledge I’ve gained over the years for such a meaningful role."
Taylor
"I currently am working towards my doctorate in psychology after graduating undergraduate majoring in psychology."
Jamie
"I have an MSW from Temple University, 5 years experience working in behavioral health managed care, and nearly 10 years working in social work. A lot of client/patient interaction, advocacy and assessment fills my resume."
Lauren
"I have a Bachelors in Public Relations/Marketing and my Master’s degree in School Counseling. I have worked as an intern in schools as a counselor."
Michaela
"I have 17 years of experience in the administrative support field, several years have been spent in various medical and legal settings."