Maripat Alger Cottone, APN
Maripat has been with Wayne Behavioral Service since its inception in 1996. She has over 25 years of psychiatric nursing experience in in-patient and out-patient care from child psych to geriatrics. Maripat has been an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) since 1991, a graduate of both Yale and Rutgers University’s School of Nursing. She is ANCC Board Certified as both an Adult Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist and a Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She enjoys both direct clinical practice, as well as, consultation and has been an adjunct faculty member at Seton Hall University, Bergen Community College and Felician College.
As an APN, Maripat provides psychiatric evaluation, clinical management-including prescriptive authority and pharmacological management, therapy and patient education. Her areas of interest include women’s issues-pregnancy and post partum mood disorders, as well as, Wellness and Recovery.
Maripat is also an avid football fan, sports enthusiast and a mother of twins.
Mary Switala, DNP
Dr. Mary Switala is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner who provides comprehensive psychiatric treatment for adolescents and adults with a focus on individual needs and the collaborative development of treatment goals. She offers comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and brief supportive therapy for a variety of mental health conditions.
Mary is knowledgeable about the latest developments in psychopharmacology and provides combination treatment with brief supportive psychotherapy and medication management, as well as psychopharmacological management in conjunction with other psychotherapists. Dr. Switala has been working with psychiatric patients for the past 15 years. She has experience in inpatient and outpatient settings and uses a holistic and integrative approach to diagnosing and treating mental health conditions. Mary places emphasis on providing thorough patient education to foster a collaborative, therapeutic relationship that is transparent and empathetic. Mary obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from Monmouth University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at Villanova University.
Emily Coyle, PMHNP-BC
Emily Coyle is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) with training and experience treating patients with various psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. She is well-versed in psychopharmacology and utilizes an integrative approach that includes medication, therapy, patient education and referrals for non-pharmacological options for treatment such as TMS and Ketamine. She directly oversees patients receiving Ketamine for treatment-resistant depression at WBS with Dr. Elrafei.
Other experience includes collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across different settings, including inpatient, outpatient, and long term care psychiatric units. Emily’s background includes extensive hands-on experience working as a psychiatric nurse for several years on inpatient psychiatric units including Ramapo Ridge Psychiatric Hospital and Gracie Square Hospital.
Emily earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she was also awarded the Excellence in Nursing Award for maintaining the highest GPA, consistently excelling in clinical settings, and providing responsible and compassionate care to her patients. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fairfield University, an Associate’s degree in Nursing from Bergen Community College and a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from Thomas Edison State University.
Carrie Prakope, PMHNP-BC
Carrie is a ANCC Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) across the lifespan. Beginning her career as a Level 1 Trauma Nurse, she subsequently found her true calling as a psychiatric nurse in acute care at Yale New Haven Hospital. Holding two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree, Carrie enjoys working with patients exhibiting a broad range of complex mental health challenges. Some of these health issues include depressive disorders, bipolar and related disorders, anxiety disorders, OCD, ADHD, personality and mood disorders, as well as schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders.
A graduate of Regis College with a 3.96 GPA, Carrie envelopes herself in the learning experience and genuinely enjoys developing a supportive and dynamic patient-practitioner relationship. Carrie is adroit in assessment, diagnosis, planning, evaluation and medical management of psychiatric illnesses in her patients. She provides psychotherapy along with extensive psychoeducation of psychotropic medications provided to her patients.
Carrie’s interests include scuba diving, animal rescue, and art; Carrie was named one of the top ten emerging artists in the country by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. Carrie led the effort to pass the historic 2003 smoking ban in NYC through her testimony in front of the City Council, advocating for employee health and welfare issues. Carrie also sits on the board of Road to Recovery assisting victims and survivors of sexual abuse.
Natasha Dillon, PMHNP-BC
Natasha Dillon graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2020 as a psychiatric Nurse Practitioner for all ages. She is Board Certified by ANCC and graduated with her Master’s in Nursing Science in 2017 from Ternopil State Medical University in the Ukraine. Natasha has been in the medical field for 20 years and has years of experience as a Registered Nurse in the hospital setting and she has connected with thousands of patients throughout her career and participated in many meaningful moments in their lives.
Natasha is a patient-focused provider who emphasizes building relationships with her patients and works towards creating a personalized treatment plan. These connections have made her a sensitive, respectful provider that enjoys collaboration. Natasha became interested in drug treatment because of the way it dominates our current approach to managing the suffering and disturbance we call mental disorders. Using psychotherapy and medication management, she can help you gain the tools needed to move past the hard times.
“Mental health is not cookie-cutter as every person has a different story. You are important, you are strong, you are always welcomed to come to see me without being judged.”
Teresa Omwenga, PMHNP-BC
Teresa Omwenga is a Board Certified APN for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC). She treats patients with psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. She manages medication and treats mental health disorders like depression, anxiety disorders, ADHD, bipolar disorder, dementia and more.
Teresa became Board Certified by ANCC in May 2022 with her Master’s degree in Nursing from Walden University in 2021 and her BSN from Thomas Edison State University in 2017. Teresa completed her undergraduate studies, earning her Associate’s degree in RN at Trinitas School of Nursing in 2011.
Receiving a Daisy award for extraordinary nurse in 2019, Teresa was a nominee of the National Society of Leadership and success at Walden University.
Amanda Moroz PMHNP-BC
Amanda Moroz is a Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with experience in treating patients with various psychiatric disorders. Her nursing career began at the University of Delaware where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Amanda’s first job in nursing was with a new graduate residency program at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in the medical/surgical float pool. She then decided to work in an outpatient practice prior to her finding her passion of psychiatry. Amanda decided to obtain her master’s while continuing to work at Ramapo Ridge Psychiatric Hospital in Wyckoff, NJ. She holds a Master of Nursing degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Amanda started her career as a nurse practitioner in a residency program through Hackensack University Medical Center, where she was able to rotate through different areas of psychiatry at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Upon completion of the program, she began working at Immediate Care Psychiatric Center where she provided medication management and supportive therapy to patients of all ages. Amanda is currently attending The University of Pennsylvania to obtain her DNP and will graduate in May of 2024.
Rupinder Kaur PMHNP-BC
Rupinder Kaur is a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatric Mental Health (PMHNP-BC), who graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She treats adolescents, adults and Geriatrics mental health diagnoses like Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar, ADHD and others. She can perform mental health evaluations, diagnose, prescribe medications, and carry out patient treatment plans. She has prescribing privileges and can diagnose, adjust medications, and order diagnostic tests. She is also an adjunct faculty at Jersey College School of Nursing. Her clinical career took her on a journey from inpatient to outpatient settings caring for diverse populations. As a Nurse Practitioner, she takes great pride and feels a sense of fulfillment when providing healthcare services to the mental health population. Her goal is to assist individuals in their journey to wellness with her strong sense of empathy and compassion while implementing psychiatric pharmacotherapy. Her philosophy for helping her clients is: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller.
Mazie Trusty PMHNP-BC
Mazie Trusty is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner. She provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment, including brief supportive therapy and medication management for adolescents and adults with mental health disorders.
Mazie obtained her Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) in 2010 from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). She has successfully evaluated and treated patients with medically chronic diseases. During her 14 years as an FNP, her passion for psychiatric mental health grew as she noted that many of her patients had unmet mental health needs. She, therefore, decided to pursue her psychiatric degree, and in September 2023, she graduated from Wilkes University as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).
Mazie is compassionate and caring. Her goal is to provide advanced care to patients with mental health disorders and to help improve their coping and functioning skills.
Mohamed Alhennawy, PMHNP-BC
Mohamed is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC) with training and experience in treating patients with various psychiatric disorders across their life spans. Mohamed graduated from Herzing University with an MSN in 2022 and a 3.86 GPA.
Egypt is where Mohamed was born and nurtured. In 2014, Dr. Alhennawy graduated from Cairo University Medical School. Before permanently relocating to the U.S., he spent a few years working as a general practitioner in Egypt. Mohamed treats adults 18 years of age and over. He specializes in medication management and focuses on adopting a holistic and integrative approach to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. He emphasizes giving patients a quality education in order to promote a supportive, therapeutic connection. . He focuses on the value of including psychopharmacology in a whole behavioral management strategy.
