Vicki Kalira, MD

You may look successful on the outside but be quietly struggling within — exhausted, overwhelmed, disconnected, anxious, unable to sleep, and relying on substances or medications just to get through the day, wondering why traditional approaches haven’t fully helped. You may have spent years pushing through, seen multiple providers, and tried medications, therapy, or wellness approaches, yet still feel something deeper is being missed. You’re looking for more than symptom management — a fuller understanding of what’s happening beneath the surface. I’m here for exactly that.

My approach is rooted in understanding the full story: your nervous system, relationships, habits, stress, sleep, history, and the patterns keeping you stuck. Healing is rarely one-dimensional, and care should reflect the complexity of the person in front of me. Together we may explore psychotherapy, nutrition, trauma-sensitive care, behavioral interventions, movement, sleep optimization, nervous-system regulation, medication management, and integrative strategies such as somatic work, energy medicine, and psychedelic-assisted approaches where appropriate. I have a particular interest in supporting people navigating anxiety, burnout, trauma, sleep disruption, addiction, and medication tapering — approaching deprescribing thoughtfully, because reducing reliance on medications is as important as knowing when to use them.

I’m a dual board-certified psychiatrist in general and addiction psychiatry, trained at Johns Hopkins and NYU, and I currently serve as Medical Director for Addiction Recovery Treatment Services within one of the country’s largest VA systems. My work with veterans has deeply shaped my understanding of trauma, resilience, addiction, and recovery. At Pacific Integrative Psychiatry, I work at the intersection of psychiatry and sleep — and I came to this not only as a clinician but as someone who personally experienced Dr. Bhopal’s Effortless Sleep Program™. That experience changed how I understand sleep, and it informs how I support patients navigating it.