About Monarch Psychiatric Services
About Our Staff
Dr. Amelia Merz and her staff strive to provide compassionate, patient-focused care in a collaborative process with you and your therapist to achieve recovery from mental health problems and substance abuse. The practice takes a team approach to your care. If you are seeing one of our psychiatric physician assistants, Dr. Merz will review your intake paperwork and will participate in your treatment planning. All of our physician assistants are skilled providers who have been personally trained by Dr. Merz and they share in her passion to deliver the highest quality of customized care.
Dr. Merz is board certified in both Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine and is also certified in perinatal mental health. She and her staff use an evidence-based approach in their practice. Dr. Merz was trained at the University of Minnesota where she completed both medical school and residency.
Dr. Merz has worked in a variety of settings including outpatient clinics, residential treatment centers and inpatient psychiatric hospitals. Her goal is to use this experience to provide all Monarch patients with a customized treatment plan that helps them to reach their personal and professional potentials. She and her team believe that wellness and change are within everyone's reach.
The staff at Monarch Psychiatric Services has expertise in treating depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, OCD, ADHD and substance use disorders in patients ages 15-65 including LGBTQI individuals and women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
Dr. Amelia Merz
Casey Pennel, PA-C, CAQ-Psych, PMH-C
Ashley George, PA-C
Rochelle Butler, PA-C
Daniel Lowder, PA-C
Conditions Treated
ADHD
Anxiety
Behavioral Addictions
Bipolar Disorder
Depression
Gambling Disorder
Gender Dysphoria
Gender Transition
Insomnia
Life Transitions
Major Depressive Disorder
Medication Review
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Panic Disorder
Performance Anxiety
Perinatal Mental Health (treatment during and after pregnancy)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - Trauma
Psychosis
Schizophrenia
Sexual Addiction
Skin Picking
Social Anxiety
Stress/Worry
Suicidal Thoughts
Trichotillomania
Women's Health Issues
Dr. Merz's Professional Qualifications
Board certifications
Board Certified in Psychiatry
Board Certified in Addiction Medicine
Perinatal Mental Health Certified
Education and training
University of Minnesota, Doctor of Medicine
University of Minnesota, Psychiatry
American Society of Addiction Medicine
Hospital affiliations
MacNeal Hospital
Academic affiliation
Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Loyola University Medical School
Professional memberships
ASAM
PSI
What we do not provide
- Evaluations for work readiness
- Impaired provider assessments
- Court mandated anger management
- Court mandated DUI treatment
- Treatment for domestic violence
- Therapy for personality disorders
- Treatment for autism or developmental delays
- Couples therapy
- Psychological testing
- Medical marijuana cards or CBD
- Chemical dependency detoxification
- Suboxone treatment
We will be able to refer you to our partners in the community for many of the above needs.
Also worth noting
Our clinicians take a conservative approach when prescribing stimulants and benzodiazepines based on their training and practice experience. Treatment with controlled substances for ADHD will require a documented history of this diagnosis or neurocognitive testing, which is offered here at Monarch. Use of benzodiazepines for anxiety or sleep is usually restricted to only short-term use.
However, each patient is evaluated on an individual basis when making decisions about the place for controlled substances in your treatment plan.
If you have a recent history of frequent suicidal behavior or self-harm, frequent psychiatric hospitalizations, or need acute stabilization for a psychotic disorder, you may be better supported by one of the larger mental health clinics that are connected to hospital systems in the Chicago area that can provide a higher level of access and support than this solo-practice clinic.
