Clinicians
Zachary C. Bayer, PsyD grew up in Mary Esther, Florida. After graduating from Fort Walton Beach High School, he completed his bachelor's degree at Auburn University. Following graduation, he worked various jobs in the brain injury community, with adjudicated youth, and in outdoor seasonal adventures. He concluded this phase of life by traveling around the world, visiting 23 different countries in 18 months.
Dr. Bayer obtained his Masters degree in Psychology at San Diego State University. His thesis focused on early signs of memory impairment and potential Alzheimer's disease in the geriatric population. Dr. Bayer completed his doctoral degree at Pacific University near Portland, Oregon. His dissertation examined the role of coping and executive functioning in individuals with brain injury, as well as their ability to reintegrate successfully into their community. His predoctoral internship was completed at Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in New York City - an internationally recognized medical facility- where his training focused on inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation for individuals with neurological injury/illness. The final phase of Dr. Bayer's training was a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia- a nationally recognized brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation hospital.
Dr. Bayer’s decision to return to his hometown and establish a clinical practice was twofold. First, throughout his travels and training, he has long desired to again be close to family. Second, he recognized the significant need for specialized neuropsychological services in the area. Dr. Bayer is excited about practicing in Okaloosa County and becoming an integral part of the mental health and medical community.
Corissa L. Bayer, PhD, ABPP has been living in Fort Walton Beach since January 2016. She grew up in Pennsylvania and obtained a Bachelor's degree in Human Development from Cornell University. After college, she worked at UCLA on a research team examining mood and anxiety disorders in young adults.
Dr. Bayer completed her Master’s and Doctorate at the University of Florida, where she obtained specialized training in assessment and treatment of childhood disorders, such as behavior disorders, learning disorders, and ADHD. During her 5 years at UF, she trained under the supervision of Dr. Sheila Eyberg, the developer of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Early in her training, she decided to focus her training in the unique needs of military families, and thus completed her dissertation on resilience and coping in active duty combat-exposed personnel. She completed her predoctoral internship in Augusta GA, where she combined her interests and developed a parenting skills for veterans with PTSD who wanted to strengthen their relationships with their children. She completed her postdoctoral residency at the UF Department of Psychiatry treating mood and anxiety disorders (particularly OCD) in both adults and children.
Before becoming a local, she was lead Behavioral Health Clinician at the Shepherd Center’s SHARE Military Initiative in Atlanta, providing assessment and treatment for service members and veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD. During that time, she was awarded Board Certification in Clinical Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) - a voluntary process of peer-reviewed examination to demonstrate competency in one’s speciality.
Dr. Bayer enjoys time on the water, paddle boarding, working out and spending time with her husband and 3 children.
Kim Hoff, LMHC-S, NCC has been in the mental health field for over 20 years, during which time she has worked with a variety of populations. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of West Florida. She is a licensed as a mental health counselor - supervisor in the state of Florida and a national certified counselor.
She began working with individuals with substance abuse in an outpatient setting, followed by residential treatment and later working with court directed programs and medication assisted treatment. Although substance use was a primary focus, mood disorders and other underlying issues were also addressed to increase successful recovery period.
Prior to entering private practice, she spent five years in an intensive outpatient setting, treating active duty military members recovering from trauma. She has additional training in treating depression, anxiety, mood dysregulation, grief, PTSD, childhood trauma. Her practice is guided by the use of evidence based therapies in conjunction with identifying and encouraging individuals to use their strengths. Kim has been trained in the use of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). Raised in a fifth generation military family, she brings decades of life experience and understanding of the unique stressors and joys of military-connected life.
In her leisure time, you will find Kim relaxing with her many pets, gardening to attract butterflies and other pollinators, bird watching, or researching her family genealogy.
Erica Page, LCSW, RN completed her Master of Social Work from the University of West Florida where she gained clinical experience working with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Following graduation, she worked with adolescents in an inpatient residential setting where she developed a passion for working with adolescent survivors of abuse, neglect, and trauma. While pursuing additional supervision to obtain her LCSW, she also completed another Master of Science degree in Forensic Psychology, with a specialization in family violence.
Erica began her journey as a therapist after working as a Registered Nurse for over twenty years! She has worked in a variety of healthcare settings; her extensive medical training, combined with her education and training as an LCSW, provides a unique lens to approach individuals holistically. Her background has allowed her to competently and professionally support individuals with a wide range of medical and mental health issues including eating disorders, traumatic stress/ PTSD, and adjustment to living with chronic illness and disease. She is an authentic, compassionate therapist who provides a safe healing space where one can find both support and evidence-based, medically informed practice.
Erica enjoys spending time with her daughters and dog Brody, off road biking, cooking, and relaxing at the beach.
Melissa Schierholtz, LCSW graduated Florida State University with a Master's degree in Social Work. Since this time, Melissa has worked as a therapist in a variety of settings including schools, homes, and community mental health agencies. Melissa has extensive experience working with adolescents and adults experiencing challenges with depression, anxiety, personality disorders, trauma and relationship stresses. Melissa strives to create a therapeutic environment that provides a safe and empathetic place to process feelings to support the changes her clients seek to foster a healthier and happier way of life. Melissa enjoys spending time at the beach, traveling and local, community events.
Gina Feldman, MS, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern, has lived in Ft. Walton Beach for 20 years. She earned her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Troy University. She completed her graduate internship at a community agency serving children and teens who experienced trauma, as well as their parents/caregivers. She received foundational training and experience in delivering evidence-based therapeutic interventions such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and play therapy. Guided by compassion, non-judgment, ethical and evidence-based practices, Gina continues to work with children, teens, and adults who are experiencing depression, anxiety, mood disorders, adjustment problems, grief and loss, and/or trauma to find sources of strength and resilience to help navigate both personal and life challenges.
During her leisure time, Gina enjoys spending time with her family, taking walks with her dog Marlowe, reading, traveling, and playing tennis.
Psychometrist
Madison Raybuck, BS is our psychometrist, an individual trained in administering and scoring psychological and neuropsychological tests.
Administrative Staff
Ashley Pratt is our Patient Care Coordinator - she schedules all appointments, verifies insurance benefits, greets our patients and generally keeps our office running! She was raised in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. After graduating from Choctawhatchee High School, her college years were spent studying child development at Northwest Florida State College. Prior to working with Bayer NeuroBehavioral Center, she provided assistance and counseling to individuals exploring difficult financial choices and housing needs. She has always been passionate about helping people and prides herself with always having a compassionate and friendly attitude. Ashley enjoys spending her time with family and friends and traveling.
Christina Calamia is our Billing Specialist - she manages medical bills and invoices with insurance and patients. In 2004, she obtained her certification in Medical Billing, Insurance, and Coding. Since then she's gained years of Medical Billing experience from hospitals across Louisiana, and she works hard to ensure Bayer NeuroBehavioral Center is maintaining best practices in billing and communicating with insurances. Christina was born and raised in Metairie, Louisiana. Her family recently moved to the Emerald Coast. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and being on the beach.