Esther Kelley-Cook, MD

Board Certified Psychiatrist

Esther Kelley-Cook, MD

WHO AM I:

I am a board certified psychiatrist and voluntary faculty at Baylor College of Medicine psychiatry residency program. I am licensed to treat adults in Texas who want to be involved in their own medical decision making and are looking for healthcare that doesn't limit their treatment options. I have a thorough, systematic, solution oriented, no-nonsense approach to psychiatry. I practice integrative psychiatry which means I take a holistic (whole person) approach with the goal of maximizing wellness.

MY JOURNEY WITH HEALTHCARE:

I have been on both sides of the exam table. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) while I was working in an immunology lab. I hadn’t been to medical school yet and I didn’t understand why I felt so weird. I was used to isolating immune cells in solutions and not diagnosing what they do when they aren’t working properly. I wrote down all my symptoms on a paper and was so fatigued that it took me an hour to write them all down. I gave the doctor the list of my symptoms. After taking it away, she asked me to recall them all from memory, and I was so exhausted I started to cry. So . . . then I was told I was depressed and was prescribed Zoloft. . . and it took a lot of energy to get an accurate diagnosis after that.

While in medical school I was diagnosed with breast cancer (that I found accidentally the weekend after turning 30). My cancer hadn't spread and was cured (with surgery, chemo and radiation therapy) while I completed medical school.

So, I know how it feels to be a patient. I understand the complexity of emotions felt when facing your own mortality or learning for the first time that your health isn't what you thought it was. I know what it means to look for someone who can help you to know what is happening, and will listen when you tell them what is wrong.

My experiences as a patient are why I care about taking the time and energy to be thorough, and to not dismiss what my patients tell me about their own bodies and minds. If you happen to be going through one of these challenges or some other challenge, I might be able to grasp some of the nuance in what you are going through.

I started Fusion Psychiatry PLLC because I want to work in a place where insurance companies don't get to dictate how I practice medicine or how my patients receive medical care. I want to be able to spend time explaining to people what is going on with them, how their mental health and physical health are connected, and to teach them how to cope with whatever life has thrown their way.

If you choose to work with me, I am here to treat you with the competency and compassion that you deserve as a fellow human being.  

MY EDUCATION

  • UT Health Science Center at San Antonio Medical School, MD with distinction in research

  • Psychiatry residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston

  • Board-certified in psychiatry through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

  • Licensed to practice medicine in the state of Texas

  • Voluntary Faculty with Baylor College of Medicine