Dr. Michael Ehlers

Board certified in Psychiatry, Dr. Ehlers joined the medical staff at Sacred Heart Hospital in 1995 and has been Director of Mental Health Services at the Western Maryland Health System since 1997. Before joining WMHS, he served as clinical director at the Thomas B. Finan Center in Cumberland for three years.

Prior to coming to Cumberland, Dr. Ehlers practiced psychiatry in the Washington, D.C., area in variety of settings. He was a full-time staff psychiatrist at Chestnut Lodge Hospital in Rockville, Maryland, for 20 years. Dr. Ehlers also worked as a corporate psychiatric consultant for IBM Corporation, Loral Corporation and Fannie Mae. In addition, he worked at the Carroll County Mental Health Clinic, the University of Maryland Student Health Center and the United States Medical Center.

Dr. Ehlers received his medical degree from the George Washington University Medical School and did his undergraduate work at the University of Connecticut. He did his internship at Beth Israel Hospital in New York and completed his residency training at the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital in Towson, Maryland. He also served as a graduate psychoanalyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute in Washington, D.C., for eight years.

Dr. Ehlers is a diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners, certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Medical Specialties, and licensed to practice Psychiatry in the states of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. He is also certified in the administration of Buprenorphine for the treatment of Opioid Addiction. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, the Maryland Psychiatric Association and the Washington Psychoanalytic Society.

Dr. Naciye Kalafat

Naciye Kalafat, M.D., joined the Western Maryland Health System’s Behavioral Health practice in July of 2006. Before coming to Cumberland, Dr. Kalafat completed a year as the chief resident in psychiatry at the University of Virginia Roanoke Valley Psychiatric Medicine Residency Program, where she also did her internship and residency in psychiatry. She spent a year observing OB/GYN, Pediatrics and Neonatology at Newton Wellesley Hospital and Boston University, both in Boston, Massachusetts. A native of Turkey, Dr. Kalafat received her medical degree from Trakya Medical School and was a private practice primary care physician in Turkey for eight years, part of which she served as the medical director for the Yavuz Sultan Regional Medical Center. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Alan N. Arnson

Alan N. Arnson, M.D. completed his undergraduate education at Yale University and University of Bonn, Germany. He received his medical degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and finished his psychiatric training at Vanderbilt University, Yale and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Dr. Arnson is board-certified in Psychiatry with added certification in addictions. From 1967 to 1986, he was in private practice and did government work in the Washington, D.C., area. He was also on the clinical faculty of Georgetown Medical School. He moved to Garrett County in 1986 and began practicing with the Garrett County Health Department and the Somerset (Pennsylvania) Community Hospital. Since 1990, he has served with Pastoral Counseling and the WMHS Behavioral Health Services. Dr. Arnson is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a member of the Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Dr. Herbert G. Chissell

Herbert G. Chissell, M.D., recently joined the WMHS Behavioral Health Services practice and Dr. Michael Ehlers. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Chissell completed his residency in psychiatry at Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital and did his internship in internal medicine at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. He received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh and did his undergraduate work at Howard University and Morgan State University. Most recently, Dr. Chissell served as chief medical officer at Torrence State Hospital in Pennsylvania. Over the years, he has worked as a contracting and consulting psychiatrist in the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, including stints at the Allegany County Health Department, Garrett County Health Department, Western Correctional Institute and the Allegany County Detention Center. Dr. Chissell spent four years at the Thomas B. Finan Center in Cumberland as unit director for geriatric and forensic services. He also worked extensively in the Baltimore area as a psychiatrist for Union Memorial Hospital, Maryland General Hospital and the Homewood Hospital Center. Dr. Chissell is board certified in psychiatry and forensic psychiatry.