Fernando Cobos, M.D., Medical Director, Substance Abuse & Outpatient Services, has provided clinical services for FirstHealth of the Carolinas Behavioral Services since 2005. He received his medical degree from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia, and completed his residency in psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center. He completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and has been a psychiatry instructor for Harvard Medical School and attending psychiatrist at Mass General Hospital. Dr. Cobos also served as medical director of Detox/Rehab for Western Psychiatric Institute in Pittsburgh and assistant professor of Psychiatry for the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. He has served three tours of duty as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps in a combat stress control unit in Iraq. Dr. Cobos has become a “physician’s physician” by treating other professionals who are dealing with addictions.  He works closely with the Board of Nursing as well as other professional organizations that monitor providers in the health care arena. He is fluent in Spanish and has experience in treating Latino patients.

Charlie L. Swanson Jr., M.D., completed medical school at Indiana University. He later did his general psychiatry residency at Duke University and completed a fellowship in neuropsychiatry and schizophrenia research at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been a member of the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, Duke University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Swanson’s clinic interests include inpatient and outpatient adult psychiatry, mood disorders, schizophrenia and neuropsychiatric conditions. A general adult psychiatrist, he is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Mary Mandell, M.D., has been an outpatient psychiatrist with FirstHealth of the Carolinas since 2003. After earning her undergraduate and medical degrees from Emory University in Georgia, she completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she served as chief resident. A board certified psychiatrist, she specializes in treating patients (including physicians and other professionals) who have been diagnosed with mood and anxiety disorders. Dr. Mandell, who operated a private practice for three years before joining FirstHealth, received an Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in 2006. This national award is presented only to about 10 psychiatrists throughout the country each year.

Benjamin Ose, M.D., graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an undergraduate B.A. in history and then completed medical school at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and a psychiatry residency at the University of Maryland-Sheppard Pratt. After his residency training, he worked with active duty service members, primarily from the 82nd Airborne Division, at Fort Bragg and subsequently served as medical director of A New Start Support Services in Clayton. Dr. Ose is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and his clinical interests include mood and anxiety disorders as well as holistic mental health.

David Ruck, M.D., child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist, received his undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy and his medical degree from Duke University. He completed his residency in psychiatry at Letterman Army Medical Center and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the combined program at Letterman Army Medical Center and the University of California-San Francisco. While in the Army, Dr. Ruck served as training director and later program director for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship program at Eisenhower Army Medical Center. During Operation Desert Storm and two years later in Somalia, he deployed with the Army’s first active-duty Combat Stress Control Detachments. He worked in community mental health clinics in North Carolina and South Carolina for five years after retiring from the Army. Since 1999, Dr. Ruck has been in private practice, primarily seeing children, adolescents and their families in an outpatient setting. His clinical interests include ADHD and other disruptive behavior disorders, depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety and pervasive development disorders. He is board certified in general psychiatry as well as in child and adolescent psychiatry. At FirstHealth, he works with adults on the inpatient psychiatry service and with patients of all ages in the outpatient clinic.

Elizabeth Manley, MSN, R.N., C.S., holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from State University of New York at Plattsburgh and a master’s degree in psychiatric/mental health nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is board certified as a clinical nurse specialist in adult psychiatric/mental health nursing, and has been an outpatient psychotherapist at FirstHealth of the Carolinas since 1995. Her areas of additional training are codependency, eating disorders, women’s issues, mind/body approaches, mood disorders and family systems, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment for trauma. She coordinates the FirstHealth Mindfulness-based Stress Management Program.

Liz Harry, MSW, LCSW, earned bachelor’s degrees in both social work and sociology and received her master’s degree in social work from Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla., in 1999. She has more the 20 years of experience in the mental health field, working as a counselor, case manager, therapist and clinical supervisor, and she was certified in Critical Incident Stress Management in 2004. She is experienced in working with children, adolescents, teens, adults and couples. She has worked in the fields of substance abuse in a long-term residential program in Florida, and has continued to work with patients who are dual-diagnosed and have chronic mental illness as well as those with marital problems, trauma/abuse issues, adjustment disorders and other behavioral issues.

Robert Peterson, LPC, a licensed professional counselor, brings a strong background in work with children and adolescents through both psychological testing and counseling service provided by Child Protective Services in Texas.  He also worked with individuals, couples and families as a therapist for Jewish and Family Services in San Antonio.  He has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. His specialties include therapeutic interventions with adolescent issues, parenting, childhood trauma, men’s issues, and the effects of the military on individuals and famililies, including PTSD.

Ellen Starnes, MSW, LCSW, LCAS, Since 1992, Ellen has provided psychiatry and chemical dependency group and individual therapy for FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Behavioral Outpatient Services. She attended East Carolina University, where she received her MSW. Ellen is currently N.C. board certified as LCSW and LCAS . Her specialties include all types of mental health disorders, marriage and family counseling, depression and anxiety, chemical dependency and individuals with military-related disorders.

Shelwilbed O. “Billy” Wray, NCC, CAS, LPC, LCAS, AADC, has a B.S. degree in psychology from Jackson State University and a master’s degree in community and agency counseling from Delta State University, both in Mississippi.  He completed a clinical internship specializing in the treatment of impaired professionals at COPAC, also in Mississippi.  His clinical experience spans 23 years with a focus on the treatment of addictive disorders including alcohol, drugs and eating disorders for which he holds national and international certifications and state licenses. His professional background includes clinical experiences in one of the country’s top 10 treatment centers in Southwest Florida, The Willough at Naples; clinical contract work for a large defense contractor, SAIC, in Germany; and as clinical director of an adolescent treatment center in South Carolina.  Mr. Wray has worked at all levels of care including inpatient and partial hospitalization. He provides therapy in intensive outpatient groups (including therapy for chemical dependency), professional support aftercare groups, and individual and couples therapy. He also has a private practice in Pinehurst. 

Danny Williams, LCSW, has 23 years of experience and training in the mental health field, including 20 years of experience in emergency behavioral health assessment. He holds an M.A. in Marriage and Family Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Before joining the FirstHealth outpatient behavioral team, he served as provider network operations director, day treatment director, and child and family therapist for the Sandhills Center. He also assisted with after-hours emergency mental assessments and dispositions for FirstHealth.

Williams is experienced in addressing the emotional and behavioral needs of children, adolescents and their families as well as in emergency/crisis assessments for all age groups.

Devon Burnore, M.S., LPC, LCAS (P), received her bachelor's degree in studio art and writing from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.; a Master of Science degree in professional counseling from Georgia State University; and a substance abuse counseling certificate from East Carolina University. A licensed professional counselor in the state of North Carolina and a nationally certified counselor, she holds a provisional license as a clinical addictions specialist in the state of North Carolina.  Devon has worked in the mental health field since 2006 and has experience working with children, adolescents, adults and families.  She has worked in long-term treatment settings as well as in brief intervention therapy.  Her areas of additional training are motivational interviewing, dual diagnosis, equine-assisted psychotherapy and trauma-focused CBT.  Her areas of clinical interest include disruptive behavior disorders, substance abuse, PTSD and anxiety.