Whitney Gilley, MD

Dr. Whitney Gilley, MD a Board Certified Psychiatrist.

Dr. Gilley received her medical doctorate from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2013. She is board certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) and the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS). Dr. Gilley is trained in both psychotherapy and specialty-level use of medications in the treatment of psychiatric conditions in adults.

She believes in helping patients heal from depression, anxiety, grief, and trauma through a whole-person approach. Her goal is not just to treat symptoms but to help patients take steps to improve their overall quality of life. Dr. Gilley offers CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ACT - Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (Insight Oriented Therapy), integrative and Brief Supportive Therapy and counseling.

As a psychiatrist, Dr. Gilley has experience in the treatment of a wide range of psychological conditions that include anxiety, depression, bipolar II disorder, as well as trauma-related disorders including PTSD, complex trauma (C-PTSD), and dissociation symptoms. Dr. Gilley also offers treatment of psychiatric conditions in reproductive age, pregnant, and breastfeeding women. Special interests include women’s unique emotional and behavioral health needs that began with a year-long elective providing psychiatric consultation to patients at an OB/Gyn clinic during her training. She also has special interests in the impact of nutrition and daily activities on mood, the effects of non-psychiatric medical conditions on emotions and behavior, and the role of complementary and integrative treatments.

She founded New Directions Psychiatry, PLLC, to offer direct, specialty care to patients who are looking for personalized treatment or who have had limited access to a medical doctor specialized in psychiatry because of where they live.

Credentials and Professional Honors

  • B.A., with Honors, from Bellarmine University (Louisville, Kentucky) with major in Biology and minor in Philosophy with Applied Ethics emphasis, 2008.

  • M.D. from the University of Louisville School of Medicine (Louisville, Kentucky) in 2013. While at UofL, Dr. Gilley’s interest in providing care to rural areas led her to participate in the Trover program in Madisonville.

  • Internship year and Psychiatry Residency at East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, Tennessee), 2014 to 2017.

  • Elected into the Gold Humanism Honors Society in 2015 for “exemplary service, integrity, clinical excellence and compassion,” received a Gold Humanism in Teaching Award from Quillen College of Medicine students in 2015 and 2016.

  • Invited speaker at academic ground rounds, noon conferences, and regional conferences including the Dr. Loman C. Trover Symposium.

  • Board Certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

  • Board Certified by the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons

  • Licensed to practice medicine in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia

  • Certified Clinical Trauma Professional

  • Clinical Faculty, gratis, University of Louisville School of Medicine Trover Campus

  • Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (Division 29 of the American Psychological Association) non-APA Member Affiliate

  • Member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies

  • Member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science