Mental health concerns can affect nearly every part of your life—from how you feel and sleep to how you focus, connect with others, and get through your day. At Fortitude, care is thoughtful, personalized, and collaborative. Together, we’ll take the time to understand what you’re experiencing and develop a treatment plan that feels right for you and your goals.
Anxiety can make it difficult to feel fully at ease—even when everything seems fine on the outside. Persistent worry, racing thoughts, physical tension, or feeling constantly on edge can become exhausting and interfere with work, relationships, sleep, and everyday life.
Treatment begins with understanding your symptoms, stressors, and the ways anxiety is affecting your daily life. Together, we’ll develop a personalized plan that may include medication management, supportive care, and practical strategies to help reduce symptoms and improve your overall well-being.
Depression can feel different for everyone. You may feel persistently sad or disconnected, lose interest in things you once enjoyed, struggle with motivation, or simply feel unlike yourself. With thoughtful evaluation and personalized care, improvement is possible.
Care begins with understanding your symptoms, experiences, and what may be contributing to how you’re feeling. Together, we’ll develop a personalized treatment plan that may include medication management, supportive care, and lifestyle-based strategies to support your mood and overall well-being.
ADHD can affect much more than attention. You may struggle with organization, time management, forgetfulness, procrastination, or completing tasks—even when you're genuinely trying your best. A comprehensive evaluation can help clarify what's behind these challenges and identify strategies that support how you function in everyday life.
A comprehensive evaluation helps clarify whether ADHD or another condition may be contributing to your symptoms. When appropriate, treatment may include medication management and practical strategies to improve focus, organization, and daily functioning.
Bipolar disorder can involve significant changes in mood, energy, sleep, activity, and behavior. Some people experience periods of depression along with episodes of unusually elevated or irritable mood, increased energy, reduced need for sleep, impulsivity, or feeling unlike themselves. A comprehensive evaluation can help clarify symptom patterns over time and guide an individualized treatment plan.
Treatment begins with a careful review of your mood patterns, sleep, energy, behavior, history, and previous treatment experiences. When appropriate, care may include medication management, education, ongoing monitoring, supportive strategies, and coordination with other members of your healthcare team.
When you're not sleeping well, everything else can feel harder. Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early can affect your mood, focus, energy, and overall well-being. Treatment begins with understanding what may be disrupting your sleep and finding an approach tailored to your needs.
Treatment begins by exploring your sleep patterns and identifying factors that may be contributing to poor sleep. Your personalized plan may include medication management, behavioral strategies, and sleep-supportive practices to help improve sleep quality and daytime functioning.
We believe meaningful psychiatric care begins with taking the time to listen. At Fortitude, care is thoughtful, collaborative, and centered around understanding you as a whole person—not just a list of symptoms.
Whether you’re seeking care for the first time, returning to treatment, or looking for a different approach, we will take the time to understand what you’re experiencing and what matters most to you.
You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit from support. If anxiety, low mood, attention difficulties, sleep problems, or simply not feeling like yourself are affecting your daily life, it may be a good time to reach out.
A psychiatric evaluation can help bring clarity to what you are experiencing and identify thoughtful, personalized treatment options that fit your individual needs and goals.
Taking the first step toward care can feel difficult. I’m here to make that process feel comfortable, supportive, and judgment-free—with thoughtful care centered around you.
Your Comfort Matters
We understand that accessing mental health care can feel overwhelming. That’s why all of our services are delivered through secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth — so you can focus on healing, not logistics.
Getting started is simple. Here’s what to expect when you reach out to Fortitude MHG.
Reach out via our contact form or email to schedule your first appointment.
A 60-minute telehealth session to understand your concerns, history, and goals.
Receive a tailored diagnosis and evidence-based medication recommendations.
Regular follow-ups to monitor progress, adjust treatment, and ensure your well-being.
All you need is a quiet space, a device with a camera, and an internet connection. Our platform is designed to make your experience seamless and stress-free, so you can focus on what matters most — your health.
Jayanta K. Pal, MD
Collaborating Psychiatrist
Dr. Jayanta K. Pal is a board-certified psychiatrist and Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with more than 25 years of experience providing comprehensive mental health care across inpatient and outpatient settings. He has extensive experience evaluating and treating a broad range of psychiatric conditions, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, ADHD, and complex psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Pal completed his psychiatry residency training at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, Illinois. Throughout his career, he has served in a variety of clinical and leadership roles, including as an Inpatient Medical Director at Princeton House Behavioral Health, part of Penn Medicine, and has provided psychiatric care across private practice, community mental health, and correctional settings.
As a collaborating psychiatrist with Fortitude Mental Health Group, Dr. Pal brings more than 25 years of psychiatric experience and clinical expertise to support the practice’s commitment to thoughtful, high-quality patient care.
Nicole Chittum, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-C
Founder & Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Nurse Practitioner and founder of Fortitude Mental Health Group. She provides telehealth psychiatric care to adults throughout California, specializing in the evaluation and treatment of anxiety, ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, stress-related concerns, and sleep difficulties.
Nicole believes that effective psychiatric care begins with taking the time to truly understand each person—their experiences, concerns, goals, and what matters most to them. Her approach is thoughtful, collaborative, and individualized, with an emphasis on creating a supportive, judgment-free environment where patients feel heard, respected, and actively involved in decisions about their treatment.
She provides comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and personalized treatment planning grounded in evidence-based care. Rather than focusing on symptoms in isolation, Nicole considers the broader picture of each patient’s well-being and works collaboratively to develop treatment plans that are both clinically sound and meaningful to the individual.
Her goal is to help patients better understand their mental health, feel confident in their care, and make meaningful progress toward greater stability and long-term wellness.