About Alliance Lifetime Mental Health

Alliance Lifetime Mental Health service was founded in 2021 by Francoise Charles, RN, BSN, at the height of the COVID-19 mental health crisis and identified the lack of resources to support individuals and families suffering with mental illness. Mrs. Charles responded by founding Alliance Lifetime Mental Health (ALMH), a Woman, Black-owned community-based mental health clinic. She dedicated the clinic to addressing the needs of those with mental illness and promoting the overall mental health of the community. During her ten years owning and operating a homecare organization and 15 years as a healthcare administrator, providing services to many individuals in their homes and healthcare facilities, Mrs. Charles saw the impact of the lack of accessible, responsive, mental health services that was readily available to make a difference in the lives of the individuals needing such services.

ALMH’s programs and initiatives fulfill its mission of promoting mental health and preventing mental illness through education, access to services, and holistic care. ALMH staff works to protect the rights and dignity of individuals, valuing their lived experience and ensuring that their voices are integrated into creating the service plan that supports them through their recovery and goal achievement.

Located in North Andover, MA, for in person appointments and virtually throughout the State (counseling services offered to residents of New Hampshire as well). We partner with you to address the challenges in your life by designing individualized goals to meet your needs. 

My name is Oliver and I like to approach psychiatric care through a person-centered model, not only delivering the strongest evidence-based care, but also looking beyond just medication management. I have a diverse background of interests and for this reason I consider my approach to psychiatry different from more traditional providers. For the best care, it is essential to provide a strong accompaniment of therapy coupled with more holistic approaches, meeting individuals from different backgrounds and focusing on complimentary approaches to treatment, including dietary and lifestyle recommendations, exercise, and mindfulness among treatment avenues. 

I grew up with mental health providers in my family, but it wasn’t until I was an undergraduate at Boston University that I began to consider a career in medicine, let alone psychiatry. I graduated from Boston University magna cum laude with my Bachelor of Arts in Biology and received several scholarships for the Continuing Successes in Biological Sciences. I was inaugurated as a member of the Charter Class and received my Medical Doctorate (MD) from Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. When I began medical school, I initially had thoughts of pursuing Internal Medicine or Neurology as specialties. It was in my third year of medical school, however, when I was near the end of my clinical rotations that I completed my rotation in Psychiatry where I felt like I met my calling. 

I went on to graduate with Letters of Distinction in Psychiatry, Research, and Clinical Skills and was a co-founding member of the Psychiatry Student Interest Group.

I received a Letter of Distinction in Service Learning & Community Service and was fortunate enough to be named one of several Volunteers of the Year by The Bradley Free Clinic, where several other medical students and myself developed a student-run free clinic night to bring free care to the underserved community as part of the Bradley Free Clinic’s already-established free care model. I additionally took part in a number of research projects, including completing published research projects in ultrasonography to image peripheral nerve structures and worked with several other providers to catalogue a retrospective review of the MRI findings for central nervous system fungal disease linked to contaminated epidural steroid injections—research that ultimately went on to be presented on the national level at the American Society of Neuroradiology annual conference. As part of my training in research in medical school, I completed a certificate course in Translational Research. 

I was accepted to residency in Psychiatry through the University of Massachusetts, where I continued to develop my interest in understanding how to deliver effective care and dove deeper into the complexities of psychiatry. I completed my training at UMass with a dual Chief Residency in Consult-Liaison Psychiatry and Emergency Mental Health Services and additionally received a Medical Student Teaching Award. I have completed my Board Certification in Psychiatry. 

I have always struck a balance between providing medication management, but looking beyond the meds alone to provide patient-centered care and with this guiding principle in mind, all while following evidence-based practices.