Brianna Quirk, LMHC

Dr. Zeynep Altun is board-certified in Psychiatry and holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Dr. Altun graduated cum laude from Istanbul University, Istanbul Medical School. She completed her residency training in Neurology and is Turkish board-certified in clinical Neurology. Subsequently, she moved to the U.S. and finished her Ph.D. in cellular Neuroscience at Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences. Dr. Altun completed her psychiatry residency training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and after, her clinical fellowship in Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at Columbia University Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Altun has practiced in various settings including Bellevue Hospital, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia Doctors Faculty Practice Office, Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside Hospitals. Dr. Altun has held various academic appointments at New York University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry; New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical College Department of Psychiatry; New York State Psychiatric Institute and Mount Sinai School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. She spent most of her professional career supervising and teaching medical students, psychiatry residents and nurse practitioners. As an adult psychiatrist, Dr. Altun has extensive theoretical knowledge of the nervous system and its disorders and more than 10 years of experience in treating various mental illnesses including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, autism-spectrum and neuropsychiatric disorders, psychiatric emergencies and crisis management as well as cognitive behavioral and supportive psychotherapy. In Columbia Doctors, she collaborated closely with the Lieber Recovery Clinic, treating young adults with various mental illnesses. The philosophy of her practice is to collaborate with patients and work together with them so that they can lead symptom-free, productive, and stable lives.

Penny Clark is a Licensed Professional Counselor, who earned her Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey in 2004. Penny also completed a one-year training to become a Certified Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York in 2017. Penny has more than 20 years of counseling experience and has worked with individuals, couples and families, beginning by working with 9/11 displaced workers and recovery workers, including police, firemen and EMTs, and then Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy families, after which she worked with bereaved military families, homeless veterans, and other homeless men. Penny has done individual, couples, career and relationship counseling. Penny has worked in various levels of care including inpatient, outpatient, intensive outpatient and partial care programs. Penny has answered the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 800-273-TALK, has worked in a psychiatrist’s office, and in her own private practice. Penny also worked at a drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation program.  Penny has worked with individuals with Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, health and medical challenges, substance abuse, and the specific challenges that seniors face.

Penny provides a safe, therapeutic environment in which clients can share and process their thoughts and feelings, gain insight, and set and reach realistic and achievable goals. Penny’s primary goal is to develop a trusting relationship with her clients and helping them to improve their lives.

Penny uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, (CBT,) Positive Psychology, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Psychoeducation while working with clients. Penny enjoys assisting clients in determining where they are and where they would like to be, the steps they need to take to get there, and in identifying and overcoming any obstacles that may be in their way.

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Dr. Hajer Ben Cheikh earned her medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School, where she worked with refugee populations and participated in global health initiatives. She completed her psychiatry residency at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, serving as inpatient chief resident. Dr. Ben Cheikh has experience across the full continuum of psychiatric care, including higher levels of care, collaborative care, and outpatient settings. She has a particular interest in perinatal mental health.

Dr. Ben Cheikh values open communication, transparency, and collaboration, and takes a friendly, supportive approach to patient care. She practices evidence-based medicine with a thoughtful, minimalist approach to pharmacologic treatment, often favoring single agents that can address multiple concerns when clinically appropriate.

Her approach to care is holistic, integrating psychiatric diagnoses, comorbid conditions, social context, and lifestyle factors. Sessions include supportive psychotherapy, incorporating techniques from other modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and psychodynamic approaches as appropriate. Initial visits emphasize diagnostic clarity and collaborative goal-setting, while follow-up sessions focus on patient priorities, shared decision-making, and personalized strategies that support meaningful, sustainable progress.

Dr. Mousavi holds the position of attending psychiatrist at Talkiatry. She is Board certified in adult psychiatry and has been practicing for over 6 years. Dr. Mousavi's practice focuses on medication management. Typically, she offers this in conjunction with supportive therapy in 30-minute follow up visits. Dr. Mousavi may believe that additional therapy is also needed and ask that you bring a therapist into your care team to provide the best outcome. She has completed her residency at Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College. She has experience of working in private practice at the Institute for Family Therapy in Miami. She has also worked as an outpatient psychiatrist at Montefiore in NY and INOVA outpatient clinic in Virginia.

Dr. Rodriguez is a board-certified adult psychiatrist. He earned his medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completed his residency at the University of Southern California. Dr. Rodriguez has experience working in a variety of settings, including inpatient, outpatient, community mental health, and correctional facilities.

Dr. Rodriguez specializes in treating depression and anxiety. He acknowledges that while medications can be necessary, they are not magic, and a holistic approach is essential for achieving mental health. With this understanding, Dr. Rodriguez spends time getting to know his patients, focusing on helping them achieve mental wellness rather than simply prescribing medications. When he became a doctor, he made a pledge to "do no harm." He takes this commitment seriously and only prescribes medications, especially those with addictive properties, when it is safe and clearly indicated.

The first one or two appointments focus on a thorough assessment to establish a provisional diagnosis, which is essential for effective treatment planning. Once this initial diagnosis is made, Dr. Rodriguez collaborates with his patients to develop tailored treatment recommendations. During follow-up appointments, he actively listens to his patients and proposes adjustments to the treatment plan as needed.

Dr. Syed Abbasi is an adult psychiatrist who completed his undergraduate education at Rutgers University and earned his medical degree at Ross University. He completed his psychiatry residency training at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center with training at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, additionally as Chief Resident at Columbia University's Outpatient Adult Psychiatry Eye-6 clinic. Dr. Abbasi is passionate about and experienced in providing holistic, thoughtful, evidence-based care for patients with depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, trauma-related disorders, relationship issues and struggles with self-image. He believes empathy and understanding are the most fundamental components of the doctor-patient relationship. He provides psychiatric medication management and integrates supportive psychotherapy, elements of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), stress management techniques and lifestyle interventions to meet patients where they are and collaborate toward improvement and optimization of their wellness. Occasionally, when appropriate, he may recommend adding a therapist to your care team for further benefit.