Christa DeFries, MD

Dr. Laura Ginory is double-boarded in child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry. She has been practicing for over 11 years. Dr. Ginory's practice focuses on medication management, which is offered in conjunction with supportive therapy, offered in 30-minute follow-up visits. However, occasionally Dr. Ginory may believe additional therapy is needed and ask that you bring a therapist into your care team to provide the best outcome. Ginory received her medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She completed her residency in adult psychiatry at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL. She pursued her fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Florida, in Gainesville. After completing training, Dr. Ginory worked with children and adults in a variety of settings including Community Mental Health Centers and hospitals, providing both inpatient and outpatient services. Dr. Ginory then became a Clinical Assistant Professor for the University of Florida Department of Psychiatry and provided clinical services for UF Student Mental Health at the Counseling and Wellness Center. While treating a wide variety of patients, her clinical focus has been in treating adolescents and young adults with mood and anxiety disorders.

Dr. Atkins is a staff psychiatrist at Talkiatry. He is board-certified in adult psychiatry and has been in practice for the past 2 years. He has received several awards for teaching and the treatment of chronically ill patients, including Stony Brook University's "William Turner Award" for excellence in education and leadership. Dr. Atkins has focused his practice primarily on medication management. He combines medication management with a therapeutic style that is a blend of supportive therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing. Follow‐up appointments with Dr. Atkins typically last 20‐30 minutes. While Dr. Atkins is trained in a variety of therapeutic techniques, he works collaboratively with therapists and may recommend their inclusion as part of your treatment team, depending on your individualized treatment plan .Dr. Atkins attended the University of Connecticut School of Medicine where he received his medical degree. He completed his psychiatry residency at Stony Brook University Hospital in New York. Post residency, he worked with general adult patients as well as older adults at Manchester Memorial Hospital where he served as both an outpatient psychiatrist and Director of the Geriatric Intensive Outpatient Program. Although Dr. Atkins does not treat child or adolescent patients, he has experience working with people of all ages, from young adults to adults. He has experience treating mood disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, patients in the perinatal period, and patients with co‐co-occurring substance use disorders. He has regularly managed behavioral problems in adults with autism spectrum disorders as well as dementia. He particularly enjoys working with patients dealing with life or role transitions, older adults, and patients with bipolar or other affective disorders.

Anthony Capozzi, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist with 35 years’ experience in clinical psychiatric practice who has seen patients both in the hospital setting and out-patient care. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology as well as the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons and the American Association of Psychiatric Medicine. Originally from Brooklyn, New York and received his MD from New York University after completing a 5th pathway at Booth Memorial Hospital in Queens, New York. He began his experience seeing patients with treatment refractory major psychiatric illnesses at Rockland Psychiatric Center in Rockland County, New York. He served on the psychopharmacology committee at the time. He then went on to practice outpatient psychiatry both at Rockland County Community Mental Health and Westchester County Mental Health for over 20 years in addition to having a private practice while living in New York.  He held the position as Associate Director of the division in Westchester County for over 18 years. He has been exposed to all levels of psychiatric care since it was a mixture of patients in the community as well as patients with limited income and dual diagnoses including substance abuse. His approach is to get to know his patients well in order to provide more comprehensive care. He prefers Cognitive Behavioral therapy or Rational Emotive therapy, which he feels is the most time effective and enduring therapy to help patients needs. He also has extensive experience having worked with patients with developmental disabilities, since this is an underserved need. He then went on to work in Florida both for Florida Health Care Plans, which is an HMO, and in private practice for the past 13 years.  He worked at the Counseling Center of New Smyrna Beach, providing comprehensive care. He then helped establish the Center for Behavioral Medicine in Port Orange, Florida, which provided care as part of a multidisciplinary practice. He then went on to establish Advanced TMS in Port Orange, Florida. He is interested in treatment-resistant Depression and Anxiety Disorders. He went on to work for Greenbrook TMS in the greater Orlando area practicing Interventional Psychiatry. He is certified in TMS for brain mapping with Neurostar and Cloud TMS and has experience in the use of intranasal ketamine for treatment resistant depression. He has been a member of the Neuroscience Education Institute since 2012, where he holds a certificate as a Master Psychopharmacologist and a member of the Clinical TMS Society. He has active medical licenses in Florida, Arizona and New York. He is also certified in Medical Marijuana and has completed the IV Ketamine Infusion therapy course as well as Botox training certification.

Patients working with Dr. Capozzi know that he is easy to engage with and is most interested in his patients overcoming their obstacles to reach their optimal level of functioning. He enjoys working with patients who have anxiety, mood disorders and ADHD. It is very gratifying watching patient’s blossom and overcome their psychiatric disorder and then function at their best in work, leisure pursuits and relationships. Patients working with Dr. Capozzi should know that he realizes they have been suffering with their symptoms for some time or they would not be seeking help, and he will work with the patient in collaboration to help receive the proper care.

The typical process in working with patients is to first spend time gathering a history of the symptoms. It is then important to also include significant medical history which may be primary or secondary contributing factors. Also, it is important to look at psychosocial profile and how that may contribute to the initiation of the symptoms and prevention of improvement. It is essential to form a differential diagnosis and continue to look at any ongoing issues as well as co-morbidities. He believes it is most important to discuss possible treatment modalities and take into consideration the patient’s participation in ongoing care. It is most essential to be up to date on the latest modalities in treatment and use a combination of medication, nutritional supplements and behavioral therapies that can foster lasting improvement.

‍

Dr. Harmeeta Singh was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and is board certified with ABPN (American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology). Dr. Singh has been in practice for 15 years and focuses on an individualized treatment plan, not only using pharmacotherapy when needed, but also implementing insight-oriented, supportive, motivational, and brief psychotherapy. Dr. Singh is a firm believer in combining psychotherapy with medication management when warranted to manage and treat a wide variety of mental health conditions including, but not limited to - Depressive Disorders, Bipolar Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Trauma related disorders, Substance use disorders, Personality disorders, Sleep Disorders and Eating Disorders. Her dynamic approach is client focused, involving the client throughout their treatment and care plan, taking careful consideration to the individual's needs and goals. ‍Upon completion of her residency through St. Louis University, St.Louis, Dr. Singh joined her parents' Internal Medicine practice. She learned firsthand that implementing mental health awareness, screening, and education into a primary medically focused practice led to more favorable outcomes. Many mental health conditions can manifest as and/or exacerbate a variety of medical/physical conditions and thereby go undiagnosed and untreated. Dr. Singh has worked closely and coordinated care within the medical field and with other specialists in treating and diagnosing comorbid mental health conditions. While in private practice for over 10 years, she was also an attending and consultant for inpatient mental health care and provided mental health services for residents in various residential care facilities, group homes, and skilled nursing facilities. Over the past 5 years she has consolidated her practice and presently is employed with Compass Health Network in Missouri helping bridge the gap in mental health care by coordinating and providing care to the underserved community.

Dr. Richard Rise has created a successful career as a psychiatrist over the past 30 years. He has participated in a variety of treatment settings and has developed a wealth of experience at both prescribing medications, providing therapy, counseling, and even coaching. He takes an individual approach to treating others, recognizing individuals as unique and worthy of love, respect, and acceptance. He is compassionate, non-judgmental, and truly enjoys helping others. He tends to gravitate towards a combination of medication management (if indicated) and psychotherapy where he treats all facets of the individual. Dr. Rise believes that we are all unique and should be treated as such. He spent most of his career in private practice until deciding to retire in 2014. After this he spent the next 3 1/2 years, reading, studying, traveling, and spending time with his loved ones. In 2018 he was offered a position as a consultant overseeing Ketamine infusion therapy for treating treatment-resistant depression. When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, Dr. Rise was asked to assist a local psychiatric hospital deal with the unique and often deadly consequences of the virus. This proved to be a wonderful opportunity for personal growth and to improve the quality of life of many others. After working at the hospital for the 2 years, Dr. Rise joined Talkiatry to continue providing high-quality psychiatric care to others in a very loving, supportive, creative, and collaborative environment.

Dr. Walter Piddoubny is a double boarded psychiatrist in Adult Psychiatry and Consultation Liaison Psychiatry. He completed his undergraduate degree at Stony Brook University followed by his medical degree at SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He completed his Psychiatry Residency at Stony Brook University Hospital followed by his fellowship in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry at Yale New Haven Hospital. Dr. Piddoubny has held academic appointment at Stony Brook University Hospital practicing as a consultant psychiatrist as well as Associate Program Director of the Psychiatry Residency Program. He has been actively involved in teaching and was awarded "Teacher of the Year" in 2018 by the psychiatry residents. Dr. Piddoubny's practice focuses on medication management. Typically, he offers this in conjunction with supportive or emotionally focused therapy during 30-minute follow-up visits. Occasionally, Dr. Piddoubny may believe that additional therapy is warranted and ask that you bring a therapist into your care team in order to provide the best possible outcome.‍