Margaret Ngumi, PMHNP

Dr. Wharton-Mohammed is double board certified in General Psychiatry as well as Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has worked in various settings with culturally diverse populations. Her primary focus has been caring for children in the outpatient programs. Dr. Wharton-Mohammed has spent over ten years as an administrative leader. She has chaired and co-chaired committees overseeing the practice of fellow Psychiatrists and served as the Discipline Chief. She has been teaching/ supervising Nurse Practitioner students and Physician assistant students.

Dr. Wharton-Mohammed is experienced with a wide variety of psychiatric diagnoses and therapeutic modalities. She is a dedicated clinician who looks out for her patients. She views each patient and their caregivers circumstance as unique. She takes a holistic approach with a collaborative approach to help patients understand their options. While the focus may be on psycho education and medication management with supportive and psychodynamic therapeutic interventions there may be a need for additional therapy.  She may ask that a therapist be added to your treatment team. She works towards establishing a meaningful trusting relationship and looks forward to working with you to help you achieve your goals.

Dr. Niles (he/him) holds the position of Staff Psychiatrist at Talkiatry. He has four years of experience in outpatient psychiatry and is board-certified for adult psychiatry. He has received training in the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, supportive therapy, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy skills. He uses his training in therapy in tandem with medicine management to provide holistic, person-centered care. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, while completing his pre-medical classes, he also pursued certification in the history and philosophy of medicine. Additionally, he studied the effect of culture and ethics on healthcare. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry. He attended medical school at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. His psychiatry residency training was completed at Charleston Area Medical Center. While in residency, he worked to improve cultural awareness in the outpatient setting. Dr. Niles is interested in treating patients with a wide variety of diagnoses. He treats mood disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma-related disorders, personality disorders, OCD, comorbid addiction, mild eating disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, and more. He also strives to provide care that affirms LGBTQIA+ identities and underwent additional training in transgender mental healthcare.

Dr. Laura Obler is board-certified in adult psychiatry. She received her medical degree from David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, where she stayed to complete her psychiatry residency at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience. During residency she received specialized training in reproductive psychiatry (the treatment of women who are considering pregnancy or are pregnant or postpartum) and acted as Chief Resident of the Women's Life Center at UCLA. Dr. Obler has experience working with a diverse group of patients. She has previously worked in community clinics in the greater Los Angeles area and as a staff psychiatrist at UCLA. She prefers a holistic approach to psychiatric treatment and therefore uses a combination of medication management and talking therapies to treat patients. Techniques she may utilize include cognitive behavioral therapy, experiential psychodynamic therapy, mentalization based therapy, and medical hypnosis.

Leanne Booth is a board-certified Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who brings over two decades of experience in psychiatric nursing and advanced practice care. She offers a warm, collaborative approach grounded in empathy and whole-person care. Clients describe her as calm, attentive, and deeply compassionate, and she aims to create a safe, supportive environment where individuals feel heard, respected, and understood.

Leanne believes that trust and honesty are the foundation of effective treatment. She values open dialogue and strives to meet clients where they are, without judgment. Her approach is person-centered and trauma-informed, with a focus on empowering clients in their care decisions. She works closely with each patient to understand their goals, preferences, and challenges, while offering evidence-based treatment tailored to individual needs.

In sessions, Leanne blends medication management with supportive therapy, psychoeducation, and motivational interviewing. She takes a holistic view of each patient’s health, considering possible medical causes for psychiatric symptoms and coordinating with primary care providers when appropriate. Her goal is to provide thoughtful, integrated care that supports clients in achieving long-term wellness.

Dr. Illise Perlmutter is the Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Talkiatry. She is double board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry. Before joining Talkiatry, Dr. Perlmutter was the Chair of Behavioral Health and Addiction Services at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. Prior to Bergen New Bridge, she was the Director of Inpatient Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center-Wakefield, in New York. Over 35 years, Dr. Perlmutter has held numerous leadership roles with some of the largest hospital systems in the New York Metro Area. Dr. Perlmutter is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has received awards for her contributions both locally and nationally. Dr. Perlmutter was included in Castle Connolly's "America's Top Doctors” list from 2006-2011 and 2017, as well as "Best Doctors in America” from 2009- 2012. Dr. Perlmutter received her MD from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. After an internship in pediatrics, she completed a residency in Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Medical Center followed by a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Perlmutter has held leadership roles in several academic institutions and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. Dr. Perlmutter has authored numerous publications and research articles and has lectured and presented extensively on clinical, epidemiologic, and psychopharmacologic issues in child and adolescent psychiatry. She has made frequent media appearances addressing topical issues in disaster psychiatry during the course of her work in disaster psychiatry outreach.

Dr. Austin Lin is a double board-certified adult and addiction psychiatrist who has been in practice for over 9 years. At the center of Dr. Lin's clinical approach is a strong emphasis on establishing trust and using a collaborative approach to help patients develop an individualized and cohesive plan so that they are able to achieve their goals. Dr. Lin's practice focuses on medication management. Typically, he offers this in conjunction with supportive therapy, motivational interviewing, and/or cognitive behavioral therapy in 30-minute follow-up visits. Occasionally, Dr. Lin may recommend that additional therapy is needed and ask that you bring a therapist into your care team in order to provide the best outcome. Dr. Lin received his medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine. He went on to complete his residency in psychiatry at Harvard South Shore, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, where he served as Chief Resident and earned his 360° Professionalism award. He then had additional training in Addiction Psychiatry through his fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. After completing training, Dr. Lin has worked as an Addiction Psychiatrist and Director of Adult Services in the Trauma and Resilience Center (TRC) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). He specialized in treating patients with a history of depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use disorders. Dr. Lin has held an academic appointment at UTHealth, and he has spent his professional career supervising and teaching medical students and psychiatry residents.