Mustafa Taquee, MD

Dr. Katherine Vital-Daley is an adult psychiatrist at Talkiatry. She treats all adults and her passion lies in providing accessible care for women facing challenges throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum and in reproductive psychiatry. Dr. Vital-Daley's academic background is rooted in science, with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Merced. She then pursued her medical doctorate at the Medical University of the Americas. Following medical school, she completed her psychiatry residency training. The first two years were spent at East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine, with a culmination of her last two years of residency at Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to further specialize in women's mental health, which solidified her expertise in this vital area.‍At Allegheny Health Network's Women's Behavioral Health clinic, Dr. Vital-Daley honed her skills in treating a range of conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, bipolar disorder, and related issues, and served as a medical provider for their intensive perinatal/postpartum outpatient clinic. She also developed a deep understanding of perinatal mental health, supporting patients coping with perinatal loss and traumatic birthing experiences. In her practice, she employs supportive psychotherapy and mindfulness along with evidence-based medication management, utilizing the most current clinical guidelines and treatment modalities. ‍Dr. Vital-Daley's approach is rooted in a collaborative treatment approach. She works closely with patients, exploring past and current stressors and any relevant medical conditions to develop a comprehensive understanding of their individual needs. Recognizing the importance of cultural competency, she incorporates patients' unique backgrounds, beliefs, and core values into her care plans.

Karen Tonner, MSN, PMHNP-BC is an ANCC board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with over eight years of experience providing psychiatric care in outpatient and community mental health settings. She works with patients across the lifespan and treats a broad range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Karen primarily provides medication management in conjunction with supportive therapy, using evidence-based practices to help patients achieve symptom relief and improved functioning. Her approach to care is holistic, person-centered, and collaborative, emphasizing shared decision-making and individualized treatment planning. She strives to create a welcoming, approachable, and supportive environment where patients feel comfortable being themselves and actively participating in their care. She believes that understanding each patient’s unique experiences, goals, lifestyle, and strengths is essential to effective mental health treatment.

Karen earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kennesaw State University and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is dedicated to continuing education to remain current with psychiatric research and is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality care that helps patients feel heard, respected, and empowered.

Dr. Faizan Syed is a board-certified attending psychiatrist who graduated from St. George's University School of Medicine in 2012. He completed his residency in adult psychiatry at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, an affiliate of Columbia University, in June 2016 .Dr. Syed was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and has lived transnationally in the United States, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East throughout his life. He is currently based in Queens, NY, and alongside his professional development in his career as a psychiatrist, he has also worked to develop himself personally through writing. As a poet, essayist, and author, he has been published numerous times, and he maintains connections with his community through his participation in a group known as the Queens Poetic Alchemy Collective. He has spoken out publicly against the cultural stigma against mental health that has become a barrier to seeking and finding help. He has also been featured on Humans of New York. Dr. Syed believes strongly in the power and importance of psychotherapy as part of the therapeutic process. As such, he integrates individualized psychotherapy for each patient he sees and tailors various techniques to suit each patient's needs. He believes in an integrative, holistic approach that borrows from and blends various schools of psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience, including mindfulness, existentialism, cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical therapy, psychodynamics, genetics, and psychopharmacology. In addition, he is a great believer in the therapeutic power of the arts, whether it is visual arts, music, bibliotherapy, or expressive writing. Dr. Syed focuses on exploring the role of meaning in every patient's life so they can define and fulfill their potential in many areas of life. He has experience working with patients of all ages who have struggled with trauma, relationship or attachment issues, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, psychosis, and personality disorders.

Dr. Krishna Divadeenam is a staff psychiatrist at Talkiatry. He trained in New York and earned his medical degree from Albany Medical College in 1997.  He finished his internship at Vanderbilt Medical Center and completed his psychiatric residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2000. During his residency, he served as Chief Resident at the Kansas City VA Medical Center (KCVA).  His initial post-residency focus was with patients with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) when he worked at the Johnson County Mental Health Center.  He has served as a adjunct professor at the University of Kansas providing clinical supervision to residents and yearly lectures on Bipolar disorder, Tourette’s and Obsessive compulsive disorder for over 20 years.  He worked at Midwest Psychiatric associates in an outpatient private practice for nearly 3 years before returning to the KCVA.  There he oversaw care for combat veterans as a clinical psychiatrist and the supervisor for the PTSD Specialty outpatient clinic.  After 5 years he transitioned to the inpatient unit as the inpatient supervisor and one of the attending physicians of the acute inpatient psychiatric unit.  In addition, he served as the University of Kansas Site director for their psychiatric residency program.  

Dr. Divadeenam believes in a holistic approach to mental health treatment, integrating medication management, supportive psychotherapy, and collaboration with therapists and support staff. He tailors treatment to each patient's unique needs, ensuring a comprehensive and individualized approach to care. His expertise includes treating a variety of psychiatric diagnoses, such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders (including OCD), ADHD, and PTSD.

In a first visit, patients can expect a thorough evaluation, where Dr. Divadeenam takes the time to understand their medical history, symptoms, and treatment goals. He emphasizes open communication and collaborative decision-making, ensuring that patients feel heard and supported. Based on this initial assessment, he will develop a personalized treatment plan, which may include medication management and referrals to therapy or other supportive services as needed.

Dr. Benita Dieperink, MD, is board-certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She earned her medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School and completed residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She has extensive experience in private practice, academic leadership, and faculty roles, with expertise in treating diverse adult populations. She specializes in perinatal and reproductive psychiatry, supporting patients through pregnancy, postpartum, PMS, infertility, and perimenopause/menopause, as well as mood, anxiety, trauma-related, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Dr. Dieperink values open communication and a collaborative approach, creating a warm, supportive environment where patients feel heard and respected. She integrates psychopharmacology and psychotherapy to help patients work toward clear treatment goals, while fostering a growth- and strengths-based perspective. She also draws on a wide range of interests—from medical science to psychology and history—to enrich patient education.

Dr. Dieperink begins by thoroughly understanding each patient’s history, concerns, and goals. She develops individualized treatment plans aligned with these goals and regularly reassesses progress to refine strategies as needed, ensuring care is responsive, personalized, and effective.

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.