Christine Farina
I'm a psychiatric nurse practitioner with a decade of experience helping patients who struggle with a multitude of mental health issues. I have two bachelor's degrees in psychology and nursing and a master's degree in psychiatric nursing. I spent the first part of my career in the hospitals and transitioned to outpatient working in a community mental health clinic, which prepared me to treat the most complex patients. I got into psychiatry because of my family and personal history of mental health and there's nothing more gratifying to me than seeing patients heal. As a proud lesbian, I also emphasize treatment for the LGBT+ community as we face unique challenges related to our identity. My style is laid-back but direct; I don't sugarcoat things, but I also think psychiatric care should come with compassion, humor, and collaboration.
First session
I want to get to know you as a person with all your individual fears, quirks, flaws, strengths, likes, dislikes, and goals. We won't just talk about medications, we will also talk about your environment, coping skills, physical health, self-care routines, and spiritual beliefs. Expect one of my cats to crash the session too.
Strengths
I work with individuals navigating depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, OCD, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, identity exploration, and life transitions. I see medications as a tool in a toolbox; there is (unfortunately) no magic pill that can cure symptoms. It's a combination of medication, therapy, coping skills, and lifestyle changes. I'm not the kind of provider who will throw pills at you and say "see you in three months." I see each individual as unique and a sum of their parts, not a diagnostic checklist.
Ideal clients
I see adults ages 18+. I have years of experience in managing medications for complex illnesses such as major depression, anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorders, psychotic disorders, co-occurring substance use disorders, personality disorders, and ADHD. I also provide short-term solution-focused and cognitive-behavioral therapeutic techniques during sessions. My ideal patient is someone who is tired of pretending like everything is fine when it isn't. Maybe your depression is keeping you from spending quality time with your family. Maybe your anxiety causes panic attacks every time you want to go out and have fun with your friends. Maybe you're on the verge of losing your job because you can't seem to get your time management under control or meet important deadlines. Or maybe you're just exhausted with keeping the mask on. If you feel like any of this applies to you, you're in the right place.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I utilize CBT techniques in therapy to combat negative thinking patterns and unhealthy behaviors. Behaviors can stem from thoughts and many people don't even realize their own thought patterns are unhelpful.
Motivational Interviewing
I utilize MI to explore resistance to change. Many times, patients are ambivalent or resistant to changing their behaviors and there's a reason for that. MI affirms those reasons while also offering alternatives for motivation to change.
Solution-Focused Brief Treatment
Sometimes people just want to hear solutions to their problems. SFBT is a way to discuss issues and brainstorm possible ways to overcome them in a brief period of time.
Location
Virtual sessions