I am a doctoral prepared board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. I specialize in diagnosing and treating depression, mood swings, chronic irritability, anxiety, hallucinations, sleep issues, obsessive compulsive disorders, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse through the use of medications. I want to help you overcome the obstacles that prevent you from achieving your dreams and living your best life. I approach mental healthcare in a team oriented manner with my patients, believing that while I have expert knowledge in psychiatry, you are the expert in you. Through shared decision making we will choose appropriate medications designed to address your specific symptoms. We will identify your goals for wellness and lifestyle habits that augment your medications for a more peaceful state of mind. We will engage in insightful conversations that help guide you to uncover root problems such as unresolved childhood trauma, self- esteem and self confidence issues, and life stressors that may be contributing to your mental un-wellness. It is important for you to know that I believe that medications are only one piece of the puzzle in the journey to achieving optimal mental health. Although medications can be very helpful, they are not a one-stop shop to making all of your troubles go away. I promote lifestyle changes such as exercise, diet modifications, meditation, journaling, sleep hygiene, goal setting and psychotherapy as well. I am here to help you work on you, but in the words of Maya Angelou, "Nothing will work unless you do."

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

The initial psychiatric evaluation is about 1 hour. During this time we discuss your current psychiatric symptoms, past medical, family, social and psychiatric history and childhood. The purpose of the visit is to make a diagnosis and determine if your issues are appropriate for treatment with medication. If meds are determined a suitable treatment you will be sent for lab work prior to starting medications. This is to ensure that you are medically healthy, rule out any medical causes for your psychiatric issues and avoid contraindications. During the 2nd visit we discuss lab results and medications are prescribed. At all subsequent visits we talk about how your meds are working, side-effects and new or residual symptoms. Med changes and refills are only done during appointments.

What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?

I use validated screening and assessment tools along with DSM-5 criteria to make accurate psychiatric diagnoses. I prescribe FDA approved medications and use off-label prescribing practices to develop medication regimens tailored to your unique cluster of symptoms. Often, more than one medication is needed to address all of your symptoms. However, I make an emphasized effort to minimize the number of medications prescribed, using the lowest possible effective dose to adequately address your symptoms. Medication management follow-ups are scheduled from 1 week to 2 months apart, depending on the severity of your symptoms and the need for medication adjustments. Med changes and refills are only given during your appointment time. Please do not miss your follow-up appointments.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

I enjoy serving working and professional class patients. Through a wide breadth of life experiences I am able to relate to people from different cultures and socio-economic walks of life. I have faced and overcome many emotional tribulations and can identify with the inner turmoil that people are struggling with in today's fast-paced society. I believe I am in a unique position to assist others by validating their feelings and helping them put words to things they feel inside. I have personally witnessed the devastation that substance abuse can have on the family unit and understand the life-long journey to overcome resulting childhood trauma. I am a proponent of self-help and believe in empowering people to be their "best self " through a bio-psycho-social approach to healing.