Seeking psychiatric care can feel vulnerable. I get that. But I've come to believe that vulnerability and bravery aren't opposites. Sometimes they're the exact same thing. Being trusted with that vulnerability is one of the greatest privileges of the work I do.
If you walk into my office, you don't need to have the right words, know exactly what's wrong, or have your life neatly packaged into a list of symptoms. That's my job to help you sort out. What I ask from you is honesty and authenticity, even when things are complicated, uncomfortable, or messy. You can expect the same from me.
I've spent 25 years in healthcare across a variety of roles and settings, with a significant part of my career dedicated to clinical leadership and mentoring. Those experiences have given me a unique view of mental healthcare, both from inside the treatment room and within the larger systems that profoundly affect the people I serve.
Somewhere along the way, I realized I was endlessly fascinated by the complexity of human beings: why we think the way we think, why we do the things we do, and what allows us to transform even after life has given us plenty of reasons not to.
Today, I'm a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner working primarily with adults. I provide comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and supportive therapeutic interventions. I have a particular interest in serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI), co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, and complex psychiatric presentations. My experience includes treating ADHD, depression, anxiety, trauma-related disorders, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, and substance use disorders. The cases that don't fit neatly into a diagnostic box? Those are actually some of my favorites.
My approach combines evidence-based pharmacology with holistic care and a healthy dose of humanity. Medication can be an incredibly useful tool, but you're more than a diagnosis and a collection of neurotransmitters. I want to understand the biology and the person: your experiences, relationships, behaviors, environment, strengths, and all the beautifully complicated pieces that make you who you are. Treatment should fit the person, not require the person to fit the treatment.
That means I'll listen. I'll ask a ton of questions. I'll definitely ask why more than once. I'll meet you where you are and work with you to develop a plan that makes sense for the life you're actually going home to after our appointment. I'm curious, nonjudgmental, difficult to shock, and genuinely interested in understanding the whole person sitting across from me.
I'm also direct. I won't sugarcoat something simply because it's easier to hear. I'll challenge cognitive distortions, point out patterns, and occasionally say the thing neither of us particularly wants to say out loud. I believe compassion and accountability can, and should, exist in the same room. So can tears, laughter, dark humor, adult language, and the occasional well-timed sarcastic comment. Psychiatry doesn't have to feel sterile to be good medicine.
At the heart of my practice is a belief in the possibility of transformation, even when you can't quite see it for yourself yet. My role isn't to dictate what that transformation should look like. It's to understand where you are, help you figure out where you want to go, and bring everything I know to helping you get there.
When I'm not working, I'm usually learning something new (and inevitably getting sucked down a rabbit hole), traveling somewhere new (I've got itchy feet), or spending time with my husband, son, and our pets. Curiosity follows me outside the office, too, and I wouldn't have it any other way!
