Life is challenging at times. Sometimes we can just push and make our way through. However, sometimes that push just comes up a little short, and that is when a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) like myself can help.
The nursing model in mental health offers the most patient-centered, evidenced-based, and holistic care available. Together, as a team, we will assess your current situation and arrive at a correct diagnosis for a disorder that may be either biological, situational, or both, and then work as one to establish a treatment plan that may include psychotherapy and or medication administration.
My approach to the care of patients comes from the belief that the solution to their problem comes from within their own story, their own life, and their own body. I have embraced those lessons from my studies of Hildgard Peplau, the “mother of psychiatric nursing”, who pioneered the nurse-patient relationship, and Phil and Poppy Barker, developers of The Tidal Model, a nursing theory and philosophical approach to mental health recovery where the cornerstone of treatment begins with the patient's own experiences and life story. It uses the tidal metaphor comparing our lives to the ocean. The ups and downs we face are like the high and low tides, storms are like the stressors and hardships we face that can take our ship off course and into difficult situations. Together we will work to have your boat sailing in calm waters.
Staying physically healthy takes work. You have to plan. You have to move. You have to sacrifice at times. You can see and measure the results. Mental health wellness is very similar. Together we will work on assessing what isn’t working, what good tools you have, what other tools you’ll need, and what our plan is to get you to live the best life you can.
After the initial psychiatric evaluation our plan may include therapy with or without medication. Medications can be a great tool to have in your tool belt. After assessment and diagnosis, we will discuss the benefits of the medications and the side effects that may have. I am not a medication first practitioner, although in a crisis they are the first line choice. Most mental health wellness comes from a combination of therapy and medication administration. My goal is to prescribe for you the right medication, in the lowest dose, for the shortest amount of time- especially for those medications that are habit forming and addictive.
I look forward to meeting you, your children, and your family to help you get your ship back on a smooth sailing voyage.
Colin