BIO:

As a psychiatric nurse practitioner (PMHNP), I hold a master's degree in Nursing Science and am obtaining my doctorate. I am also certified as an ADHD - Certified Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP). Before becoming an RN, I was a massage therapist for around a decade, working mainly in many of Colorado's beautiful ski resorts. Throughout my nursing and nurse practitioner career, I have worked with incarcerated persons, those overcoming addiction, in community mental health, as well as with patients seeking treatment for conditions such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD.

I believe in partnership with my patients. To build treatment plans in partnership with you. I take the time to understand your concerns, goals, values, strengths, challenges, and preferences and provide the information you need to understand and make informed decisions about your diagnosis and treatment options. I also value and foster the provider-patient relationship by always being honest with you. I have had enough experiences in life, personally and professionally, to understand each of our lives are as unique as they are universal. You can expect transparency, nonjudgment, humor, and understanding from me.

You are the expert on you, your experience is the most important element in your mental health and often indescribable to others. As such, I offer the support and empowerment to help you take control of your psychiatric care.

Philosophy:

Mental health touches every aspect of our being; it is even the lens through which we see, feel, and interact with the world around us and the worlds within us. It is something truly personal and yet simultaneously expressed to others through every interaction—it is fundamental, and you have the right to be a true partner in the mental health care you receive.

Is one a true partner in any endeavor if their counterpart holds all of the authority? How well is a problem solved when an expert with all the expertise and resources dictates solutions to a local issue without understanding what that issue means to the locals who live with it daily? I think it goes without saying that any venture benefits when all involved have a seat at the table.

I have put a lot of thought into why, despite hearing the phrase “patient-centered care” over and over in my educational and professional experience, what I actually saw was the same old “because I am the authority, that’s why” approach. It may be discussed nowadays under feel-good language, but that underlying dynamic still informs how healthcare is practiced.

So, what does “patient-centered care” mean to me and my practice? How can a person without training talk shop with their provider and weigh in on their treatment? Aren’t doctors usually nightmare patients because they have the knowledge but not the objectivity to contribute to their own treatment plans? (By the way, the answer to that last question is yes, absolutely—total nightmares as patients.)

I believe it all comes down to where we place our value on knowledge. In partnership with my patients, yes, I possess the knowledge of psychological processes and the various treatments that are available, but I do not have the same mastery over the patient's lived experience, how their mind and body feels and functions day to day. The patient is the expert and authority in themselves. From this understanding, that the patient and I are experts from different specialties coming together to create a solution, where patient-centered care is truly realized. Said a (much) shorter way: Respect is key.

How a patient-centered initial appointment differs from the usual, you tell me what's going on as quickly as possible (trying to get everything out before I decide I know what you are trying to say - whether or not I actually do), and I provide you with a diagnosis and tell you what medications to take, is the value placed on both our contributions. I seek for us to work from equal ground; you will have to help me understand the meaning behind the words you use, and I will have to do the same. We check each other for blind spots and misunderstandings and then collaborate to define a plan of action. This may sound like a tedious and extended process, but it really just comes down to a shift in perspective.

By taking the time to truly understand your experience (including its meaning and impact on your life and values, goals, and aspirations) and ensuring you have the tools of a practical and usable understanding of the psychological processes at play, as well as what the treatment options truly look like when lived with, we are able to partner in your care successfully.