I am a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with several years of psychiatric experience behind me. I see mental health care as something that goes well beyond simply quieting symptoms, but about helping people build lives that they actually want to be living. I believe in taking a holistic approach to treating patients, looking at sleep, substance use, past traumas, relationships, and physical health to help build a full picture of mental wellbeing because the root of so many negative aspects of mental health rarely presents themselves as a surface level, straight forward complaint. Years of working in the mental health field has taught me to read a situation quickly, de-escalate calmly, and never lose sight of the person inside the diagnosis. I believe in treating the individual, not the condition. What I have found time and time again is that the real work of improving mental health for my patients begins when they genuinely feel heard.