What is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner?
How are you different than other psychiatric providers?
What is the difference between psychotherapy and psychiatry?
Do I need psychotherapy and psychiatry?
If I see a psychiatric provider, will I have to take meds?
Will I have to be on medication forever?
What types of conditions can psychiatric medication help with?
What if medication doesn't help or if I don't like the side effects?
Do you prescribe medication to children and teenagers?
What if it is difficult for me to travel to your office locations for psychiatric services?
What is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner?
A Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) with specialized training in Psychiatry and Mental Health. A PMHNP-BC received graduate education and clinical training in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric and mental health disorders and obtained a national board certification. Working independently and collaboratively with other health professionals, PMHNP’s provide a full range of psychiatric and mental health services. This includes, but is not limited to, diagnosing psychiatric and mental health disorders, prescribing medications to treat psychiatric and mental health disorders, and providing psychotherapy and patient education.
How are you different than other psychiatric providers?
Nurse practitioners emphasize the health and well-being of the whole person. We view you as an entire person and an integral part of your treatment, not just a condition or disorder. All choices and experiences in life affect our mental health and we believe that treatment planning must address more than just medication. Together, we will develop a treatment plan that will work best for you. We encourage many of our patients to seek individual or group therapy and can make referrals if needed. We work closely with therapists and other health professionals to coordinate care so that you may achieve the best results.
In the state of Texas, nurse practitioners are required to have a delegation agreement with a physician. We have such an agreement with a local psychiatrist with whom we meet for monthly meetings to review cases and prescribing practices.
What is the difference between psychotherapy and psychiatry?
While both disciplines share the goal of improving client daily functioning and outcomes, psychotherapy is centered on talk therapy and behavioral interventions to help ease emotional difficulties. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners are advanced practice nurses who are trained to examine biological factors along with social and emotional elements. An evaluation by a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner can help to determine if psychiatric medication may be an appropriate treatment option for an individual client, and if so, which medications are indicated along with the proper dosage.
Medication consultation and ongoing medication management are generally the two main psychiatry services clients come to Sana Psychiatry for. Some Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners may incorporate talk therapy and counseling into their treatment sessions as well, or they may refer clients to a therapist that is experienced in the struggles you or your child is experiencing.
Do I need psychotherapy and psychiatry?
Each client is unique. Many psychological and emotional difficulties can be resolved with psychotherapy. However, there is research indicating that for some conditions, a combination of psychotherapy and psychiatric medication may be the most effective treatment. Your Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner will help you make the best choice for your unique circumstance.
If I see a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, will I have to take medication?
No. The purpose of a psychiatric evaluation is to closely look at all the factors that may be contributing to the difficulty you are experiencing. Once the biological, social, and psychological factors involved and how they are interacting is determined, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner can make treatment recommendations. Treatment plans including medication may or may not be indicated. The psychiatry team at Sana Psychiatry works collaboratively with clients to hear their concerns, questions, and to agree upon treatment goals.
Will I have to be on medication forever?
Not necessarily. Each client and treatment plan is unique so how long you may take medication will be determined between you and your Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. It is common for some clients to take medication during a particularly difficult time so that they are able to experience improved functioning while they are working on emotional and behavioral struggles during therapy. Once symptoms improve, the medication plan can be re-evaluated.
What types of conditions can psychiatric medication help with?
There are a wide range of psychiatric medications for many different types of conditions and diagnoses. At Sana Psychiatry, our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner often prescribes medication to help clients experiencing depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and to manage symptoms related to ADHD and autism.
Do you prescribe medication to children and teenagers?
Our Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner is trained to examine the role biological, psychological, and social elements may play in emotional and behavioral concerns presenting in children and adolescents. She works with both children and their families to understand the presenting issues, formulate diagnostic impressions, recommend treatment plans, and to provide additional related services such as ongoing medication management, therapy, and collaborating with other healthcare providers. The goal is to help children improve daily functioning in school and social situations, and also to help parents and families learn how to best support their child during treatment.
What if medication doesn’t help or if I don’t like the side effects?
For adult clients experiencing depression that has not responded satisfactorily to medication or psychotherapy, or for those who cannot tolerate the side effects of antidepressant medications, our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner may refer you for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy for Depression (TMS Therapy for Depression). TMS Therapy is an FDA-approved, non-medication treatment for depression. TMS Therapy uses a magnetic pulse similar to that of an MRI and works by stimulating areas of the brain that are underactive in patients with severe depression. TMS Therapy is associated with very few side effects. Generally, a course of TMS Therapy involves five 20 minute sessions per week, for five to six weeks. Clients are able to return immediately to their daily activities after each session. To learn more about TMS Therapy for Depression, click here.
What if it’s difficult for me to travel to your office locations for psychiatry services?
Some clients may be candidates for virtual visits via online TelePsych services. Virtual visits are just like in-office appointments, but they are conducted via a secure video-conferencing system. This may be ideal for those who may have difficulty traveling to our office locations. Please note the due to licensing and insurance requirements, clients must be physically located in Texas during appointments.
Do you take insurance?
Sana Psychiatry is in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare/Optum/Oscar. In the event a client has an insurance Sana is not in-network with and chooses to start or continue to receive psychiatric treatment with us, we will provide a super-bill which the client may submit to their insurance for reimbursement.
