Why Psychiatry? The Real Answer

I’ve experienced depression firsthand. It started with postpartum depression, then evolved into what I now recognize as functional depression. The kind where you’re checking all the boxes, finishing school, working full-time, showing up for everyone, but barely keeping your head above water.

It wasn’t until my first marriage that I realized just how bad it had gotten. I started talk therapy in 2015, and in 2018, I attended the Seton Mind Institute Intensive Outpatient Program. That’s when I saw the fog lift for the first time. I finally understood what it felt like to not be depressed. That same year, I got divorced and started my FNP journey.

That experience changed everything. If I could do it, if I could navigate my way through, I knew I could help others thrive too.

How I Got Here

I spent over 13 years as a nurse in ERs and ICUs. Fast-paced, high-stakes environments where you learn to listen, cut through the noise, and focus on what actually matters to the patient. That skill (extracting the real concern someone’s trying to express) is something I carry into every psychiatric appointment now.

I started my Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program with plans to become an ER nurse practitioner. But somewhere along the way, I realized mental health was where I needed to be. Once I’d started the FNP program, I couldn’t switch tracks, so I finished it. Turns out, completing my FNP was the fastest path to becoming a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) anyway.

That dual certification wasn’t planned, but it ended up being one of the best things that could have happened. Now I can see the whole picture: how thyroid issues, diabetes, chronic pain, and other medical conditions play into mental health. I can review all your medications (medical and psychiatric) to make sure they’re not working against each other. And I can help you figure out whether a side effect is from your psych med or something else entirely.

Why I Started My Own Practice

I left the clinic system because I couldn’t provide good care there. Patients were numbers. The focus was on volume: how many appointments could I squeeze in each day to make the clinic money. There was no time, no mental space, and no capacity to actually help people get better.

Now, with Break the Stigma Psychiatry, I can schedule follow-ups as frequently as needed. I can give patients a full hour so they actually understand what’s happening (or not happening). I’m not selling anything or trying to meet some metric. I do this for my patients, to improve their lives. I can slow down and listen.

Who I’m Here For

I created this practice for people who’ve been burned by the healthcare system before. People who want autonomy in their care but don’t want to feel like they’re telling their provider what to prescribe. People who need to feel comfortable opening up.

I’m especially committed to creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+, trans, and minority patients. In the current climate, so many people from marginalized communities are scared to seek help. They don’t trust the healthcare system, they’re afraid of being labeled, or they didn’t grow up with access to mental health care. The world is hard enough. These patients deserve extra care, and I’m here to provide it.

What Lived Experience Brings to the Table

Having navigated depression, anxiety, trauma, and neurodivergence myself changes how I practice. I know how hard it is to trust the process when your brain is telling you nothing will work. I understand decision fatigue. I get what it’s like when you’re mentally exhausted and can’t think through one more thing.

I can be honest with patients about being human, about days when I’m not at my best either. And I help people make decisions based on where they are right now, not where they “should” be. Because healing isn’t linear, and you don’t need to perform for me.