About
I currently work as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in the coastal town of Mobile, Alabama. I see patients in the outpatient and psychiatric inpatient treatment centers. My primary role is in diagnosing psychiatric disorders and creating individualized treatment plans including medications, referrals, and therapy. Several years ago, I noticed a gap in the education preparedness of Nurse Practitioners working in mental health. A working knowledge of the most evidence-based approach to therapy was the best bridge for this treatment deficit.
At the beginning of my career in medicine, I took an interest in the role of communication and guidance leading to quality outcomes. In working in units designed for dementia patients, Rogerian principles of therapy assisted in a therapeutic milieu. I saw firsthand the benefits of supporting client autonomy, nonjudgemental listening, and at times, redirection to more productive conversations and activities. I also found, that the more skilled a nurse was in therapeutic communication, the less psychiatric medication, especially sedating “as needed” medications were used.
As my career advanced, working in the Intensive Care Unit on the medical hospital wing, I found the gravity of certain situations required contextual therapeutic skills. In a crisis, clarity and gentle assertiveness supersede false promises that “everything will be ok”. In other circumstances, such as discussions to transition to hospice care for a loved one, addressing emotions such as guilt, sadness, fear, and grief, become an important part of decision-making.
Naturally, when I became a nurse practitioner and began prescribing medication for mental health management it was important for me to incorporate therapy into my practice. What I discovered, just as Dr. Beck discovered with his training, is that general therapy skills are merely foundational. The desire to incur real and lasting change in a patient demands evaluating and shifting thinking patterns and behaviors.
Through the Beck Institute CBT Certification program, I learned how to build strength and problem-based conceptualizations. The modules and didactic education teach structuring appointments so that patients can challenge negative thoughts at earlier appointments and restructuring core beliefs in later appointments. This takes a building block approach to change. Patients build awareness and address cognitive distortions in their daily life, making negative automatic thoughts and beliefs less meaningful. I like that CBT uses each session like the stroke of a paint brush, when completed, the therapist and client have worked towards one big picture.
The CBT Certification program at the Beck Institute has rounded out my education and experience as a mental health expert. Many techniques and concepts have given me the power to teach patients how to thrive in the face of depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and more. When I see patients in clinical practice, I bring with me the skills and knowledge of my medical, psychiatric, and now cognitive behavioral background.
