What Does a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Do?
It’s a vulnerable experience reaching out for help when you’re unsure about who you can trust. It’s our goal to provide a safe place where you can find expert help.
At Rivercrest Behavioral Health & Wellness, we offer two primary kinds of help — counseling services and medication management. Our psychologists, Heather and Jennifer, specialize in counseling services, and our nurse practitioners, Alexis and Carrie, specialize in medication management and are also trained in counseling.
Why see an expert
It’s tough to feel stuck with mental, emotional, or behavioral challenges. Often, we look for help wherever we can get it — from a friend, someone in our faith community, our primary care provider, or a family member. They all might be able to help to some degree.
But when it’s important to get the best possible results, it makes sense to see an expert. At Rivercrest, our providers have all completed intensive training, and have years of mental health experience. We work closely together to make sure each patient gets the care they need. Especially when it comes to medication, it’s crucial to have a specialist on your team who can ensure you’re receiving the right amount of the right medication.
Meet our psychiatric nurse practitioners
Psychiatric nurse practitioners specialize in treating mental health issues. They are trained to assess, diagnose, and coordinate care specific to each client. In cases where it’s helpful, they have the ability to prescribe medication. They also provide psychotherapy, crisis management, and mental health education.
Let’s get to know our PMHNPs. The big acronym stands for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. They went to school for a long time, so you could say they earned that big name!
Carrie McCartney, PMHNP
Our PMHNPs believe that medication can be a life-changing tool, but only when managed carefully.
Our philosophy for medication is to do the most good, with the least amount of medication.
Each person is unique in so many ways — we all have different body chemistry, different backgrounds, and different mental health issues. And everyone changes as they move through life. So to get the right prescription, and to manage that medication on an ongoing basis, we need expert help.
What to expect
If we determine that medication might be a helpful part of your treatment plan, you’ll meet with a PMHNP and they’ll evaluate your situation. If you’re prescribed medication, you’ll be given information on what to expect. There will be regular check-ins to see how well the medication is working and to address any side effects. Your PMHNP will help you make a plan so you take the medication as prescribed, and we’ll document your treatment over time to ensure you’re getting the best care possible.
