What is a Nurse Practitioner?
A nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse with a master’s of science degree. Nurse practitioners can choose an area of specialization, and I have chosen psychiatry. Nurse practitioners are known to not just focus on disease states, but get a holistic, comprehensive knowledge of your health, your cultural background, beliefs and values, spiritual practice, and relationships with others.
Nurse practitioners also focus on disease prevention and health education, which ultimately helps lower your out-of-pocket costs on healthcare.
What happens during the first appointment?
An initial assessment takes place, a diagnosis is made, and you and I chose the best course of action that feels comfortable for you.
This could be therapy, medication, both therapy and medication, or a one-time consultation.
Do I have to take medication?
I make clinical recommendations based on the assessment, but you are in the driver’s seat, so you get to ultimately decide if a medication is going to make sense.
This depends on what your diagnosis is, the severity of your symptoms, and other health issues that may be going on.
My goal is to get you to a place where you are not experiencing troublesome symptoms any more. Nor are you experiencing negative side-effects from the medication. I usually recommend being in this place for 6 months, then at that point if you want to taper off the medication, we develop a game plan on how to accomplish this.
How long do I have to be on medication?
It depends on the severity of symptoms but if a medication is prescribed after the first visit, I like to see you in approximately 4 weeks.
Once you are stable and not having any problems with the medication, I can see you on a minimum of a quarterly basis.
Medication changes cannot be made outside of appointments, as this requires an in-person assessment.