My Story

I became a mental health provider for the most cliché reason possible: I needed one and couldn't find a good one.

Here's the less cliché part — I was already a nurse when I realized I was depressed. Already in the medical system. Already someone who "should know better." And I still couldn't get what I needed.

My doctor gave me sertraline in a 12-minute appointment. Told me to "give it six weeks." Didn't mention that the first two weeks would feel like my anxiety had been plugged into a wall socket. Didn't mention the sexual side effects. Didn't mention that if I missed a dose, I'd feel like my brain was short-circuiting.

I found that out alone. At 2 AM. Googling "sertraline brain zaps" like everyone else.

The System

I spent the next decade and a half inside the healthcare system — bedside nursing, crisis intervention, substance abuse counseling, psychiatric care. I watched it from every angle. And from every angle, it looked the same:

Not enough time. Not enough explanation. Not enough humanity.

Providers who cared, genuinely cared, being ground down by 15-minute appointment slots and insurance requirements. Patients who needed an hour getting eight minutes. Medication prescribed without education. Therapy provided without context. Mental health fragmented across four providers who never spoke to each other.

I kept thinking: someone should fix this.

Eventually I realized the someone was me.

The Practice

So I went back to school. Got my NP. Published some research. Built a practice from scratch. The usual spiral when you get angry enough at a broken system.

Telehealth-first, because driving to an office shouldn't be a barrier. Therapy, medication management, life coaching, and Support Group Plus — all in one relationship, one practice, one person who actually knows your full story.

I take 60 minutes for initial consultations. I respond within 24 hours. I explain your medication like you deserve to understand it. I charge $5 for group sessions because community shouldn't cost $150 an hour.

Is it perfect? No. I'm one person. There are limits to what I can do.

But within those limits, I will never make you feel rushed, confused, dismissed, or alone. That's not a tagline. That's the line I drew when I walked away from the system that did those things to me.

The Thing Nobody Expects Me to Say

My goal is to teach you to not need me.

That sounds like bad business. But it's the truth. I want you to understand your own brain, your own body, your own patterns well enough that you can navigate most of it yourself. I want to give you the tools, the language, and the confidence to advocate for yourself in any medical setting — not just with me.

Empowerment over dependence. Every time.

This is why I created Support Group Plus — because community and self-advocacy shouldn't require a co-pay. And it's why I give away real clinical knowledge in my free guides instead of hiding it behind an appointment.

The Personal Stuff

I'm a mom. I've been divorced. I've had panic attacks at the grocery store and depressive episodes that lasted months. I've been on the wrong medication and the right one. I've sat in the therapist's chair feeling like nothing was working.

I don't share this to perform vulnerability. I share it because it's why I'm good at this. When you tell me something scary, I'm not going to look at you with clinical distance. I've been there. Not metaphorically. Literally.

You deserve to feel good in your own skin. Not performatively. Not “gratitude-journal” good. Actually good. And if you don't know what that feels like yet — that's exactly what we'll work on.

Credentials

None of this would matter without the training to back it up. Here's the clinical foundation:

• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC)
• 15+ years clinical mental health experience
• Former hospital/bedside nurse
• Crisis intervention specialist
• Substance abuse counselor
• Certified in CBT, DBT, ACT, trauma-informed care