About Me

Hi!  I started my medical career driving an ambulance as an EMT.  Fifteen years later, the habit of figuring out whether something is an emergency has stayed with me.  I worked as a psychiatric RN for six years before going back to school for my PMHNP and have been treating patients as a PMHNP since May of 2015.

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People are not a diagnosis.  It's not always the case that if a person feels depressed that the answer is an antidepressant.  The most important thing is to figure out why a person is depressed.  Sometimes there could be more than one reason, and sometimes one reason is more important or impactful than another.  Many times a person's physical health affects their psychiatric wellness.

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For that reason, I start with a medical screening to determine whether there is a medical reason why you feel the way you do.  There are quite a few common problems that seem psychiatric but are really medical.  Sometimes a simple solution is right at your fingertips, but you have to check and see.  With a thorough medical history and a lab draw, many times we will find something that can help you feel better right away.  It's difficult to talk someone out of a magnesium deficiency, so if that's the problem, we should find out.

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I work with several other mental health professionals.  When a person has a dietary issue or food allergy or an autoimmune problem, I refer them to a trusted naturopath who does excellent work.  I have sent patients to him for years and have gotten back the highest praise for his skill and wisdom.  Very often, people's fatigue and depression will lift in his care.  One child psychologist is well known in the Salem area for his decades of experience and wealth of hands-on treatment.  The other child psychologist is a very bright young man with new ideas and a lot of enthusiasm.  The neurofeedback specialists have been instrumental in assessment and treatment of many patients over the last few years.  It can bring a new perspective to things we think we know well. 

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There are quite a few doctors I follow through the books they've written, podcasts they appear on, YouTube videos they upload, conferences and symposiums, newsletters, forums, and via email.  Izabella Wentz was the first podcast medical professional I followed up on.  Her work on Hashimoto's Thyroiditis explained so much of what we think of as bipolar disorder that I became intrigued.  After reading a few of her books I started screening my patients for thyroid issues much more thoroughly.  I found a handful.  How interesting, that thyroid issues could look like mood swings.  Now I check every time.  Mood stabilizer medications don't work for thyroid issues, you have to address the health of the thyroid.  I wonder how long those patients would have tried to make their medications work for them had we not figured it out.

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As we work on nutrition issues, food allergies, and autoimmune problems, people tend to lose a few pounds.  Sometimes it's a few pounds, and sometimes it's more.  I can't make any promises, but if we can figure out how to do it then we will.

 

I tailor your treatment plan to fit your life.  There are only so many hours in the day so your self-care routine can only take so much time.  The rest of your life is important!  If there is something you don't want to do, it's OK.  Maybe there's another way to go that you would find easier, or maybe we can put something off until later when you feel more like taking on a new challenge.  Treatment has to work, and it has to fit your life.