What is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner?

A Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) with specialized training in Psychiatry and Mental Health. A PMHNP-BC received graduate education and clinical training in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric and mental health disorders and obtained a national board certification. Working independently and collaboratively with other health professionals, PMHNP’s provide a full range of psychiatric and mental health services. This includes, but is not limited to, diagnosing psychiatric and mental health disorders, prescribing medications to treat psychiatric and mental health disorders, and providing psychotherapy and patient education.  

How are you different than other psychiatric providers?

Nurse practitioners emphasize the health and well-being of the whole person. We view you as an entire person and an integral part of your treatment, not just a condition or disorder. All choices and experiences in life affect our mental health and we believe that treatment planning must address more than just medication. Together, we will develop a treatment plan that will work best for you. We encourage many of our patients to seek individual or group therapy and can make referrals if needed. We work closely with therapists and other health professionals to coordinate care so that you may achieve the best results.

What conditions do you treat?

We have the ability to treat all psychiatric and mental health conditions, including , but not limited to, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorders, eating disorders, substance use disorders, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. However, Inner Strength does not treat schizophrenia. If it is determined that a patient has schizophrenia, they will be referred out to another provider. 

Can you prescribe medication? Are there limitations to your practice?

Yes, we can prescribe medication.

However, in the state of Texas, nurse practitioners cannot prescribe Schedule II drugs, which includes many medications used to treat ADHD (like Adderall or Vyvanse). If your treatment warrants one of these medications, the collaborating physician would have to send in a prescription.

Though we are authorized to prescribe other controlled substances such as benzodiazepines (like Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax), we recognize the potential risk for physiological dependence with such medications. Therefore, as a matter of ethical practice, we DO NOT prescribe these medications for long term use. If you are currently taking these medications and wish to stop, we can work with you to safely discontinue their use over a period of time. We will not accept patients who wish to remain on benzodiazepines, nor prescribe benzodiazepines while weaning patients off of them. Patients taking benzodiazepines will be required to continue getting their prescriptions through the prescribing provider, with education on dosages to decrease use. If you remain on benzodiazepines and are not actively decreasing their dose, we have the right to discontinue treatment. Our ultimate goal is to assist in discontinuing these harmful medications.

How can I afford your services without using insurance?

The largest expense will usually be during the first 3 months of treatment. During that time, medications will be adjusted and we will be refining your treatment plan. Generally, you’ll need an office visit every 2-4 weeks during this time to ensure that treatment is working. Once medications are stabilized, visits will be more spaced out. Eventually you’ll need to visit every two to three months to follow up on how you are doing and to get medication refills.