A nurse first. A healer always.

I did not start in psychiatry. I started at the bedside — as a registered nurse, holding the hand of patients who were terrified, overwhelmed, and largely unsupported in their mental health.

What I witnessed as an RN stayed with me. Burnout eroding the spirit of the best nurses I knew. Anxiety going unaddressed in patients managing chronic illness. Depression hiding behind forced smiles in the break room. I kept asking: where is the mental health care for these people?

I became a PMHNP to be that answer. My nursing foundation gives me something most providers do not have — a deep, practiced understanding of how the body, the mind, and the healthcare environment interact. I treat the whole person because I have seen, firsthand, what happens when we do not.

My approach is holistic and compassionate. That means we talk about your sleep, your stress, your relationships, and your history — not just your symptom checklist. It means medication, when appropriate, is one tool among many. And it means you will never feel rushed, judged, or reduced to a diagnosis.