1.     I live in Provo, Utah, which is about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City, but I grew up in a small town in South Carolina.

2.     My experience working in the mental health field includes working as a nurse in the emergency department, as well as my clinical experiences thus far. Before beginning the PMHNP program I had never worked in a psychiatric facility, but helping people as they are experiencing traumatic situations has always been a big part of my nursing career.

3.     I view my greatest strengths as a mental health provider to be my empathy and my determination to help. My greatest challenge is my confidence level, especially when I am making decisions regarding patients who do not present in a “textbook” way.

4.     I am a big believer in psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic treatments. I think that the tools patients learn in therapy are often what allow them to make the necessary changes in their lives that may eventually lead them to being able to taper off of medication. In therapy, people learn how to change thinking patterns and behaviors that are no longer serving them. I honestly think everyone could benefit! However, I do believe that there are some instances where people are not able to fully benefit from therapy because their mental health has deteriorated so much. In this case, I think medication is needed to stabilize them to the point where they can then reap the benefits of a therapeutic relationship. 

5.     I absolutely love to travel. I am happy to go most anywhere, but the beaches of Kauai are my most favorite.

 

2) What is a brief overview of your experience working in the psychiatric/mental health field?  I have two semesters of preceptorship in the mental health.  For my junior and senior years of high school (a long time ago), I worked at the state facility as an intern caring for mentally disabled children and in a group home for mentally disabled adults. My nursing career began in 1996 with the early part of my career working in the emergency department where we treated many psychiatric/mental health patients. I’ve worked as an APRN in primary care, pain management, and vascular and have treated many patients for depression, anxiety, insomnia, and regularly referring more complicated cases to psychiatry.  

3) What do you see as your greatest strength and greatest challenge when working with clients seeking mental health services?  My greatest strength is that I am empathetic and listen well to my patients. I have a broad nursing background and 5 years as an FNP and see every day challenges that mental health contributes to in the overall well-being of patients. I recognize mental health as a key component to the patient’s overall health/wellness and is one of the reasons I chose to advance my knowledge in mental health.

Seems that many patients are accustomed to medication as the only source of treatment as evidenced by the multiple psychiatric medications they take. One of the greatest challenges I see in mental health is motivating patients to do the psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic components of treatment.

 4) Based solely on your experience, what do you see as the strengths of psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic therapeutic approaches for mental health treatment? What do you see as limitation(s)? One strength that I see of psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic therapeutic approaches for mental health is that the non-pharmacology approaches allow the patients to gain insight to themselves and underlying issues/struggles.  The non-pharmacologic approaches have less side-effects and can provide insight and coping mechanisms for patients to manage their symptoms. The limitation to non-pharmacologic approaches is that it is hard work and can be quite difficult/painful for one to endure and it can be expensive. 

5) Select something about yourself that you are comfortable sharing and that you think would help the class know a little more about "YOU" as the "self"  (favorite hobby, favorite vacation spot, something unique about you, a little about your family, etc).  I am a newlywed. My son is a senior in high school. We have two goldendoodles.  I love spending time with my family and friends. I love the outdoors, the ocean especially. I love to travel. I love nachos and pizza. 

2) Working in the psychiatric/mental health field is an incredibly rewarding and satisfying career, but can be demanding of time and emotional energy. The comprehensive responsibilities not only include providing mental health assessment, support, and treatment plan, but wearing other hats of being a clinical social worker, counselor, collaborator, advocator, motivator, life coach, therapist, and educator. PMHNP provides evidence-based practice and support to others during the most challenging moments of their lives, offers compassion, inspires hope, teaches necessary skills to overcome their current circumstances, and collaborates with community resources and social service providers. It is a fulfilling, yet challenging field through direct positive impact on patient's lives however, it requires emotional strength to be able to manage one’s response, maintain a therapeutic relationship with clients, ability to connect with different populations, strengthen character, and composure in the face of overwhelming pain and struggle that clients face. 

3) The greatest reward is helping others overcome their condition and improve their quality of life. The challenge is learning contemplative detachment, and how to allow ourselves to remain healthy as we encounter human suffering day after day. It is important to keep a balance in life, learn self-care to endure a long career, and have self-awareness. This is not a get-rich-quick profession, but a great commitment, where we work with humility and armed with patience, selflessness, and compassion.
4) The strengths of psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic therapeutic approaches for mental health treatment lie in their greater popularity as a safe natural and powerful way to bring change and transformation into one’s life. Non-pharmacologic therapeutic approaches help to develop problem-solving skills, build confidence, increase self-awareness, encourage responsibility for actions, and learn to manage mental health issues for the rest of the client’s life. Although beneficial, there are some downsides which for some clients these approaches can take time, hard work, money, and can be emotionally taxing during the initial periods, and can be unstructured.
5) I am a mother of 3 boys. My youngest son Evan has a severe neurogenetic syndrome known as Angelman Syndrome, a maternal chromosome 15 deletion. I am his main caregiver. I enjoy taking care of him, taking him to the Philippines to visit family, going to the park, and shopping with him. I love shopping for sale items and sending them to the Philippines, and other 3^rd world countries for donation. I am also passionate about going to medical/surgical missions where I take all the donated medical supplies, toys, and medicines I collect from different places. I am proud that I started the National Angelman Syndrome walk-a-thon in Las Vegas in 2009 and chaired it for 9 consecutive years until I had to give it up due to increasing family and career life demands. To date, I continue to be a strong supporter of the National Angelman Syndrome Foundation and a dedicated advocate for my son Evan as well as the entire AS community in Nevada. 

I currently live in Las Vegas but I grew up in Washington D.C. until I was 23 years old, then I lived in Iowa for about 18 years. I have been in the medical field since I was 14 years old. I started as a "candy striper" worked my up to RN and worked as an RN for about 23 plus years. I worked as a traveling nurse for 9 years and was able to work in many areas including hospice and inpatient psychiatric hospitals. For the last 7-8 years I have been working as FNP in primary care, urgent care, orthopedics, and functional medicine. I feel that in managing chronic disorders we are also managing mental health.

My greatest strength and greatest challenge when working with clients seeking mental health services making sure I ask the right questions and always provide compassion and sincerity. 

The strengths of psychotherapy and non-pharmacological therapeutic is the benefits of learning coping skills, which is an ongoing change for patients. Patients have been more open to helping themselves without pharmacological interventions. The patient feels this is long-term and more sustainable. The limitations are the hard work and time that is required for some patients. Patients will need to be motivated to help themselves.

My family is the most important thing in my life especially my four amazing grown kids and my two adorable grandbabies. When I get a chance I love to salsa dance, and travel with my family, particularly to Greece. I am Peruvian and I love to cook Peruvian food.

This me and my baby boy who is going to be DNP this December. I am a very proud mom 

So grateful to be part of this journey with all of you!

2) What is a brief overview of your experience working in the psychiatric/mental health field? 
Prior to becoming an RN, I worked at SMTC just doing administrative work. That's where I learned about the psych RN specialty. I got licensed as an RN in 2015 and took my first psych RN job at Montevista. Shortly thereafter, I joined the utilization review team at United Health, Behavioral Healthcare Options. I did some palliative care case management where that also holds a psychiatric component. Then I transitioned to Valley Hospital in 2018, I worked the Behavioral unit for a few months until I was hired in the ED for the L2K pod. 

3) What do you see as your greatest strength and greatest challenge when working with clients seeking mental health services? 
My greatest challenge is feeling burned out from working in the hospital setting with the psychiatric population that seem to be in a revolving door to the hospitals in town. My greatest strength is understanding psychiatric problems on a personal level and knowing that there is help for those who want it.

4) Based solely on your experience, what do you see as the strengths of psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic therapeutic approaches for mental health treatment? What do you see as limitation(s)?
I feel that the strengths of psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic therapies are that they offer individuals a sound ear, with no biases or judgment. It offers different approaches to thinking and managing the problem at hand, taught by trained professionals. It offers treatment to those that do not want to start medications. The limitations are that many providers don't accept insurance, not all providers and patients connect, and it is a lot of trial and error before you find the therapist/ provider that someone is comfortable with. There are not many providers that specialize in things like EMDR, etc. 

5) Select something about yourself that you are comfortable sharing and that you think would help the class know a little more about "YOU" as the "self" (favorite hobby, favorite vacation spot, something unique about you, a little about your family, etc). Some of you may already know that I am a FNP that opened up my own little aesthetics office. It has been open for about 17 months and I am so proud of that considering I'm new to entrepreneurialship  and having to still work f/t, go to school, and deal with family life (2 teen girls). My favorite quick vacation spot is San Diego, otherwise Hawaii. But I'm looking forward to traveling more once I make it rich by becoming a PMHNP! <<-- joke.
I love my daughters more than anything in the world, their names are Jazlynn and Madelyn. I wanted them to have 'lyn' names (like me), but also had to have the same number of letters, that is why Jazlynn has 2 n's. I know, I'm crazy. I did mention I know psych on a personal level.

     My greatest strength in dealing with behavioral health patients is my calm and collected personality. I can work and communicate effectively with a diverse range of patients, assisting them in finding a resolution to acute disturbances. I am good at earning trust and keeping it when meeting new patients. My greatest challenge is access to community resources. I need to strengthen my understanding of the services available to my patients within the surrounding area. It is difficult for most of my patient population to commute to Las Vegas for services, and finding a community support network will be paramount to my patients’ rehabilitation.

     From my recent experience, pharmacologic treatment is a valuable tool that helps patients to find a chemical rebalance in their life—assisting in stabilizing sleep patterns, attentiveness, focus, mental fortitude, and emotions.  While non-pharmacologic treatments help create mindfulness advances. Leading patients to a restorative process of implementing lifestyle modifications and positive thinking. Both therapies help patients find better and longer-lasting outcomes when used in conjunction.

     A little about me, I am an avid builder. I enjoy working with various materials, including wood, metal, concrete, drywall, and plastic. I don’t necessarily enjoy creating a project from scratch but adapting something I have found online that has already been made. I would consider myself above average in capability and definitely above weekend warrior status. I can fix most problems with a car; I have rebuilt several engines and project vehicles. I am contemplating building a house at some point in the future, whether a primary residence or a vacation home (time permitting). 

 

My greatest strength when working with clients seeking mental health services is being able to utilize my previous experience to guide interactions in a positive way. I have learned that an individualized approach and including the patient in the treatment plan as much as possible generally yields better outcomes.

 

My greatest challenge when working with clients seeking mental health services is dealing with feelings of ‘imposter syndrome’. I am still adjusting to role adjustment from RN to NP and the perceived change in needs and expectations from patients of their psychiatric provider. 

 

The strengths of psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic therapeutic approaches for mental health treatment are that it can be useful in addressing behavioral components of mental health, for example, building self-esteem, self-efficacy, and improving coping mechanisms. It is also useful in its functionality to be used alone or adjunct to medication therapies. 

 

The limitations are the time and dedication required from the patient to maximize the benefit of psychotherapy or other non-pharmacologic treatment approaches. It also often requires a longer duration of time to see established results, which may be discouraging for patients and impact discontinuation of non-pharmacologic treatment approaches.

 

My hobbies include hiking and spending time with my family. I also enjoy spending time with my dogs. I haven’t had time to travel recently, but when I do have the opportunity, I enjoy visiting locations with abundant greenery. Above is a photo from when I visited Vancouver, BC Canada. 

 

Looking forward to a great semester with you all!

 

My name is Jannel Banks. I currently live in the Las Vegas, Nevada area. My background in psychiatry is for 10 years I worked on a psychiatric in-patient unit at a local hospital where I provided and managed care for patients experiencing many different mental disorders to include; Major depressive disorder, suicidal ideations, suicidal attempts, accidental drug overdoses, alcohol withdrawal, Schizophrenic and bipolar patients undergoing mania. I performed psychiatric assessments, administered psychotropic medications and assisted in crisis interventions and management. 

In my experience, I have seen the strengths in the psychotherapy therapeutic approach allowing the individual to tell their story. It Allows that person a safe place to “unload”. Through this therapy the individual develops coping strategies to promote mental wellness to improve quality of life. Limitations to this therapy is for some patient’s talk therapy is not enough. Depending on the mental disorder, the patient’s thought process may need to be treated with psychotropic medications first in order for the patient to participate and process the psychotherapy and it be effective. I do not have any experience in non-pharmacological approaches just yet, but I am excited to learn more about this modality.

Something unique about me is my incredibly awesome and unique 3 children and that I have never be out of the country. I hope to plan an international trip after completing school.  

Something about me that I would feel comfortable people know is that caffeine works way too well for me. Yesterday I ate a cookie and it contained 180mg of caffeine, which (I had to look it up) is as much caffeine in a 5-hour energy drink. Anyway I had 180mg of caffeine at 2300 (I work nights) and I had clinicals in the morning. My clinical ended at 1700, got home laid down at 1800 and I could not sleep until 5 hours later, and I even wore an eye mask! I was so tired that my throat started to sore, my ears felt full, and I was possible hallucinating (I was seeing things under the eye mask). 
The picture above is a picture of me at age 2, and me currently.  

Hello all! My name is Martha, I was born and raised in New York and currently residing in Henderson, NV. I have four years of experience working in psych, ranging from adolescents to geriatric at an inpatient facility. During my BSN program I was convinced I wanted to start out in the ICU but then I gained exposure to psych during my clinical rotations and I loved it. My greatest strength while working with clients seeking mental health service is being able to communicate in an understanding manner and building rapport with the client. One of the challenges would be decision making in the realm of psychopharmacology, I feel like there is still so much to learn. A fun fact about me is I love creating charcuterie boards, it’s definitely a crowd-pleaser at every event and it's so fun to make. In terms of the pros and cons of psychotherapy, some of the strengths would be helping the patient identify their triggers and constructing strategies to help approach negative thought patterns. Other strengths include personal development of self-awareness and learning different coping skills. Some limitations include level of comfortability of the patient to share their past which may potentially hinder progress. Cost of psychotherapy may be a limitation as well depending if insurance covers each session. 

2.       I graduated with my BSN from UNLV in 2016 and have worked primarily in the psychiatric field since. I worked on the floor of an inpatient psychiatric hospital, primarily in the chemical detox, adult and adolescent unit. Throughout the years, I have come across many disorders from depression to schizophrenia. My experience has been extremely enlightening as I am always learning something new. What I thought I knew about a disorder can always present totally different. 

3.       I think one of my greatest strength when working with clients seeking mental health services is showing empathy. I pride myself in making them feeling comfortable and less anxious about seeking health. The greatest challenge I have is not being more assertive or stern when a patient becomes escalated or pushes the boundaries. 

4.       Psychotherapy, I believe, plays an important role in the treatment process. It serves as a tool for the patient to use to manage their symptoms, allowing them to rely on their own coping skills and behavior. Unfortunately, there are limitations as it does take some dedication to complete. Psychotherapy takes time and patience to be successful and some patients do not have the time nor do want to commit to it.

5.        Something interesting about me is that I enjoy travelling and snowboarding. I have visited multiple countries and look forward to visiting more (especially ones with snowboarding) once I graduate! 

I am geographically located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

My first job as a registered nurse was at an acute psychiatric facility. I enjoyed the field and stayed in the acute inpatient setting for three years. I drifted away, wanting more experience on the medical surgical floor but still dealing with psychiatric patients. Later I realized I have always been comfortable and interested in psychiatry.

 

The greatest strength I have developed when working with clients seeking mental health services is my versatility in dealing with my clients. As a psychiatric nurse, you learn how to deal with moods and behavior. Adjusting to it quickly is a strength that allows me to render quality care and manage stressful situations. On the other hand, my greatest challenge is teaching my clients how to adhere to treatment. I feel like I need to practice the skill of becoming creative, persuasive, or convincing that the treatment plan is for their benefit and they need to be actively involved in it.

 

Regarding the strengths of psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic therapeutic approaches for mental health treatment, I always see psychotherapy and non-pharmacologic treatments as non-invasive. I consider its physical non-invasiveness a strength since many patients prefer not to take any medications and think of medications as something that can alter or offend their bodies. Moreover, psychotherapy and some non-pharmacological treatment approaches are safe adjuncts to medications. For its limitations, this approach is limited to addressing the psychological aspect. Imbalances in an organic element of the body are not addressed; this is where psychiatric medications should step in. Another limitation of non-pharmacological treatments, their success is subjective to the client. It varies if that patient is willing to talk about their concern or how often they will be ready to go to therapy or incorporate the non-pharmacological treatment approach. 

 

Finally, sharing a little something about myself. I’m into teas, most especially loose-leaf teas. TWG tea drew me to that interest after I visited them in one of their locations in the Philippines. They have good pastries to go along with their variety of tea selections. The tea, food, and experience were so good that I always kept a box of their tea at home. 

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my introduction.

Kind regards,

Rona

My name is Trevor Gee.

1.       I am originally from Provo, Utah, but I have lived in St. George Utah for the last 16 years. St. George is about an hour and a half away from Las Vegas, NV.

2.       I have worked mostly in critical care for my career as a nurse, but wanted to be a psych NP since I was teenager, and have always had a second job in psychiatry in some form or another. Originally I worked at a methadone clinic, and more recently I have been the nurse manager for an outpatient psychiatric clinical and direct their TMS program. 

3.       I feel like my greatest strength in working with clients within mental health is that I can easily empathize while maintaining strong boundaries so I can both validate them as individuals and remain objective. I feel my biggest weakness right now will be drug selection. I am often making “slightly” educated decisions while in reality it still feels like it’s mostly guessing and intuition. I hope this gets better over time.

4.       Based on my experience, I think the biggest strength to psychotherapy is that it addresses more of the causal issues with a lot of disorders. If there are behavioral components to a disorder, I’ve found the results of pharmacological treatment to be often lackluster, whereas psychotherapy tends to address them, especially DBT. As for limitations, I feel the results are very slow to emerge in most cases, and it requires more compliance, in more many more ways, than pharmacotherapeutic modalities do. Meds are easy, therapy is definitely not easy.

5.       I was the first TMS patient in Southern Utah! I have become an expert in TMS and want to use to help as many people as I can. From a financial perspective, I’m hoping to start my own practice and evolve it into a group practice, something I know is possible in the outpatient realm.

6.       Attached is photo of my wife and puppies. My wife's name is Amy and my puppies are Bagel and Donut.