Welcome! I’m happy you’ve found HART and are checking us out. Mental health care is a personal journey and one that takes strength to start. In my years of working in health care, I have heard many times that patients feel like they are rushed and don’t get a chance to explain what is going on with them. Sometimes patient’s feel like their provider doesn’t look at the “whole picture” and only sees them as a set of symptoms—which makes for a mediocre experience, at best. At HART, we want to offer more. A more individualized, authentic, and holistic experience.
I have always had a passion for psych and feel that mental health is finally coming to the forefront in our culture, but it still has a long way to go. While I know that it is sometimes hard to admit you may need to talk to someone, it’s a valuable first step in advocating for yourself. I’ve noticed that many times we (myself included) put other people’s needs before ours and then wonder why we feel burned out or overwhelmed. Sometimes having a chronic health condition that weighs heavily on your day-to-day existence can make even the simplest things feel like too much and causes you to feel unable to complete even a mundane task.
Guess what?
You are not alone.
Feelings of overwhelm are actually common, especially in our culture of FOMO, social media, and instant access. Plus, we all experienced a collective trauma (aka the COVID-19 pandemic) and have emerged changed, be it in our personal values, or the losses we suffered (personal, family, financially, security). Our collective human experience has shifted and grown rapidly just in the past 10-20 years with being more connected through technology, having access to more information than ever before, and having to learn to manage our time when we are being pulled in multiple directions.
I mention this not to minimize your feelings or experience, rather let you know that you are not alone. There is hope and when you find a mental health provider you trust, you’d be surprised how much your outlook can change.
While working in primary care, I recognized the need for mental health services in our area. I also noticed that many patients felt like there weren’t options that met their particular needs. I’ve worked in various settings (hospital, primary care, hospice, community/public health, women’s health) throughout my career, and have created HART to give patients an option to experience mental health care differently, authentically. At HART, you are not a number, a set of symptoms, or a diagnosis.
Thank you for learning more about what services we offer and taking time to see what we are about.
Education:
- Master of Science in Nursing, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), East Tennessee State University (ETSU), 2020
- Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Vanderbilt University, 2012
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing, East Tennessee State University (ETSU)
- Master's degree in English, University of Texas of the Permian Basin
- Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and English, University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Committees and Professional Involvement:
- Vice President, Northeast Tennessee Nurse Practitioner Association (NETNPA)
- President, Northeast Tennessee Nurse Practitioner Association (NETNPA) (Previous role)
- Treasurer, Northeast Tennessee Nurse Practitioner Association (NETNPA) (Previous role)
- Member of American Nurses Association (ANA)
- Member of Tennessee Nurses Association (TNA)
- Board of Trust member with the Tennessee Nurses Foundation (TNF)
- Member of American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
Board Certifications:
- Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, PMHNP-BC through ANCC
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) through ANCC