Biography
As a certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, licensed through the state of Ohio and certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), I practice outpatient psychiatry at Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus.
I became an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) in 2014, and I subspecialize in school-based services and serve as the point of contact APRN for School-Based Community Services. In this system, I serve all students in a specific school district and meet with them and their parents at their school. This allows me to work closely with school-based therapists who are also part of our Cincinnati Children’s school-based team. We coordinate with teachers and administrators who refer students who may be struggling with mental health illness to our services.
I’ve always loved working with kids, and I was a licensed school nurse for 14 years and have been a registered nurse (RN) for 38 years. I’ve worked in a variety of educational settings, including public and private middle and high schools. The problems students have in schools often have a psychosocial or psychiatric basis. I know how closely physical health, mental health and learning are connected. As a result, I wanted to help kids specifically to address these issues.
In my practice, I never pigeonhole children or families. Each child and family is unique, with distinctive experiences, and their plan of care should be tailored to them. I like to meet patients where they are in their lives, and I work closely with patients and their families to understand the challenges they face. I work to empower them and help them find solutions. Then, based on my knowledge and clinical experience, I may prescribe medication, give them information and resources to help them recover from their mental illness, while letting them make the best decisions for themselves.
During my free time, I quilt, read and cook up a storm! I like growing fresh vegetables in the garden and using them in recipes. I also enjoy watching and playing with my grandchildren every chance I get. I used to be a runner, but, like Forrest Gump, one day I just stopped. Now I walk daily.