My journey began when, my great grandmother and BFF became ill with colon cancer. She and I had shared a bathroom and had been across the hall from each other for most of my life. I could swear, confide, cry, and express myself without judgment from her and it was wonderful. I also had an endless supply of trash mags by the toilet to keep me up to date with current events. I started helping care for her as she became more frail and ill. I was there when she passed, in her bedroom across the hallway.
I decided shortly after to go to medical school. That was short lived because the amazing nurse I shadowed during career day, made such an impact that I changed my major at Catholic University that day. I believed that nursing was truly a vocation for me. I love people-like a true extrovert to the extreme. I am interested in people. I value our differences, our individuality, our backgrounds, our journeys, our successes and our failures. I vowed long ago to treat every patient like my great grandmother, Rosella. As a nurse I worked in Neuroscience and the Surgical Trauma ICU at VCU. After 6 yrs, I graduated with a Master's in psychiatric nursing a week after marrying my husband.
I have truly enjoyed my path. The people I have met and the stories I have heard have shaped who I am today. I started my career at Henrico Jail and quickly realized I could not revolutionize the system. In spite of my brilliant ideas, the inmates and I would not be doing yoga or rescuing pets. We would not plant a garden or start a band. We would not paint our feelings or have poetry classes. I managed mental health prescribing for approximately 1200 inmates at two sites and recognized a striking correlation between trauma specifically childhood adverse events and incarceration. I spoke to and understood clients on a much deeper level than just managing their medications for brief 15 minute intervals. I knew the clients I treated. It was the
n that I decided that I would always have 1 hour intakes and 30 minute follow ups.
I took a job brief position doing telemedicine after my second was born 17 months after the first. I worked with clients from Appalachia on a North Caroline community service board. They were delightful, but I did not like being in my attic office all day in front of a computer screen and not seeing people face to face...if I knew then what I know now, right?
Following telemedicine, I took a job managing psychiatric care in several skilled nursing facilities with another beloved patient population; geriatrics. I would bring my kids in to visit the residents on holidays and cheer them up. It is important to me that my children be exposed to people who are "different" and vulnerable so they know the value of treating people with care.
I also did inpatient psych and a couple of years at a private practice and had my third child in 2019. The year 2020 changed the field of psychiatry entirely. I already had experience seeing people remotely, bu
t I think the challenge was being afraid like everyone else and navigating the unknown and terrifying together! Clients who had been treated with psychiatric medications became sicker and the uptick of teen clients was alarming. The pandemic rocked the mental health world for providers and patients alike. In November 2021, I decided to embark on a new adventure, autonomous practice! Like how hard can it be?
So, that is my journey and my vision is to provide a beautiful, safe, and nonjudgmental space for clients at Monarch Mental Health and Wellness. In this blog, I will be vulnerable and I will share some of my experiences, stories, tips, and my continuous growth!
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