My Career Journey

Early Interest in Child Psychiatry

I first became interested in working as a nurse practitioner in child psychiatry during a special elective I took my senior year. My clinical setting was a children’s long term facility at a state hospital. I decided during this time spent with disturbed children that I would pursue a speciality in child psychiatry. I worked with children, teens and families with a special interest in Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism. I had a private practice and treated children in play therapy. I met with families in an outpatient clinic and made home and school observations to support my treatment plan. I was the manager of a regional hospital neurodevelopmental research unit for brain disorders in children. My work in child psychiatry deepened my understanding of how developmental trauma and neurodivergence affect emotional regulation across the life span.

In my private practice I worked with traumatized children and families. I received certification as a traumatologist and certification as a compassion fatigue specialist. I currently work with veterans and military families who often lack access to psychiatric services.