Integrative Care: Psychotherapy

There are many different types of professionals who provide mental health care, including Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs), psychiatrists, and therapists. All these professionals provider crucial roles, but they come from different educational backgrounds and bring unique approaches to mental health care. Our providers at Onward Growth Psychiatry are Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs), specifically psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs).

What is an APRN

An Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) is a highly trained nursing professional who has completed advanced education and clinical training, often holding a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing. ARNPs are licensed to diagnose and treat medical and mental health conditions, prescribe medications, and provide patient education and counseling. One benefit of seeing an ARNP is that ARNPs often have a holistic approach to care, integrating both physical and mental health needs, which can lead to more comprehensive treatment plans and individualized care.

Why Should You Consider an APRN

Choosing to see an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) be beneficial for many reasons. Here are the top 5 reasons why you might consider seeing an ARNP at Onward Growth Psychiatry:

• Holistic Approach: We provide care from an integrative model, which considers mental health, physical health, lifestyle, environment, and nutrition.
• Accessibility: We believe in accessible care, which is why we don’t maintain a waitlist. We also offer evening and weekend appointments.
• Shorter Wait Times: We can typically help you make an appointment within a week of you contacting us.
• Medication Management: We provide medication management services to those in Virginia.
• Psychotherapy: We offer psychotherapy in addition to medication management, which allows us to offer the most holistic and individualized treatment possible.

Can APRNs Provide Psychotherapy?

One of the core tenants of PMHNPs is the training and ability to provide psychotherapy. Not all PMHNPs choose to provide psychotherapy, but our ethos at Onward Growth is that we treat the whole person, which include psychotherapy if appropriate. Tabitha offers psychotherapy as a stand-alone service, meaning you do not have to also be a medication management client and Natalie offers psychotherapy as an additional treatment to those she sees for medication management. Tabitha offers stand-alone psychotherapy for the following:

• College Students
• Eating Disorders
• Adult Children of emotionally immature or narcissistic parents
• Healthcare Professionals
• Burnout
• Late blooming LGBTQ+
• Religious Trauma
• Moms of special needs kids
• Moms with ADHD functioning as the prefrontal cortex for their entire household

Does Seeing an APRN Mean I Don’t Need a Therapist?

Every person has specific needs. Some people do best when seeing both a therapist and an APRN. Some see primarily a therapist, and only visit their APRN for medication management. Others see an APRN for medication and therapy and may see a therapist for a specialty service, like EMDR. The right combination of services is unique to you. If you want to learn more about if one of our providers is a good fit for you, you can schedule a consultation call.