Mental Health Medication Care

Our clinicians are certified psychiatric nurse practitioners. Like all psychiatry providers, they specialize in treating individuals with acute and chronic mental health needs. They are fully qualified to diagnose and treat mental health problems. Your provider will work with you to create a treatment plan specific to your needs. They may also collaborate with with other members of your healthcare team including your primary provider, specialists, and therapist.

Your provider will help you to create medication plans. The goal of both is to identify and/or adjust your mental health medications to alleviate your symptoms. Part of your plan includes working with you to evaluate how you are reacting to your medication(s). With this information and collaboration with your care team, they can make adjustments as needed.

In short, no. The goal of mental health medication is to alleviate your symptoms, not to change what makes you who you are. This is why your nurse practitioner will work WITH you to determine the medication(s) to best help you.

Lots of things can impact how our bodies respond to medications — including our DNA. If you have struggled to find a medication treatment that alleviates your symptoms, your provider may recommend GeneSight testing. This service, provided at Covenant Family Solutions, is a non-invasive test that may provide insight into how your body reacts to medications. If you have failed many medications due to side effects or have been ineffective, ask your provider if they believe this would be the right fit for you.

You may see your provider weekly, every two weeks, monthly, or every three months depending on your treatment plan. Your provider may request to see you more often at first as they work with you to determine the best treatment plan for you. Once your treatment is stabilized, you’ll see you provider less often, but as frequent as needed to ensure you are able to continue to unleash your potential. For some medications, more frequent visits may be required to ensure your health and safety.

If you need medicine to help with your mental health, it is important that your medication is monitored. This means an ongoing conversation with your nurse practitioner. You and your body change over time. It may be necessary to periodically change your medication if your symptoms increase or decrease.

When you arrive to your first appointment, please be prepared to discuss any past medications or treatments. Making a list of these before your visit can be a helpful way to remember. To each appointment,  bring any needed school/work note requests or other documents. At your visit, we may ask you to sign a release of information for any healthcare providers or family members that you would like involved in your care.

It is always best to schedule an appointment with your provider to be able to have plenty of time to discuss questions. However, if you have an urgent question that cannot wait, please call the direct number for the clinic where your provider is located. Our support team will then correspond with your provider to relay your request and determine if an appointment is needed. Things that will require a appointment include questions about your treatment plan, requests to change medications, wanting to discuss side effects of medications, and needing a specific form or letter filled out by your provider.

If you are needing a refill on a prescription that your nurse practitioner has ordered, please contact your pharmacy. The only exception would be for controlled substances. For those refill requests, please contact our office directly. It is important that you are consistent with your medication. So, be sure to not wait until your prescription runs out to request a refill.