Psych NP role

[mtsteelhorse]

Can those experienced in the field please shed light on the current trend for PMHNPs? Is there an opportunity for providing therapy in addition to med management? I primarily see jobs posted for medication management with little mention of therapeutic interventions. I like the idea of a balance and don't want to just write scripts. Thanks for your input.

[Ms. Nikki, ASN, BSN, MSN, APRN]

mtsteelhorse: There will always be an opportunity to conduct Therapy as a PMHNP. It falls within the role od PMHNPs. Now ask me about Medicaid/Medicare and/or private insurance reimbursement for these services? (Very little if any) then ask about time constraints for it. A parg of the problem is supply and demand. Unfortunately, the majority of mental health demand is in medication management, and as long as some State Boards restrict NP practices and insurance companies refuse/decline or limit the number of Therapy sessions reimburseable to an NP, then those opportunities will remain far an in between. But they are still out there (I just haven't seen any-nor am I allotted time for such in my own work as a PMHNP.

[harmonizer]

Unfortunately, although PMHNP are trained in some therapy skills, most jobs are just for med management, diagnosing, triage, and hospital consults.. sorry.which may not be fullfilling for people who prefer holistic approach. I recommend going to LPC routine / psychology route if you want to do more therapy..Maybe we should lobby for therapy reimbursement

[twinkerrs]

The VA allows PMHNP to provide some therapy. So this is always an option and is because they don't deal with insurance like medicaid or Medicare so that might be an option for you.