mental health certification for nurse practitioner

I have certainly benefited from all the advice you all have provided. The question I am seeing most is why do I want to do it. Well, to explain my situation a little--I went to school to get FNP and then took a job at mental health facility. They need someone to see patients in the outpatient setting and I need something that insurance companies will recognize in order for reimbursement.

Someone mentioned a DNP. I have heard that soon all NP's will have to have DNP. Is there one some kind of mental health DNP that I could get that would qualify me for taking the certification exam. I could get the DNP in the same length of time it would take me to get the Mental Health NP.

Any advice is appreciated.
Thank you

I guess the answer to a lot of questions is that FNP's can legally do it but I want more education to make me more comfortable with the type of patient we deal with. I think it is a good idea to learn how mental health patients' medications can interact with medical needs and the medications they are already receiving.

Nut there are 49 other states than Texas and in many of thoes states NPs can provide care that they can not in Texas. Arizona State University has 2 programs to train NPs to provide further psychiatric care without becoming psych NPs but both are focused to pediatric partients. The pediatric nurse certification board will be issuaing a certificate in pediatric mental health NPs next year I think. Idaho board of nursing had a local unversity provide contining education for psychiatic care. FNPs/ANPs/GNPs/WHNPs/PNPs can provide some mental health servces including rx. Personally I do not rx for psych not in my personal comfort zone.

I would proceed cautiously and get something IN WRITING from my malpractice insurance carrier concerning all of this. When s--- hits the fan and you file a claim, there's a very good chance they'll reject it.