"Family" Psych NP vs "Adult" Psych NP

[LL77]

I was accepted into a "Family Mental Health Nurse Practitioner" MSN program. Is this different than an "Adult Mental Health Nurse Practitioner" program? Is one more favorable than the other?

Any information would be helpful. Thanks.

[elkpark]

There's only one kind of psych NP; originally, there was the adult psych NP and then, several years later, the "family" psych NP (which was really child/adolescent; I never knew why they named it "family" instead of "child") was developed. Several years ago, the ANCC completely eliminated all of the psych CNS credentials (child, adult, geri, all of which predate the psych NP role) and merged both the adult and "family" psych NP roles into a single, "across the lifespan" psych np. The surviving role is officially "psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner" (PMHNP). While there are still plenty of existing psych CNSs and "family" and "adult" psych NPs "out there," those credentials are no longer available to new people, and the only surviving advanced practice psychiatric option is the PMHNP, which covers the lifespan. I don't know why any school would still be using the "family" designation for a psych np program, since the ANCC doesn't use it anymore, but I suppose it is accurate in the sense that the program will cover child, adult, and geri psych.

(Isn't this something you would have wanted to sort out before you applied and got accepted to a program?)

[LL77]

Thanks for the info! Yes, I did ensure that I would be learning about all ages when I applied. I just did not think to question the wording difference between "adult" and "family" until now.