Psych Nurse Practitioners

Does anyone know if they are trained to provide therapy?

Do they learn it through classes or through practice or both?

Has anyone seen a Psych Nurse Practitioner for therapy and have an opinion about whether they were good or not??

I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are certified. I saw one for meds, and she told me that she wasn't. But that didn't stop her from giving me an impromtu counseling session one time.

I liked her a lot better than the psychiatrist she worked for.

I think they are lower on the list as far as experience goes... They hav been trained but not as much as say, a psychologist or a psychiatrist

My son was assigned to a NP but her training was in diabetes management. But since it is a free clinic I guess they didn't have many qualified applicants. I don't care for her much. She gives my son a Rx for Adderall but it is the regular release not the extended and it is only effective for four hours yet she only prescribes one pill per day. Makes no sense. We are going to switch to a resident psych doc as soon as we can get an appt

I haven't actually worked out what they were yet; so interested to read the responses. Are you thinking of seeing one?

anyone with a LPC can provide therapy.

ask to see their credentials

States have different qualification requirements to be a licensed nurse practitioner, and specialtys have additional reqs.. You can check your state's administrative rules or check on the internet for the nurse practitioner professional association in your state. In Illinois, the Society for Advanced Practice Nursing has an office in Springfield. I believe the web address for the Illinois group is www.isapn.org.

If you need any assistance obtaining these standards, I would be happy to help. I worked for the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nurses, and I have much respect for men and women in this profession. Just send me a PM and I will help you.

I don't know for sure. I have only met one PNP and at first I thought he was a psychiatrist. He was prescribing psych meds for the clients (not sure if he was in consultation with a pdoc or not, maybe over the phone) and he was giving them some sort of therapy. But his main job was the meds and deciding whether or not the clients should go to the psych ward or not.

But ultimately, anyone can be a therapist if they have done the right courses. Hell, you can be a Gestalt therapist without even having finished high school! (I know a few people who did this, one of them was a lifetime drug addict with only 1 year sober and he became a gestalt therapist, scary!). Just about anyone can be a CBT therapist. A LOT of therapies you don't need a psychologist for. And I read on this site that in america, even SOCIAL WORKERS can be therapists! Crazy. You can't do that here in Australia though as a social worker.

I think for psychotherapy though they have to be a psychologist. It seems to be one of the therapies that requires a lotttt of hardcore training.

Emptyspace, I am studying to be a PMHNP (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner), and your question about therapy may vary depending on the state. In my state, PNPs are licensed to provide psychotherapy services. I think in all states they have to study therapy in school, but whether they are licensed to provide therapy might not be true everywhere. In my program, we have more required courses in pharmacology and prescribing than in therapy, but I have supplemented with additional therapy and counseling courses because it is an interest of mine for practice. We get training in both courses and clinical practica in hospitals, clinics, etc. For example, my most recent clinical was at a residential addiction program, where my mentor was a therapist. I got a lot of experience there in counseling, but not so much in meds. There was also a therapist-student there doing an internship--her and my training while there were similar. Next quarter my clinical will have a lot more prescribing. Emptyspace, can you ask the NP you will be seeing about her training and licensure to provide psychotherapy? In my state, because PNPs are paid more than therapists, when they are hired, the employer tends to prefer them to do medication management, because that is a service a therapist cannot provide. If the PNP is going to do a lot of therapy, then it doesn't make fiscal sense for the employer--they might as well just hire another therapist and not pay the higher salary. So PNPs can get pigeonholed into med management only, even if qualified to do therapy. Going into private practice can give one more freedom to have a broader scope of practice. If you have any other questions about Psych NPs, please feel free to PM me.

Yes, NPs get very different training depending on their specialty. Psych NPs would be the ones for psych meds, therapy, etc.

My sister-in-law is an APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse), aka nurse practitioner in psychiatry. Her training in therapy was as extensive as an MSW - she learned in classes, internships and a long period of supervision. She can prescribe meds and do therapy.