by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Nov 18, 2025 | Clinical support resources
Psychotropic medications aren’t always budget-friendly, and for some patients, that price tag becomes a serious barrier to getting the treatment they need. When affordability blocks access to care, prescription assistance programs can be a game changer. I once worked...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Nov 13, 2025 | Best practices
As a psychiatric provider, ordering the right baseline labs for schizophrenia is essential to assess your patient’s overall health and safely prescribe medications. Before starting treatment, labs help rule out medical conditions that might mimic or worsen psychiatric...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Nov 6, 2025 | Prescribing tips for treating mental disorders
“All I know is that I know nothing.” — Socrates We’re not diving into philosophy here, but Socrates had a point. In clinical practice, especially as a PMHNP, it often feels like the more we learn, the more we realize we still need to review. This is especially true...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Oct 21, 2025 | Diagnosis/Assessment tips for treating mental disorders
Imagine a patient presents to you with: depressed mood, low energy, disrupted sleep, and a loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. What’s your next move? A. Start an antidepressantB. Reassess in 4 weeksC. Start a mood stabilizerD. Consider bipolar as a...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Oct 16, 2025 | Prescribing tips for treating mental disorders
One of my favorite things to share as a psych NP is a good prescribing tip. Most prescribing content out there tends to be either too basic, pulled straight from textbooks, or not particularly useful for real-world clinical practice. That’s why I’m excited to pass...