by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Dec 11, 2025 | Clinical support resources
Charting. It’s one of the most time-consuming and least enjoyable parts of being a psychiatric nurse practitioner. If you’ve ever looked at your screen after hours thinking “this is the bane of my existence,” you’re not alone. While there are dozens of...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Dec 9, 2025 | Diagnosis/Assessment tips for treating mental disorders
Have you ever opened a patient’s chart, scanned a long list of psychiatric medications, and wondered, “How did we get here?” Or faced a swirl of overlapping symptoms and felt unsure which direction to go first? If so, you’re not alone. Even seasoned PMHNPs encounter...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Dec 4, 2025 | Prescribing tips for treating mental disorders
When prescribing psychotropic medications, lifestyle factors often make or break the safety and effectiveness of treatment. As PMHNPs, our clinical decisions can’t stop at the medication alone—we have to consider what else patients are doing in their day-to-day lives...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Dec 2, 2025 | Best practices, Prescribing tips for treating mental disorders
Prescribing the “right” psychotropic medication isn’t about guessing or relying on trial-and-error—it’s about building a strong clinical foundation. When PMHNPs prescribe psychotropic medications using a structured, step-by-step approach, they move from haphazard care...
by Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, PMHNP | Nov 27, 2025 | Prescribing tips for treating mental disorders
Psychiatrist Dr. Roger McIntyre from the University of Toronto once called quetiapine (Seroquel) the “salt & pepper of psychiatry.” When it comes to Seroquel prescribing tips, many providers use this medication by sprinkling low doses here and there to adjust the...