The PMHNP is uniquely prepared to provide holistic care for clients, which bridges the common gap between physical and mental health care. A PMHNP practicing in a community mental health clinic, for example, is able to deliver targeted psychiatric care while screening, identifying and monitoring co-morbid medical problems such as hypertension or diabetes mellitus being treated by a primary medical care provider. It is often the PMHNP who has developed an ongoing relationship with a client with a severe mental illness that first identifies and differentiates underlying medical problems. The PMHNP is particularly effective in eliciting the client’s cooperation to seek further medical treatment and collaborates with the primary medical care provider in the client’s treatment.

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In addition to general functions performed by the Advanced Practice Nurse, the PMHNP may provide these specific functions:

 

• Diagnose and treat common acute psychiatric problems, illness, and crises

• Psychopharmacologic management in collaboration with psychiatrist

• Provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy

• Care for and counsel clients with common identified chronic psychiatric conditions

• Coordinate and integrate multidisciplinary services for clients with complex psychiatric problems

• Monitor common health care problems and refer for specialized medical treatment as needed

• Provide comprehensive family psychiatric-mental health education

• Work with clients and their families in anticipation of developmental milestones, life cycle events

• Perform or recommend age-appropriate screening procedures

• Promote wellness oriented self-care

• Advocate for family psychiatric-mental health clients and their families

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