About Nicole
Nicole is licensed and Board Certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in the states of Montana, Idaho, Arizona, and Florida. She has a diverse education and work experience by having spent multiple years in special education/ESOL within the public school system to include developing IEP curricula with educators. She is additionally certified in Perinatal Mental Health and specializes in treating women during the pregnancy and postpartum periods.
Nicole utilizes the patient-centered approach in her practice by considering the patient and herself as a “team”, working and collaborating on the best treatment plan. She considers the patient’s needs and values prior to making any treatment decisions. She was previously fortunate to receive leadership training from the US Army while concurrently spending her time gaining experience as a RN in multiple areas of nursing to include med/surg, ER, mother/baby, Labor & Delivery, and school nursing.
You will always find Nicole with her two miniature dachshunds lying at her feet, “Buck” and “Blossom”. But her biggest fan is her cane corso named “Benedetta”.
My Background
Credentials
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Advanced Practice Registered Nurse; MT, ID, AZ & FL
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Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified
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Perinatal Mental Health Certified; Postpartum Support International
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MSN, Frontier Nursing University
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Attended studies in both Certified Nurse Midwifery and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs
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BSN, University of West Florida
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BA, Elementary Education/Special Education/ESOL, University of West Florida
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Certified Educator in Elementary Education K-6; Special Education K-12; ESOL Endorsement; Intensive Reading Endorsement; Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum; FL 2008 – 2013
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Postpartum Support International Training for Perinatal Mental Health Disorders
Certificates, Awards, & Affiliations
Army Civilian Service Award (2018)
Daisy Award for Nursing Excellence (2017)
Nursing Mentorship Award (2016)
Associations
American Psychiatric Nurses Association (2018)
American College of Nurse Midwives (2019)
Neuroscience Education Institute (2021)
Postpartum Support International (2022)
Mental Health is a Journey
My journey into mental health began at the age of 19, when I watched my mother lose her battle with substance use and mental illness. Unfortunately, the circumstances at that time were different, and there was a much higher stigma placed around mental illnesses. At the age of 39 years, she visited three hospitals in her area, complaining of the “worst headache of her life”; but unfortunately, was stigmatized due to the positive urine screen for drugs in her system. The next morning, she was found unresponsive and subsequently passed away from complications. As the oldest of her children, I was faced with the decision to donate her organs and remove her from life support. Afterwards, I entered a marriage with an abusive partner. As I was in this marriage for five years, I suffered tremendous damage to my personal self-worth and overall mental health. It took incredible strength and determination to finally leave but also continued work on my own mental health to build my self-image afterwards. I share these very personal struggles and stories with you in hopes that it may inspire you to come forward with your story and to seek help for how you may be feeling. My goal and desire for all my patients is to help you see that mental health is a journey; and while there is no “quick fix” or immediate “feel great” option, there are so many choices available that can ease your symptoms. I don’t understand exactly how you may feel, but rest assured I validate and understand your concerns.