Peplau's Ghost

Dan
  • 4.9 (7)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) discussing using psychotherapy within their practice. Four PMHNP program directors and a biostatistician from across the Unites States sharing their passion on how psychotherapy can help people with nearly all their emotional problems.

  1. 3D AGO

    The Relationship You Build Becomes The Treatment with Dr Elizabeth Francis

    Send us Fan Mail The best psychiatry doesn’t start with a prescription, it starts with how safe a person feels across from you. We sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Francis, Duke faculty, clinician, author, and APNA board member, to talk about what happens when you take Hildegard Peplau seriously in modern PMHNP practice: the relationship is not an accessory to treatment, it becomes part of the treatment itself. We trace how rigorous psychiatric nurse practitioner training can integrate high-level neurobiology with psychotherapy, including the idea that the brain is experience dependent. Dr. Francis explains how repeated emotional experiences shape neural architecture and why “corrective” experiences in therapy and in the clinical relationship can help patients change patterns that feel hardwired. From there, we get practical about what makes a strong psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner: deep curiosity, humility, and the ability to hold complexity without rushing to labels. Then we move into high-stakes environments and whole-person care. Dr. Francis shares what emergency department work taught her about building a therapeutic alliance in seconds through presence, tone, and calm confidence. We also talk metabolic psychiatry and why diet, metabolism, and brain health belong in everyday psychiatric assessment, including how patients respond when someone finally asks about what they eat. Her Alaska clinical rotation stories bring it all together through outreach psychiatry, ACT team care, long-acting injectable antipsychotics, and the reality that mental health can’t be separated from housing, trauma, and systemic inequities. We close with personalized care in private practice, including hyperbolic tapering and shared decision making, plus the real-world impact of state practice authority on access and delays in care. If you care about ethical medication management, patient agency, and the future of psychiatric nursing, this one will stick with you. Subscribe to Peplau’s Ghost, share this with a colleague, and leave a review telling us what idea you want to bring into your own practice. Let’s Connect Dr Dan Wesemann Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann  Dr Kate Melino Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu  Dr Sean Convoy Email: sc585@duke.edu  Dr Melissa Chapman Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

    27 min

  2. MAY 17

    A Craigslist Couch Purchase Changed Her Career Path with Dr Lindsay Hill

    Send us Fan Mail A Craigslist couch purchase leads to a first nursing job, and that job leads to a career in psychiatric mental health that eventually includes mentorship, education, and entrepreneurship. We talk with Dr. Lindsay Hill, PMHNP, about the nontraditional path that brought her from “psych was my least favorite rotation” to building a thriving professional community through her Psych NP Boot Camp and fellowship model. We get honest about clinician burnout and what it actually looks like when it’s not just workload, but a mix of postpartum strain, a traumatic brain injury, the isolation of telehealth, and feeling boxed in by systems that don’t understand a PMHNP’s scope of practice. Lindsay shares how she evaluated her options, what pushed her toward taking smarter risks, and how reconnecting with areas of passion can restore longevity in psychiatric nursing. We also go deep on vulnerability and self-awareness as clinical tools, including the risks of self-disclosure when it shifts focus away from the patient, and the rewards when it builds safety and strengthens the therapeutic alliance. From there, we zoom out to PMHNP education: why psychotherapy training and clinical application often feel thin, how DBT and dialectical thinking can help new psych NPs navigate real-world pressure, and why “the therapeutic relationship” is the piece of Peplau’s wisdom we can’t afford to lose as AI and productivity metrics reshape care. If you’re a psych NP, PMHNP student, or mental health clinician trying to practice ethically in fast systems, this conversation will give you language, frameworks, and permission to protect what matters. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the biggest pressure point you want us to tackle next. Let’s Connect Dr Dan Wesemann Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann  Dr Kate Melino Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu  Dr Sean Convoy Email: sc585@duke.edu  Dr Melissa Chapman Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

    26 min

  3. MAY 8

    Peplau’s Psychotherapy Playbook with Dr Fatima Ramos-Marcuse

    Send us Fan Mail Someone reads your clinical notes and decides a child is “beyond repair.” Years later, that same kid is thriving, making art, keeping friends, and living a life that proves prognosis is not destiny. That tension between labels and lived outcomes drives our conversation with Dr. Fatima Ramos Marcuse, a developmental psychologist and board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, as we explore what actually heals in mental health care. We start with Hildegard Peplau’s legacy, including Dr. Marcuse’s memories of meeting Peplau and learning psychotherapy through a now-famous photocopied manual. The thread running through it all is simple but demanding: stay with what the patient brings, track the relationship, and help a coherent story form instead of chasing scattered symptoms. If you care about psychiatric mental health nursing, therapeutic communication, and psychotherapy skills for PMHNPs, this is a grounded look at why the interpersonal process still matters. From there, we get practical with attachment theory, including ways clinicians can listen for attachment patterns without turning them into pop-psychology labels. We talk earned security, why insecurity is not automatically pathology, and how one steady relationship can be protective. We also tackle the real-world squeeze between psychotherapy and medication management, including when meds are helpful, why effect sizes matter, and how to keep care holistic. We close with lessons from mental health systems across countries and what they reveal about training and models of care. If this conversation helps you think differently about diagnosis, attachment, or the therapeutic relationship, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review. What part of your practice most needs more time for the relationship? Let’s Connect Dr Dan Wesemann Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann  Dr Kate Melino Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu  Dr Sean Convoy Email: sc585@duke.edu  Dr Melissa Chapman Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

    34 min

  4. MAY 1

    How Australia Is Expanding Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing with Nathan Dart

    Send us Fan Mail A psychiatric nursing system can add staff, add clinics, even add prescribing rights and still feel broken if the care stays fragmented. We sit down with Australian nurse leader Nathan Dart to get a grounded look at what is changing in mental health services across Australia, what still isn’t working, and why Peplau’s interpersonal focus keeps showing up as the missing ingredient when reforms get too task-heavy. We talk advanced practice nursing and the nurse practitioner model in a largely publicly funded mental health system, including how prescribing works now and what new registered nurse prescribing legislation could mean on the ground. Nathan shares what it looks like to trial nurse-led clozapine clinics designed to be less fragmented by combining therapeutic relationship, physical health monitoring, metabolic requirements, and medication management under clearer clinical continuity. From there, we zoom out to the day-to-day reality: big systems, high demand, and services that have historically leaned hard on risk assessment and repeated questioning. Nathan describes the push toward more therapeutic interventions, suicide prevention work like Zero Suicide, and growing access to evidence-based psychotherapy such as DBT. We also dig into the “therapeutic use of self,” reflective practice, and one patient story that captures why not everything that counts can be counted. Finally, we look ahead 10 years. With rapid workforce expansion and many senior clinicians retiring, what “traditional” psychiatric nursing skills are at risk, and what innovations can protect quality and professional identity? If you care about psychiatric mental health nursing, nurse-led care, and practical system reform that doesn’t lose the human being, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review with the change you most want to see next. Let’s Connect Dr Dan Wesemann Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann  Dr Kate Melino Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu  Dr Sean Convoy Email: sc585@duke.edu  Dr Melissa Chapman Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

    27 min

  5. APR 18

    How Psychiatric NPs Turn Basics Into Healing by Dr Janine Panker

    Send us Fan Mail Lots of PMHNPs quietly carry the same worry: “I’m not a real therapist.” That belief doesn’t just shrink our scope, it also hides some of the most effective parts of psychiatric nursing. We sit down with Dr. Janine Panker, a Duke University alum and private practice PMHNP, to name what’s been in front of us all along: psychoeducation, supportive interventions, and relationship-building aren’t “extra” skills, they’re psychotherapy in action. We explore what “back to basics” looks like when you’re treating anxiety, depression, insomnia, and trauma in the real world. Janine breaks down how she uses medications as scaffolding so the nervous system can settle enough for meaningful change, then leans into fundamentals like sleep, nutrition, connection, and labs. We also talk personalized psychiatry and functional mental health care, including why factors like vitamin D, thyroid function, and genetic variants can change the whole clinical picture when patients feel stuck after standard approaches. Then we look ahead: AI therapy platforms, TikTok diagnoses, and the growing need for mental health professionals who can evaluate quality and safety without shaming patients for where they get information. You’ll also hear a powerful example of “low fidelity” therapy that rebuilds trust and becomes a bridge to higher fidelity psychotherapy, plus concrete advice for students and new grads on mentorship and finding community. If you’re working in medication management, psychotherapy, or both, subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review if it helps. What’s one “basic” intervention you think we underestimate most? Let’s Connect Dr Dan Wesemann Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann  Dr Kate Melino Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu  Dr Sean Convoy Email: sc585@duke.edu  Dr Melissa Chapman Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

    30 min

  6. APR 10

    Get Off The Stage And Stop Speed-Running Med Checks with Dr Julie Roebuck

    Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever felt the squeeze to move faster, prescribe quicker, and save the “real conversation” for someone else, this one is for you. We talk with Dr. Julie Roebuck from the University of Virginia about what it actually takes to keep psychotherapy central in psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner practice, especially with children and adolescents where trust, safety, and development matter as much as diagnosis. Julie shares how her early fascination with how people experience the world shaped a career built around curiosity and connection. We dig into inpatient child and adolescent psychiatry, what can change when you have enough time to meet with a teen consistently, and why progress still counts even when the home environment is messy. One of the most memorable takeaways is her “get off the stage” metaphor: pause, ground, and choose a response instead of reacting, a practical psychotherapy skill that helps kids handle conflict, stress, and big emotions. We also wrestle with the real-world pressures psych NPs face: “med check” culture, billing expectations, and the ongoing identity shift from psych CNS to psych NP. Julie explains how she protects holistic care through comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, collaboration with social work, and clear boundaries around appointment length. We close by looking forward: AI may help generate plans, but it cannot replace the therapeutic relationship, and that makes psychotherapy training and certifications like CBT even more important than ever. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more psych nurses and psych NPs can find the show and keep this part of our role alive. Let’s Connect Dr Dan Wesemann Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann  Dr Kate Melino Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu  Dr Sean Convoy Email: sc585@duke.edu  Dr Melissa Chapman Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

    30 min

  7. APR 3

    Psychotherapy Belongs In Every PMHNP Follow Up Visit with Dr Lauerer and Dr Robidoux

    Send us Fan Mail You can feel it in clinics everywhere: patients are more complex, therapy access is tighter, and a prescription alone rarely solves what’s actually driving the suffering. We talk with Dr. Joy Lauerer and Dr. Hannah Robidoux from the Medical University of South Carolina about how psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners can bring psychotherapy back into everyday PMHNP practice, even when the appointment is labeled “med management.” We dig into the moments that change clinicians, like a child and adolescent case of severe OCD where a low-dose SSRI mattered, but exposure therapy and family-centered therapeutic work made the real difference. From brief CBT moves you can weave into a 30-minute follow up to deeper psychodynamic psychotherapy skills that sharpen case formulation, we explore how a solid psychotherapy toolbox improves outcomes and keeps care human. We also get honest about the barriers: overloaded PMHNP curriculum, uneven training quality, documentation and supervision gaps, and the burnout that shows up when clinicians are pushed into high-volume “pill mill” workflows. Joy and Hannah share practical solutions, including psychotherapy rotations, reflective learning, OSCE-style simulations that require brief CBT, and a compelling vision for a supervised transition-to-practice year after graduation. If you’re a PMHNP, PMHNP student, or educator who wants psychotherapy skills that actually fit real clinical settings, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with the psychotherapy skill you want every prescriber to master. Let’s Connect Dr Dan Wesemann Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann  Dr Kate Melino Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu  Dr Sean Convoy Email: sc585@duke.edu  Dr Melissa Chapman Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

    27 min

  8. MAR 2

    How AI, Leadership, And Kindness Can Transform Mental Health Care with Dr Rhonda Wilson and Dr Oliver Higgins

    Send us Fan Mail Policy shifts don’t happen in silence, and mental health nurses can’t afford to be invisible anymore. We sit down with Dr. Rhonda Wilson and Dr. Oliver Higgins to unpack how a global council of mental health nurses is claiming space at decision-making tables—and what that means for care on the ground, from rural Australia to big-city emergency departments. Their stories begin with unexpected paths into the field and land on a shared conviction: the therapeutic relationship is the beating heart of mental health care, and it must guide everything from education to technology. Rhonda explains the spark behind the International Council of Mental Health Nurses: if nurses make up half of the world’s mental health workforce, they should be embedded in policy, funding, and standards. We trace ten shared priorities emerging from Barcelona’s leadership summit, including workforce sustainability, human rights, safe environments, suicide prevention, and a more coherent global approach to education. Her leadership lens—cultural safety, kindness, and collaboration—shows how a young profession can evolve without losing its soul. Oliver takes us inside AI that actually helps clinicians. Forget hype; this is about decision support grounded in robust mental health nursing data, transparent reasoning, and constant auditing. Used well, AI can shorten assessments, sharpen questions, and give back precious minutes for face-to-face care. We also explore digital mental health nursing as a growing specialty and the ethical guardrails needed to scale access without flattening empathy. Finally, we look 25 years ahead: climate change deepening mental health needs, digital relationships reframing loneliness and attachment, and nurses leading with a common language across borders. If this conversation resonates, share it with a colleague, subscribe for more global mental health nursing insights, and leave a review with one actionable change you want to see. Let’s Connect Dr Dan Wesemann Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann  Dr Kate Melino Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu  Dr Sean Convoy Email: sc585@duke.edu  Dr Melissa Chapman Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

    37 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) discussing using psychotherapy within their practice. Four PMHNP program directors and a biostatistician from across the Unites States sharing their passion on how psychotherapy can help people with nearly all their emotional problems.

Information

  • Creator
    Dan
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Peplau's Ghost
  • Show Website
    Peplau's Ghost

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