Peplau's Ghost

Dan
  • 4.9 (8)
  • 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

    Psych NP Careers That Last with Dr Pedro Morante

    Send us Fan Mail You can have all the credentials in the world and still feel like a “dried husk” by the time you hit practice. That’s why we brought on Dr. Pedro Morante, host of the Mindful Moments podcast and a dual board certified FNP and PMHNP, to talk honestly about what happens after graduation and what it takes to stay whole while doing hard mental health work.  We get into the real stuff clinicians whisper about: imposter syndrome, the pressure to be perfect, and those sleepless nights when you’re convinced you’re not good enough. Pedro shares how mistakes can become teachers, why time management and self-care are not luxuries, and how creating space for someone’s story can change your identity as a provider. If you care about clinician resilience, transition to practice, and sustainable mental health careers, this conversation is built for you.  Then we shift into the clinical craft. We explore psychotherapy as an essential PMHNP skill that informs assessment and prescribing, even in brief medication management visits. We talk therapeutic alliance, curiosity beneath symptoms, and practical tools like motivational interviewing and cognitive reframing. Pedro also breaks down how integrated care thinking improves differential diagnosis when physical symptoms and psychiatric symptoms overlap, and what to look for in jobs so you can build a psychiatric career you don’t need to escape from.  If this helped you, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review. What’s one practice change you want to make after listening? 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

  2. Aug 25

    From Primary Care To Psychiatric Nursing Leadership with Dr Elizabeth Hopfenspirger

    Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever hesitated to ask the hard mental health question because you feared what might come next, you’re not alone and you’re not weak. We talk with Dr. Elizabeth Hopfenspirger, a dual-board certified family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, about what she learned watching mental health needs slip through the cracks in primary care and why she felt pulled toward psychiatry long before the credential made it official.  We also get honest about the career reality of being the only mental health provider in a setting. Elizabeth shares what it’s like to build roles that didn’t exist, carry the weight of complex outpatient work, and then choose academia for a healthier work-life balance and a bigger impact. From there, we unpack how PMHNP education can better mirror clinical practice: case-based learning, preparing for complex comorbidities, and training students to think beyond “start an SSRI” toward a full plan with options, resources, and real clinical reasoning.  Then we go deeper into psychotherapy training and the inner work clinicians can’t skip. We talk reflective practice, receiving feedback, countertransference without shame, and why personal therapy can be a powerful part of becoming a safer, steadier provider. We also connect psychoneuroendocrinology to everyday psychiatric care, including perinatal mental health, perimenopause and menopause, HPA axis stress, dopamine shifts, and the relief patients feel when biology and lived experience finally make sense together.  If you care about integrated behavioral health, PMHNP training, psychiatric prescribing, and keeping the human connection at the center, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a review, then tell us what topic you want 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

  3. Aug 14

    You Cannot Prescribe Your Way Out Of Suffering with Dr Josh Waddell

    Send us Fan Mail You can feel it in your gut when a plan looks perfect on paper but fails in real life and rural mental health care is full of those moments. We sit down with Dr. Josh Waddell, PMHNP and host of the Mental Maps Podcast, to talk about what actually changes outcomes when depression, anxiety, serious mental illness, and substance use collide with food deserts, long drives, and limited resources. His journey from psychology and psychotherapy into medication management makes the conversation blunt, practical, and deeply human. We dig into why psychotropic medications can be essential in acute crisis yet fall short for many mild to moderate cases, and how that frustration can open the door to integrative psychiatry. We talk nutrition, lab testing, nutraceuticals, and the careful role of herbs, not as hype, but as additional tools when patients are stuck. Along the way, we explore how to blend psychotherapy principles into brief prescribing visits so meds support the work rather than replace it. We also get specific about the parts of care that most trainings do not spell out: countertransference with high-acuity or treatment-resistant patients, and how “baffled, frustrated, confused” can be useful data if we check ourselves and stay curious. Then we tackle a high-volume clinical scenario: how to invite psychotherapy when someone is pre-contemplative, including a simple way to ask whether their current improvement is actually “well,” and what to do when a patient has no template for wellness at all. If you’re a PMHNP, student, or mental health clinician who wants better results and less burnout, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or the toughest barrier you see in your own community. 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

  4. Aug 7

    Psychiatric NPs Need Both Meds And Meaningful Talk with Dr Paula Alloca

    Send us Fan Mail The fastest way to miss what matters in psychiatric care is to treat the visit like a transaction. We talk with Dr. Paula Allocca, director of a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program and founder of an integrative functional medicine psychiatry practice, about how advanced practice can keep its soul while expanding its scope. Her story moves from an early love of people’s stories to deep CBT training, teaching and research, and then a pivotal decision to add medication management so she could better serve patients whose needs go beyond talk therapy alone. We dig into the profession’s big transition from therapy-forward roles to prescribing-forward workflows. Yes, PMHNPs gain the ability to address biological well-being and to fight stigma by treating mental health as brain-based health care. But we also name what gets lost when “15-minute med checks” replace a working therapeutic relationship, especially in a world where AI and speed can pressure us to move too fast. The throughline is clear: without the therapeutic alliance, trust fades and lasting change becomes harder. Functional psychiatry gives us another lens: symptoms are signals, not conclusions. Dr. Allocca explains functional medicine as systems-based thinking that looks for root causes, then shares how issues like gut dysbiosis and the gut-brain axis can show up as depression. We also get practical about training psychotherapy skills in online PMHNP education, what telehealth changes, and why eye contact and intention still matter. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review if you want more conversations that keep psychiatric nursing relational, rigorous, and human. 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

  5. Aug 4

    What If Medication Management Started With Trust with Dr. Kris Vandenberg-Harrison

    Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever left a psych visit thinking, “I wish I had more information,” you’re not alone and you’re not failing. We sit down with Dr. Kris Vandenberg- Harrison to talk about what real psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner practice looks like after the textbooks: messy timelines, incomplete histories, shifting diagnoses, and the steady work of building trust through the therapeutic relationship. We dig into a theme that keeps resurfacing in PMHNP education and practice: bringing psychotherapy skills back into medication management. Dr. Harrison explains why “meeting the patient where they are” is not a slogan, it’s a clinical strategy, especially for trauma, treatment resistance, and long-term engagement. We also explore how simulation training can help students develop clinical intuition, tolerate uncertainty, and practice the kind of therapeutic communication that can’t be reduced to checklists or box-clicking. You’ll also hear a memorable example of holistic assessment and differential diagnosis when “anxiety” is actually a neurological condition, plus honest reflections on boundaries in rural mental health care and what sustainable self-care really means when emotional bandwidth runs thin. If you want practical guidance grounded in nursing identity, this conversation delivers. Subscribe for more conversations on psychiatric nursing, PMHNP practice, and mental health education, then share this episode with a colleague and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What part of practice do you wish training prepared you for better? 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

  6. Jul 24

    The Prescription Has Meaning with Dr Kathleen McDermott

    Send us Fan Mail A prescription can land like a lifeline or like a verdict and we rarely ask what it means to the person holding it. We sit down with Dr Kathleen McDermott to unpack “psychodynamic psychopharmacology,” an approach to medication management that treats the prescription pad as part of the therapeutic relationship, not a replacement for it. If you’ve ever felt the tension between evidence-based psychopharmacology and the messy reality of trauma, family dynamics, stigma, and hope, this conversation brings language and structure to what you already sense in the room.  We talk about why the therapeutic alliance and Peplau’s interpersonal theory still matter in modern psychiatric mental health nursing, especially when the system pushes quick med checks and constant changes. Kathleen shares how she frames expectations, why slowing down can be the intervention, and how authentic curiosity can transform “nothing works” from a dead end into clinical information. We also dig into medication hesitancy, intense reactions that may be shaped by trauma, and when genetic testing can help clarify options without dismissing lived experience.  You’ll hear an integrative psychiatry mindset throughout: labs that often get missed, the basics of thyroid and vitamin D, sleep routines, sunlight, screen time, nutrition, hormones, and how to change one variable at a time so you can actually tell what’s working. We close with a candid look at where the field should go next: clearer public understanding of roles, more real choices for patients, psychotherapy staying on the menu, and healthy skepticism about profit-driven “breakthroughs.” If this supports your practice, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more clinicians can find it. 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

  7. Jul 6

    How A Dual-Certified NP Connects Mind And Body with Dr Jen Wittman

    Send us Fan Mail Anxiety, anger, brain fog, panic, “can’t focus” days, and a body that feels like it’s betraying you often get treated like separate problems in separate clinics. That split can be costly. We’re joined by Dr. Jennifer Wittman, a dually certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, to talk about what changes when one clinician is trained to assess the whole system and take your story seriously. Jennifer shares her non-traditional path from an art degree and car sales to nursing and dual certification, and why she believes mind and body care belongs in the same room. We get specific about what integrated care looks like in practice, including a striking example where “just anxiety” was not the full answer and a cardiovascular issue needed attention too. Along the way, we dig into how she builds shared decision-making from the first minutes of a new patient visit, naming options clearly while keeping control where it belongs: with the patient. We also spend time on ADHD, especially the wave of adults, often women, getting diagnosed later in life. Jennifer explains how medication can help without changing who you are, why education and behavioral strategies matter, and how therapy can support relationships, executive function, and self-trust. We even name the grief that can come with a late diagnosis, the “what if” years, and how validation becomes a clinical tool. Finally, we get practical about dual-scope practice in Iowa as a full practice authority state, including how billing can work when psychotherapy is part of care. If you care about holistic healthcare, patient empowerment, ADHD treatment, and Peplau’s interpersonal nursing theory in the real world, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. 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

  8. Jun 19

    Therapy Beyond The Med Check by Dr Karan Kverno

    Send us Fan Mail Fifteen minutes isn’t a clinical encounter, it’s a timer. We sit down with Dr. Karan Kverno to talk about what gets lost when psychiatric care becomes a rapid-fire “med check” and what PMHNPs can do to protect the relationship, the assessment, and the person in front of us. Karen shares her nontraditional training roots in stress response management, where behavioral learning, cognitive tools, and psychophysiology shaped a practical, skills-based approach to psychotherapy. We get into how biofeedback has evolved from bulky machines to today’s wearables, why heart rate variability (HRV) matters for calming the nervous system, and how simple breathing training can support stress regulation and trauma recovery. Along the way, we talk about the quiet power of therapeutic language, positive suggestion, and meeting patients where they are. From there, we wrestle with the real balancing act: integrating psychopharmacology with psychotherapy while practicing evidence-based care. Karen breaks down how she uses current best practice guidelines, how telepsychiatry can reduce access barriers, and why stable medication regimens should create more space for meaning, goals, and day-to-day coping rather than dominating the visit. We also confront burnout head-on, including documentation burden and high-volume schedules, and we close with a bigger lens on advocacy through community mental health, prevention, and building resilience in youth. If this conversation helps you rethink how you structure care, share it with a colleague, subscribe, and leave a review. What’s one change you’d make to keep mental health care more human? 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

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4.9
out of 5
8 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
    61
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Peplau's Ghost
  • Show Website
    Peplau's Ghost

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