Diana Pena

IMPORTANT: All clients must complete our intake form and sign our policies before their appointment. Please complete these documents at https://intakeq.com/new/6oakjo/lusjbb or contact us at 415-968-6515 (call or text).

Hello, I'm Diana Pena, a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. I provide comprehensive care for complex psychiatric presentations. My expertise spans ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, OCD, personality disorders, PTSD and trauma, schizophrenia and psychosis disorders, substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, panic disorders, mood disorders, and bipolar conditions. I've dedicated my practice to supporting those who may have struggled to find providers comfortable with their complexity.

What sets my practice apart is my genuine comfort with diagnostic complexity and co-occurring conditions. Many patients come to me after experiencing frustration with providers who seemed overwhelmed by multifaceted presentations or offered fragmented care. I understand that real people rarely fit into neat diagnostic boxes, and I bring the expertise needed to address how neurodivergence, trauma, substance use, and mental health conditions intersect.

My approach is individualized and trauma-informed. Whether you're navigating ADHD and autism together, managing OCD alongside trauma history, dealing with personality disorder symptoms while in recovery, or experiencing psychotic symptoms, I take time to comprehend your unique situation. I believe in thorough assessment, accurate diagnosis, and collaborative treatment planning that honors your goals.

I provide a safe, non-judgmental space for open conversation. My goal is to help you understand your experience, develop effective coping strategies, and build resilience as we work toward the meaningful life you want. For up-to-date availability, please visit our website at mentalhealthpractitioners.com or call/text us at 415-968-6515.

My approach to care is grounded in mutual respect, genuine collaboration, and a firm, abiding belief that you hold deep knowledge of your own needs. I see myself as a trusted ally and a caring guide—not someone who simply dictates treatment. Mental health care truly flourishes through real, ongoing partnership, and I am devoted to building that authentic connection with you from our very first meeting together onward.

No question is ever too small, and no concern goes unaddressed. I bring earnest curiosity and a genuine openness to every part of our work together, seeking to fully understand your perspective and circumstances, including the cultural heritage and personal identities that shape how you move through the world and how you experience emotional wellbeing. Your reasons for seeking care truly matter, and I devote unhurried time to exploring not only your symptoms but their fuller, deeper context: how they touch your daily life, your important relationships, and your deeper sense of self.

I champion comprehensive care that addresses the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of your whole life. This means thoughtfully considering medication when appropriate, while integrating evidence-based methods, healthy lifestyle adjustments, and your own inherent strengths. I believe in truly educating you about mental health so you can take a truly active role in your own healing, with a clear understanding of conditions, treatment options, and current research, always honoring that you remain the ultimate authority on your own lived experience.

Mental health challenges are shared human experiences, never personal failings or weaknesses. From the very moment you arrive, my goal is ensuring you feel genuinely heard, valued, and fully supported. I am committed to meeting you exactly where you are, carefully tailoring my whole approach to your unique needs, and walking beside you through every single step along the way.

From the very beginning, your first visit has one clear purpose: ensuring you feel genuinely heard, valued, and fully understood as a person, not simply a set of symptoms. We will discuss what brought you here, whether you are navigating depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, PTSD, or something else entirely. I will ask thoughtful questions to form a complete picture of your symptoms: their nature, frequency, intensity, and triggers, how long they have lasted, whether the patterns have shifted over time, and which approaches you have already explored.

You will never feel hurried or reduced to a checklist; every aspect of what you are facing deserves patient, unhurried, and truly caring attention. Your psychiatric history stands at the very center of our conversation. We will review past diagnoses, prior treatments, and how you responded to medications or therapies. If you have taken psychiatric medications before, we will examine each one carefully: the name, duration, dosage, effectiveness, and the reasons it was eventually discontinued.

Your family psychiatric background provides another deeply important layer, since genetics can shape which treatments are most likely to help you. Your broader medical profile matters every bit as much, because existing conditions, current prescriptions, allergies, seizure history, and physical symptoms all inform prescribing decisions that stay safe and individualized. We will also address your daily routines, sleep, substance use, work pressures, relationships, and support systems. Your developmental history, trauma background, losses, and how you manage stress and difficult emotions are equally vital to understand.

Once we have formed a shared, thorough understanding together, we will determine whether medication management is the right next step and chart a clear, realistic path forward, moving at a pace that feels right, as genuine partners in your healing every step of the way.