Makenna Francis

I’m a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specializing in working with women experiencing ADHD and executive-function difficulties, burnout, masking, anxiety, overwhelm, and questions related to neurodivergence or AuDHD.

Many of the women I work with appear capable and high-functioning on the outside while privately feeling scattered, overstimulated, exhausted, or as though keeping up with everyday life requires far more effort than others realize. You may have spent years compensating, overpreparing, adapting to expectations, pushing through discomfort, or trying strategies that never quite seemed to fit.

My approach is curious, attentive, and practical. I am interested in understanding how you function as a whole person rather than focusing exclusively on a diagnosis or individual symptoms. I also believe insight should lead to something useful, so our work emphasizes practical strategies that can be applied and evaluated in everyday life.

No psychiatric medications are prescribed or managed through this practice. This may be a good fit if you are hesitant about medication, have tried medications and experienced unwanted effects, are already working with a prescriber but want additional support, or simply want to explore non-medication approaches. If you currently take psychiatric medication, please continue working with your existing prescribing provider. You may also continue working with your current therapist.

Our work is typically structured as a focused series of approximately 6–12 visits and can complement your existing care. My goal is to help you better understand yourself, reduce unnecessary friction and burnout, and develop a more sustainable way of functioning.

My approach is active, practical, and skills-focused. Rather than using our time only to talk about what is difficult, I want us to understand the patterns contributing to it and identify something useful you can practice or change between visits.

I organize much of our work around

Regulation → Attention → Flow:

Regulation: Build awareness of nervous system states, emotions, physical cues, and stress patterns, while developing strategies for responding more effectively.

Attention: Strengthen attention and executive functioning through practical strategies for task initiation, organization, transitions, distraction, routines, and follow-through.

Flow: Apply these skills to everyday life, including relationships, work, self-concept, values, goals, and creating a more sustainable way of functioning.

Depending on your needs, I may incorporate mindfulness, cognitive and behavioral strategies, breathwork, movement, sensory awareness, executive-function tools, and sleep or routine interventions.

Visits are focused and collaborative, with an emphasis on developing skills you can use independently in daily life.

The first visit is focused on understanding the bigger picture. We will discuss what is currently difficult, what you would like to change, and relevant history, including attention and executive functioning, anxiety and mood, stress and regulation patterns, sleep, routines, relationships, physical well-being, and daily functioning.

When relevant, we may also explore ADHD, autistic traits, sensory differences, masking, and patterns of burnout or overwhelm. I am particularly interested in understanding both what you are experiencing and the strategies you may already be using to compensate or keep functioning.

Together, we will identify initial goals, areas where meaningful change may be possible, and whether my focused, non-medication approach is appropriate for your needs. You do not need to arrive knowing exactly what is “wrong” or what you need. Developing a clearer understanding of the pattern is part of the process.