Shannon Dingle

I have always worked in the mental health field. My early years were related to coordination of services for people living with severe and chronic psychiatric illness. I also spent time working in research; these were important years because they taught me how to attend, really listen to an individual relate their story. There is a statistic that physicians interrupt patients within the first 30 seconds of an encounter. I keep that in mind, allowing the patient to express themselves freely.

As a psychiatric NP, I am trained in the pharmacologic management of psychiatric illness. I am also trained in psychotherapy and try to address any psychosocial stressors the patient is experiencing, in addition to monitoring responses to pharmacotherapy.

At the initial session, I will conduct a thorough evaluation that will help to decide if I will recommend medication. However, each person needs to come to that place on their own. I don't expect that every initial session will end with a prescription. Some individuals need time to process the encounter and decide if they want to move forward with medication. And that's just fine. I am currently seeing patients for medication management.