About Us
NP Psych Navigator aims to:
- Empower and support NPs in talking to patients about mental illness and providing them with helpful resources
- Underscore the role that NPs play as primary and mental health care providers in the US
- Provide NPs with clinically relevant knowledge and tips from their colleagues and mentors
- Highlight the personalized care given by NPs
By joining NP Psych Navigator, you’ll join a growing community of Nurse Practitioners working to further their profession and mental health care in America. You’ll also gain access to our downloadable content, including patient education materials and commonly used psychiatric assessment scales. As NP Psych Navigator grows, you can also opt to get regular updates on new posted content.
Our Story
Our community was formed to connect NPs with tools to help them identify mental illness and care for affected patients and their families.
Though 1 in 5 adults in the US are believed to have some form of mental illness, such as depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, close to 60% are overlooked and do not receive treatment.1,2 A shortage of mental healthcare providers may be a factor in this—on average, there is only 1 mental healthcare provider for 536 individuals.2
As one of the fastest growing groups of healthcare workers, NPs are an important part of the solution to providing adequate mental healthcare. However, many NPs do not receive sufficient education in mental healthcare.3 NP Psych Navigator was created to help bridge that gap.
NP Psych Navigator is supported by AbbVie Inc. Content development and support is provided by Oxford PharmaGenesis, Inc and funded by AbbVie Inc.
Nurse Practitioner Contributors and Advisors
NP Psych Navigator was developed with guidance from accomplished NPs working in mental health care:
Tina Matthews-Hayes, BSN, MSN, FNP, DNP, PMHNP
Western Pennsylvania Behavioral Health Resources, Pittsburgh, PA
Disclosure: Tina Matthews-Hayes has received compensation as a speaker for Allergan, AbbVie, Neurocrine, and Otsuka. She received compensation from AbbVie for her contribution to NP Psych Navigator.
University of South Alabama Community Mental Health, Mobile, AL
Disclosure: Kathleen McCoy has acted as a consultant for Luye, Neurocrine, and Allergan. She received compensation from AbbVie for her contribution to NP Psych Navigator.
Brittany E. Endreszl, CRNP
Disclosure: Brittany Endreszl received compensation from AbbVie for her contribution to NP Psych Navigator.
Jessica Whelan, DNPc, MSN, FPMHNP
Disclosure: Jessica Whelan has received compensation as a speaker for Abbvie, Avanir, Genomind, and Neurocrine. She received compensation from AbbVie for her contribution to NP Psych Navigator.
Cathleen Crowley-Koschnitzki, DNP, FNP, WHNP, PMHNP
Disclosure: Cathleen Crowley-Koschnitzki received compensation from AbbVie for her contribution to NP Psych Navigator.
Carmen Kosicek, APRN, MSN, PMHNP-BC
Disclosure: Carmen Kosicek has received compensation as a speaker for Allergan, Teva, Alkermes, and Otsuka, and as a consultant for Eisai. She received compensation from AbbVie for her contribution to NP Psych Navigator.
Rose C. Taylor-Lewis, DNP, ANP-BC, GNP, PMHNP
Disclosure: Rose Taylor-Lewis received compensation from AbbVie for her contribution to NP Psych Navigator.
Grace Wlazowicz, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC
Disclosure: Grace Wlazowicz has received compensation as a speaker for Allergan. She received compensation from AbbVie for her contribution to NP Psych Navigator.
References
- Mental health Facts in America. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Accessed July 15, 2020. https://www.nami.org/nami/media/nami-media/infographics/generalmhfacts.pdf
- The State of Mental Health in America 2018. Mental Health America. 2017.
- Theophilos T, et al. Nurse Practitioner Mental Health Care in the Primary Context: A Californian Case Study. Healthcare. 2015;3:162-171.
New on NP Psych Navigator

NP Spotlights
NP Spotlight: Tina Matthews-Hayes, DNP, FNP, PMHNP
A career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner can be replete with challenges and opportunities. The NP Psych Navigator Spotlight is your chance to learn more about NPs who are working to advance the profession and mental health in general. In the third installment of this series, we profile Tina Matthews-Hayes, DNP, FNP, PMHNP.

NP Spotlights
NP Spotlight: Alan “Tony” Amberg, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
A career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner can be replete with challenges and opportunities. The NP Psych Navigator Spotlight is your chance to learn more about NPs who are working to advance the profession and mental health in general. In the second installment of this series, we profile Tony Amberg, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC.

NP Spotlights
NP Spotlight: Samantha Lau, MSN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC
A career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner can be replete with challenges and opportunities. The NP Psych Navigator Spotlight is your chance to learn more about NPs who are working to advance the profession and mental health in general. In the fourth installment of this series, we profile Samantha Lau, MSN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC.