FAQs
Q: Why "Wild Geese Mental Health?"
A: Wild Geese Mental Health is named after Mary Oliver's poem, "Wild Geese," from her book Dreamwork. You can listen to her reading "Wild Geese" and other poems here.
Q: What is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner?
A: A psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has specialty training in a particular area. This training involves two years of clinical practice in addition to intensive classroom training in physiology, pharmacology, and development. Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners can prescribe medications, provide therapy, and diagnose mental health conditions.
Q: What is the evaluation process like?
A: For adults, our first 90-minute meeting involves talking about your goals for treatment and your vision of wellness, as well as some questions about your medical, family, and personal history. At the end of the session we will discuss a plan for moving forward.
o For children and teens, the evaluation consists of two forty-five minute sessions, one with the parents alone and one with the child or teenager alone, in order to get a full picture from every family member’s perspective. At the third meeting, we will discuss my impressions and come up with a plan for moving forward as a family.
Q: How often will we meet?
A: In general, I see clients every week for therapy. For medication management, I usually see adults and teens every two weeks until we have found a treatment option that works well. At that time, we move to less frequent visits.
Q: How long will I need to be on medications?
A: The answer for this question is different for every client. The short answer is that most people, especially children, do not need to be on medication forever. We will discuss the timeline as part of our conversation about treatment options, to make sure that you feel empowered in your choices around medication.
Q: What should I do if I am in crisis or have an emergency?
A: If you are having an emergency or are actively suicidal, call 911 immediately.
For urgent mental health needs call the White Bird Crisis Line at 541-687-4000.