President’s Address | 1 Contact Hour
9:00AM – 10:00AM Central
7:00AM PT | 10:00AM ET
Empowered to Innovate and Collaborate: PMH Nurses Shaping Care Excellence – RN APRN
Dr. Joyce Shea is a board-certified advanced practice psychiatric-mental health nurse (APRN) specializing in integrated behavioral and physical health care. She is Professor Emerita at Fairfield University’s Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. Having previously served for 5 years as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, she stepped into the role of President for this premier psychiatric nursing organization as of October 2024. Dr. Shea also recently co-chaired the national Task Force for revising the Scope and Standards of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Practice and has received over $6 million in HRSA funding, with the most recent grant focusing on telehealth care and inter-professional practice. She has been inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.
Presenter: Joyce M. Shea, DNSc, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN
Concurrent Sessions | 0.75 Contact Hours
10:15AM – 11:00AM Central
8:15AM PT | 11:15AM ET
2012: Advanced Practice
10:15am – 11:00am Central
Cracking the Code: Mastering Billing and Documentation for PMHNP Practice Success – APRN
This presentation equips PMHNPs with essential billing and coding knowledge, focusing on E&M codes, psychotherapy add-ons, and AMA guidelines. Through case examples, audio-video pearls, and interactive discussions, participants will gain practical strategies to enhance documentation, optimize reimbursement, and ensure compliance for sustainable, high-quality mental health care delivery.
Presenters: Gabrielle P. Abelard, DNP, APRN-BC, FNAP, FAAN
2016: Women’s Health
10:15am – 11:00am Central
Impact of Hormonal Fluctuations on ADHD Symptom Severity in Women: Bridging the Knowledge Gap to Improve Mental Health Outcomes – RN APRN
The relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom severity and hormonal fluctuations (during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy/postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause) in women remains underexplored. ADHD-women are disproportionately affected by hormonal fluctuations, intensifying ADHD symptoms and increasing vulnerability for mood disorders and suicide. Understanding this relationship is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
Presenter: Brynne Calleran, MSN, MFA, RN, PMH-BC, NE-BC, NI-BC
Concurrent Sessions | 0.75 Contact Hours
11:15AM – 12:00PM Central
9:15AM PT | 12:15PM ET
2022: Advanced Practice
11:15am – 12:00pm Central
From Clinical to CEO: What NP School didn’t Teach you about Business, Marketing, and Private Practice Success – APRN
This session will explore effective marketing strategies for psychiatric nurse practitioners in private practice. Using real case studies, we’ll highlight referral-based marketing, pricing strategies, and business growth techniques. Participants will gain actionable insights to attract patients, optimize operations, and increase profitability—without relying on expensive paid ads or hiring a team.
Presenters: Alysha Woods, MSN, PMHNP-BC; Hannah Hoffman, BA
2023: Child & Adolescent
11:15am – 12:00pm Central
Smartphone Use Among Adolescents: Implications for Mental Health and PMHNP – RN APRN
This session explores the impact of smartphone use on adolescent mental health, including its links to anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. Participants will learn evidence-based screening tools, clinical interventions, and psychoeducation strategies to address problematic smartphone use in practice. Interactive discussions and case-based learning will enhance practical application for PMHNPs.
Presenter: Antonella V. Grana, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, CPNP
Concurrent Sessions | 0.75 Contact Hours
4:30PM – 5:15PM Central
2:30PM PT | 5:30PM ET
2032: Pharmacology
4:30pm – 5:15pm Central
Safer Than You Think: Making Varenicline a First-Line Choice for Smoking Cessation – RN APRN
This session explores the safety and efficacy of varenicline, our most effective option for smoking cessation, while addressing misconceptions and outdated concerns about psychiatric risks. Participants will learn how to educate patients on varenicline’s benefits, empowering prescribers and non-prescribers alike to support informed treatment decisions and improve patient outcomes.
Presenter: Jeremy Mills, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
This session is eligible for pharmacology contact hours.
2037: Safety
4:30pm – 5:15pm Central
Empowering Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Safety: The Impact of Using Post-Assault Surveys in Psychiatric Settings – RN APRN
This presentation addresses the use of post-assault surveys in psychiatric settings to empower PMH through understanding staff needs and feedback following assault. We will cover post-assault survey components and share findings through data, and discuss its impact on understanding psychiatric-mental health nursing needs following assault.
Presenters: Charles Kevin Bryant, DNP, RN; Thomas Pettrey, MHA
Concurrent Sessions | 0.75 Contact Hours
5:30PM – 6:15PM Central
3:30PM PT | 6:30PM ET
2042: Pharmacology
5:30pm – 6:15pm Central
Clozapine: The Most Dangerous Thing About Using Clozeril is Not Using It – RN APRN
The field of CNS drug development is experiencing a resurgence, not seen since the approval of SSRIs and atypical antipsychotics. The identification of novel mechanisms of actions, neurotransmitter sub-receptors, among others is rapidly expanding. This knowledge is essential for PMH nurses to selectively treat patients with depressive & psychotic disorders.
Presenters: Laurie John Mackenzie, DNP FNP MAOL RN; Anita Catlin, PhD, FNP, CNL, FAAN
This session is eligible for pharmacology contact hours.
2047: Safety
5:30pm – 6:15pm Central
Beyond Sedation: Advancing Agitation Management to Protect Patients, Prevent Staff Injury, and Support Clinical Teams – RN APRN
This session explores optimized management strategies for dementia-related agitation in hospitalized patients. It balances pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to ensure patient safety and prevent staff injury. Through case studies and interactive discussions, participants will learn to apply evidence-based de-escalation techniques, judiciously use medications, and enhance interdisciplinary collaboration.
Presenters: Kristina Isabella Asamsama, MSN, BSN, RN, PMHNP-BC; Brianna N. Swanson, MSN, BSN, RN, PMHNP-BC
Mini Concurrent Sessions | 0.75 Contact Hours
6:30PM – 7:15PM Central
4:30PM PT | 7:30PM ET
2051: Inpatient
6:30pm – 7:15pm Central
Take a Breath: Implementation of Box Breathing as an Evidenced-Based Intervention to Reduce PRN Anxiolytic Use for Adults in an Inpatient Psychiatric Setting – RN
This presentation explores the implementation of Box Breathing, an evidence-based mindfulness technique, to reduce PRN anxiolytic use in an inpatient psychiatric unit. Learn how this non-pharmacological intervention empowers nurses, fosters patient self-regulation, and enhances care, ultimately improving anxiety management and promoting recovery in psychiatric settings.
Presenter: Kateleen Collins, BSN, RN
Paws at My Feet: Integrating Facility-Based Psychiatric Service Dogs into Nursing Practice – RN APRN
There is confusion over the roles, training, credentialing, legal standards, safety, and practice impact of having animals in the workplace. The use of world class psychiatric service dogs by educated psychiatric nurses yields benefits to the patients. More research is needed to support continued integration into nursing practice.
Presenters: Laura A. Curtis, MSN, PMHCNS-BC, PMHNP-BC
2053: Psychotherapy
6:30pm – 7:15pm Central
Competency Based Psychotherapy Training for the PMHNP: Psychotherapy, the 4th “P” – APRN
This presentation provides innovative strategies to teach psychotherapy in a PMHNP curriculum. Participants will leave with clear examples of mapping the essentials and core competencies into a CBE program for PMHNPs. Tools for simulation competency evaluation will be shared.
Presenters: Lisa Alberts, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC; Dawn Shepard, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-C, AGNP-C
Preserving “The Heart” of the PMHNP Role: An Innovative and Collaborative Approach to Teaching Psychotherapy to the Advanced Practice PMHNP – APRN
This presentation will review the trajectory of the PMHNP role as it relates to psychotherapy, discuss three general models that nursing schools are using to teach psychotherapy, and describe the collaborative, interdisciplinary model used at the University of Maryland.
Presenters: Megan Rosenblatt, DPC, LCSW-C; Sara Robinson, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC
