One is not as fun
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much,” – Helen Keller
Wishing you a happy Nurses Month and Mental Health Awareness Month!
Psychiatric-mental health nursing is by nature a collaborative effort. We partner mindfully with those in our care to support them on their recovery journey. The collaborative walk of learning and discovery is our daily rhythm – and it’s what we thrive on. This is lifesaving, hope-affirming work that we do!
This Nurses Month and Mental Health Awareness Month I am overcome with gratitude as I reflect on how far we’ve come and how we are collaboratively moving care forward. We have a true gift for collaboration and building community. We know that breakthroughs happen when we come together. The support, shared ideas, and collective wisdom create an environment where everyone is empowered to innovate.
We don’t just work in isolation; we form tight-knit communities that truly shape care excellence together.
>>In an email earlier this month I asked for members’ top tips on collaborating: here’s what you had to say.
With our psychiatric-mental health nurse family at APNA, we are inspired and supported in collaborating to make an impact. Together, we’re unstoppable! It’s our path to collaborative efforts that shape care excellence more than one standing alone ever could.
Speaking of not standing alone, I hope to see you at the June APNA Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute and the October APNA 39th Annual Conference! Please come up and introduce yourself – I’d love to chat!
Joyce Shea, DNSc, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN
President
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
Published May 2025
>>> For you for Nurses Month and Mental Health Awareness Month: Get FREE CE including poster presentations, great advice from PMH nurses, and more. 
