I am a Tempe, Arizona psychiatric nurse practitioner and have specialized in the mental health care of children, teenagers, and young adults for over 20 years. I perform psychiatric evaluations to determine diagnosis and prescribe medications if needed (and desired).
I do NOT do therapy, beyond brief interventions with med management.
If you or your child are struggling with a mental health issue, I'm happy to help. I am accepting new patients aged 4-24. The first appointment (psych eval) is always in person. Zoom appointments are available for follow-ups.
To accommodate your busy schedule, there are appointments available in the late afternoons and early mornings for established patients.
After you have read about the practice and feel that Danielle is a good fit for your needs, please click below to answer some questions:
I graduated from University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing in 1994. From 1994-2000, I worked as an RN in psychiatric hospitals, mostly with children and teenagers. I also spent significant time working in an adult psychiatric unit, a substance rehab unit and a hospital intake office.
I obtained my Master's Degree from Arizona State University in 2000. I am nationally certified by ANCC as a family mental health nurse practitioner. Since 2000, I have been practicing full time in outpatient office settings. My practice is limited to children, teenagers, and young adults who are experiencing emotional or behavioral concerns that may require medication.
My treatment philosophy is to focus on the whole person (developmental stage, personality characteristics, family dynamics) and not just on mental health symptoms. I make every attempt to do a thorough assessment before prescribing medication. As much as possible, I recommend non-medication ways to promote mental health (healthy eating habits, regular exercise, meditation, etc) instead of going directly to medication solutions.
LGBTQ friendly. Religious? Atheist? Doesn't matter. I accept and respect you for who you are and where you are at in your life right now.
I'm originally from Wisconsin and don't miss the cold weather at all. In my personal life, I enjoy traveling, hiking, yoga, and showing off my brown thumb.
Psychiatric evaluation “Psych eval”: This is the first appointment, and it is scheduled for a little over an hour. It covers a wide variety of topics, including: developmental history, physical health, family and social history, substance use/abuse, past treatment history, job/school functioning, multiple areas of emotional health and your concerns. At the end, we will discuss my preliminary thoughts regarding diagnosis, possible treatment options, and starting a plan of care.
I generally do not prescribe new medication to minors at the first visit, as I prefer to get a thorough evaluation and gather as much info as possible before exposing a child to psychiatric medications. I will, however, usually refill existing medications.
Since evaluations are considerably longer than follow up appointments, they are only scheduled at specific times in the mornings and early afternoons.
Medication Management “Med check”: These follow-up appointments are about 20 minutes long, and we discuss symptoms and any medication changes. They are more frequent in the beginning and when needed. As long as I am prescribing medication for you, I will need to see you at least every three months. Even though psychiatric evaluation appointments are usually booked out for a few weeks, I can generally see existing patients within a day or two. If you are having significant concerns or think we need to talk about new issues, you can contact the office and we'll schedule extra time for your appointment.
Mental health concerns that I have expertise with include Attention Deficit (ADHD), Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety, and OCD. I do not treat substance abuse and anorexia nervosa themselves, but I can treat the mood/ anxiety symptoms that worsen those disorders. I do not make the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, but can discuss the possibility and refer you to a diagnosing psychologist if a full eval makes sense.
We accept insurance in two different ways. For Cigna and Compsych, we bill directly to those companies.
For United and Aetna, we use a third party named Headway who handles insurance billing and copays. More info is in the "Headway" info button above.
The office does not accept Blue Cross, AHCCCS, Ambetter, or other insurance not listed above. If we do not accept your insurance, we are happy to provide superbills (extended receipts) upon your request. You can sometimes get reimbursed by your insurance if you have out of network benefits. Many patients use health spending accounts to pay for services.
Suite 103 is by itself at the south end of the complex. You are welcome to park in the spots right in front of our door.
Danielle accepts appointments until 6pm on Mondays/ Tuesdays/ Thursdays, and until noon on Wednesdays and Fridays. Appointments available as early as 7am Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The office is closed Wed and Fri afternoons.
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