A call to action: Reclaiming our PMH APN heritage

Advanced practice (APN) psychiatric mental health (PMH) nursing has undergone a dramatic role and credentialing transition since the 1990s from psychiatric-mental health clinical nurse specialist (PMHCNS) to psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). The direct care component of the PMHCNS role featured individual, family, and group psychotherapy and a range of other intervention modalities (Delaney, 2005, 2017). However, whereas the original PMHCNS role centered on forming a therapeutic alliance and providing psychotherapy services to patients, the current focus of the PMHNP has shifted to a more medical model with heavier emphasis on prescribing psychotropic medications (Delaney et al., 2019).
Source: Archives of Psychiatric Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Source Type: research