Lisa began her nursing career thirty years ago serving in the United States Air Force. She then spent the first fifteen years practicing in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. After a decade of treating patients who were struggling with severe illnesses and injuries, she was drawn to switch gears and work towards prevention.
Lisa obtained her master’s in nursing in 2012, graduating with honors, and became a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Lisa practiced as a primary care provider in Lawrence, Massachusetts at a Federally Qualified Health Center caring for an underserved and immigrant population for four years. She then moved closer to home and joined the team at Appledore Medicine in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Providing primary care services, Lisa saw an increase in mental health issues in the patient population that coincided with reduced access to psychiatric care. The need was so great, and the resources were so limited that she returned to school to further her education in ways that could better prepare her to treat mental health conditions. In 2019, Lisa earned a secondary post-master’s degree and became dually Board Certified as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.
Lisa subsequently opened her own practice, after becoming frustrated with the declining quality of patient care from consolidated, for-profit practices that were trying to provide too many services in a system that was demanding ever-increasing productivity, while focusing less on patient care.
Her practice offers a refreshing departure from “box store” providers and instead strives to provide personal care that she selects based on the unique needs of each patient. The practice model is similar to what a growing number of providers are offering to help patients select the level of care they need with transparent costs and exceptional value. And even more importantly, wonderful results.
Lisa’s patients have provided more than two hundred positive reviews, and many are enjoying life-changing improvements in their mental health for the very first time as a result of her care and compassion.
Her experience in critical care, emergency care, primary care and now specializing in psychiatric care, allows her to treat in a more holistic approach, recognizing that everything is connected. Lisa is extremely dedicated to caring for her patients and strives with the utmost pursuit to find ways to bring balance to their lives in a collaborative and respectful manner.
We look forward to meeting you along your journey to health and happiness.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me via email at [email protected]
My goal is always to use the least amount of medication, at the lowest effective dose, without any intolerable side effects. There are a lot of options out there, so if something isn’t working well for you, I will work with you to find a treatment that is more effective, with the goal being near or total remission of your symptoms. I will also review medications you are currently taking, and if they do not seem appropriate, I will help you wean off of them safely.
No, medications will not change your personality. They will only enhance the neurotransmitters (brain chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine) that are already present in your brain. “Personality changes” may be perceived if a medication is too sedating or dosed inappropriately leading to unwanted side effects. That is one of the important things I will continuously evaluate and manage for you.
I provide short-term counseling and psychotherapy only in conjunction with ongoing medication management. I do not provide regular counseling or specific types of therapy such as Couple’s counseling, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, Trauma Focused Therapy, and the like. Licensed therapists such as LICSW (licensed social workers) and psychologists are trained experts in those fields. My primary role is evaluation, diagnosis and medication treatments through medication management.
Yes, I treat patients ages 6 and up.
Yes. Coming from a background of practicing primary care, I am accustomed to treating all members of the family with the utmost confidentiality in an unbiased approach.
Yes, I do offer Telehealth appointments. The initial intake needs to be in person, and then going forward, regular follow-up visits can be via Telehealth. Patients who are prescribed a controlled substance (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines) are required to be seen at least once annually in person.
Yes - Medicare for ages 65 and up, NH Medicaid/NH Healthy Families for patients under 18 only, and Tricare.