Home

Hello!

If you’re reading this, you have reached the ultimate destination for learning more about mental health, mental illness, substance use disorders, and anything semi-related to psychiatry. We promise to keep it real while sharing our experiences so you can learn a little more about the mysteries of #PsychNursing.

Since this is our first venture at blogging, we want to let you in on a common goal we have: provide insight on how normal it is to work with people experiencing crisis. We intend to do this by providing education to you on how nurses help folks experiencing a period of instability. Don’t be afraid to offer salient advice (if you have it) to individuals you come into contact with.

I’m sure you’re wondering why our blog is titled #UnstableLifestyles. That’s difficult to explain but you’ll understand it as you read through our posts. This blog is our outlet to share with (any interested party) what to expect when working in the behavioral health field. Please feel free to comment or contact us if there’s something you want to know or you have a comment you would like to share. That said, here’s a little information about us.

Arnetta – Hey, ya’ll! I’ve been working in behavioral health since I earned my RN license 9 years ago. I started out in a behavioral health facility which operated a methadone maintenance rehab and had a few floors of acute Psychiatry. After about a year, I was promoted to Shift Supervisor. I did that for a while then returned to the Staff Nurse role because I missed the patients. I ended up working with various populations: adult psych, substance dependency, and adolescent psych. Now, I am a Staff Nurse at a Crisis Center in an inner-city hospital. This position is the most interesting and challenging because I never know what’s walking through the door. All of that out of the way, I am experiencing my own young-life crisis of indecision because I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the beauty of making sure that my patients can cope with and survive their on crises’.

Melissa – I have been a #PsychNurse for well over ten years. I have a Masters degree in Nursing Education and am ANCC certified in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing. I have worked for a federal agency, several state agencies, and a few private organizations throughout my nursing career. I’ve taught nursing students (lecture and clinical), mentored troubled teenage girls, cared for maximum security inmates, and helped patients through their most vulnerable moments. I am currently a Nurse Educator for an inner-city Medical Center and am in school to become a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. All of that said, I know a lot but I still learn something new every day.

Thanks for reading our super-long intro! We hope to see you again!

Arnetta & Melissa 🖖🏾