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A routine med refill visit can hide a much bigger story and if we miss it, the consequences can land far outside the clinic. We’re joined by Dr. Rene Buenzow, a dual-certified family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, for a grounded, practical talk on trauma-informed care with a sharp focus on coercive control, interpersonal violence, and post-separation abuse. She breaks down the neurobiology of trauma in plain language, then connects it to what we actually see: anxiety, depression, sleep problems, somatic symptoms, and “messy” presentations that get mislabeled when we ignore context.

We also get real about the systems around our patients. Renee explains why misunderstandings in clinical assessment and documentation can ripple into custody disputes and a stressed family court system, raising the stakes for accurate diagnosis and careful language. From there, we zoom out to whole-person psychiatric nursing: integrating psychotherapy, somatic tools, and holistic supports alongside medication management and advanced treatments like Spravato and TMS, with the bigger goal of better outcomes and less unnecessary psychotropic polypharmacy.

Then we shift to advocacy. Renee shares how moving from Iowa to reduced practice authority in Wisconsin pushed her into legislative work that ultimately helped change policy, plus what she learned about getting a seat at the table when politics and prescribing collide. We close with advice every PMHNP needs: mentorship, boundaries, and “therapy for the provider” so the work stays sustainable.

Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review, then tell us what part of trauma-informed practice you want to get better at next.

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Dr Dan Wesemann

Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu

Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann

Dr Kate Melino

Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu

Dr Sean Convoy

Email: sc585@duke.edu

Dr Melissa Chapman

Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

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You can hear it in Dr. Kemi’s voice: psychiatric nursing is not just a job, it is a long practice of showing up for people with skill and humanity. We sit down with Dr. Kemi, a DNP prepared psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and owner of an outpatient mental health practice, to trace the road from immigrating to the United States at 16 to leading teams, precepting students, and caring for communities across state lines. Along the way, we talk honestly about what it takes to keep going when the path is hard and the need is constant.

We unpack mental health stigma across cultures, including how severe labels and silence can block treatment, and how education and normalizing language can open doors. Dr. Kemi connects that mission to communication and advocacy through her leadership with the International Society of Psychiatric Nurses (ISPN), with a focus on making psychiatric mental health nursing more visible locally and globally. We also zoom in on Peplau’s interpersonal relations theory and why the nurse patient relationship remains one of the most powerful tools in psychiatric care when you treat the whole person, not just the diagnosis.

Burnout and boundaries get real airtime too. Dr. Kemi shares the non negotiables that keep her regulated, plus what private practice ownership really looks like when the clinical day ends and the business work begins. A moving postpartum story brings the conversation back to mental health disparities and the social determinants that shape outcomes long before a prescription is written. If you care about trauma informed care, culturally responsive psychiatry, and sustainable work as a PMHNP, this conversation will stay with you.

Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more nurses and clinicians can find the show and join the conversation.

Let’s Connect

Dr Dan Wesemann

Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu

Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann

Dr Kate Melino

Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu

Dr Sean Convoy

Email: sc585@duke.edu

Dr Melissa Chapman

Email: mchapman@pdastats.com

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Mental health care doesn’t improve because we post the right graphic once a year. It improves when we listen to real people, then change what we do next. Dr. Dan Wesemann and Dr. Kemi mark World Mental Health Day on October 10, 2026 with a clear message for psychiatric mental health nurses: our impact is global, and our leadership matters now.

We dig into the 2026 theme, “lived experiences heard, real voices, real change,” and why it belongs at the center of person-centered, evidence-based mental health care. Listening isn’t passive. It shapes safety, trust, engagement, and outcomes, especially for people who feel ignored, stigmatized, or pushed to the margins. We talk about moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach so care reflects the whole person, not just a diagnosis on a chart.

We also share how the International Society of Psychiatric Nurses (ISPN) is building momentum through advocacy and a stronger digital presence, creating more opportunities for psychiatric mental health nurses to connect, lead, and influence change. Dan reflects on the “invisible” parts of the job that the public rarely sees, and why a shared day of recognition can strengthen our community across the 364 days in between. We close with ways to stay connected and look ahead to ISPN’s upcoming conference in Asheville, North Carolina.

If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review. What’s one change you want to see in mental health care this year?

Let’s Connect

Dr Dan Wesemann

Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu

Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann

Dr Kate Melino

Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu

Dr Sean Convoy

Email: sc585@duke.edu

Dr Melissa Chapman

Email: mchapman@pdastats.com