Stop Collecting Tools—Start Building Roots

In the early days of adding psychotherapy to my PMHNP practice, I felt like I was in a constant sprint—chasing certifications, flipping through workbooks, listening to podcasts at 1.5x speed. I thought if I just consumed enough knowledge, I’d suddenly feel like I belonged in the therapy room.

But the truth is, no course could teach me what it feels like to sit in a session when a patient goes silent… or angry… or weepy… or disconnected. No worksheet told me what to do when transference showed up, or when my own countertransference surprised me.

I didn’t need more checklists. I needed more roots.

The Temptation of Tools

We’re trained to act. To treat. To fix. So it makes sense that when we step into the therapy space, we reach for tools—we want a clear modality, a workbook, a map. Something known.

But therapy isn’t only a set of steps. It’s a relationship. A process. An unfolding.

That’s why learning the framework of therapy—not just the interventions—is the real game-changer.

What It Means to Be Rooted

Being rooted doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means having a strong enough foundation that you’re not swayed by every wave of doubt. You can sit with the unknown. You can pause instead of rush. You can notice what's happening—in the room, in the relationship, in yourself.

And you can begin to trust that you are part of the work—not separate from it.

Growth Doesn’t Happen in Isolation

I’ve seen how powerful it is to grow with others. Not in a massive forum where you’re lost in the scroll or one of 30 thumbnails in a zoom. But in small, honest spaces—where people know your name, your style, your stuck spots.

That’s where confidence grows. Not from having the “right” intervention, but from knowing how to hold a moment in therapy—and yourself in it.

If You’re Craving That Groundedness

If you’ve been running on therapy fumes—piecing together skills from courses but still feeling shaky in sessions—you’re not alone.

Join us in The Consultation Room. Let’s dig in together. Build those roots.
Because the deeper they go, the more we can hold.

The Consultation Room is a mentorship and consultation space for PMHNPs ready to grow their therapy voice and deepen their clinical work. Doors to our small peer group open soon.

Rooted in the Work: A Note from the Founder

When I first decided to offer therapy as part of my PMHNP practice, one of the biggest questions I had—and one I hear often from other nurse practitioners—was:

“What trainings should I do?”

CBT? DBT? EMDR? ACT?

These are amazing modalities, no doubt. But what they all have in common—and what I’ve found to be the most transformative in my own work—hasn’t been just collecting more tools. It’s been deeply understanding the framework of therapy itself.

Think of it like this: the therapeutic alliance is the trunk of the tree. Every training, technique, and modality? They’re the branches. Without a strong trunk, it doesn’t matter how many branches you add—they won’t hold.

Through formal classes, peer consultation, and way too many books to count, I’ve come to believe that learning how therapy works—how to build trust, work with transference, attune to the process—is what truly helps us grow as psychotherapists.