If you are to choose a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner, what qualities must you look for? What qualities define a good psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner?

The right one…

1.  Takes a genuine interest in you.  This is manifested by spending enough time with you, by asking well-thought questions, listening to your answers and conveying concern over how you are faring.  These are important to intelligently assess your progress and to make the necessary decisions related to your treatment plan and medication management.

2.  Exudes confidence and optimism.  You need a professional who is hopeful there is a right approach and treatment plan to make you feel better.  you need someone who is confident you’ll be bouncing back soon enough, and that with cooperation, you’ll soon be socially reintegrated and functioning well to live a normal life.

3.  Gives you and your needs importance.  It means the office returning your calls and being right there at the appointed time.  It means accommodating you when you can’t wait until your next appointment.  A good practitioner would go out of his/her way to see and help you.

4.  Respects your feelings and diplomatically/patiently explains matters.  Someone who really cares about you will respect how you feel.  If your perceptions, however, will run counter to your treatment plan, your practitioner is expected to explain matters to you or those who can help you decide, so your treatment plan continues.

5.  A personality that is empathic and can encourage trust.  Because people with psychiatric issues will have lots of insecurities, angst and anxieties, opening up is not easy.  A psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner needs to have that winning personality to gain the trust necessary in the patient-caregiver relationship.

6.  Maintains progressive attitude about conferring with other professionals.  The really good ones are self-effacing.  A good one would put your welfare at the top of the concerns and priorities.  Proactive practitioner will even be willing to confer or work with other professionals to better help you, particularly when the going gets tougher than usual.

7.  Updated with new trends and practices in psychiatric medicine.  A good practitioner is well versed with the most appropriate medications to prescribe and the adverse side effects to monitor.  Being cognizant that such side effects can sometimes outweigh potential benefits is necessary to stop the medication and to sue addictive drugs with caution.

These seven qualities define a good psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner, on top of their academic and professional training and experience.  Your search for the right match stops here at Living Well Behavioral Health in Knightdale, NC on McKnight Drive, where we try to be all these.  Call now for your first appointment.