Wendy Christensen is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner who believes that no one is truly healthy unless their mental health needs are being met. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 1994. She enjoyed twenty-one rewarding years of bedside nursing in a variety of specialties, including emergency room, neurological and cardiovascular intensive care, pediatric intensive care, and a post anesthesia care unit. Each different position she held offered new learning opportunities, responsibilities, and perspectives. She then obtained a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Tampa and holds a national certification with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) as a family nurse practitioner. Her work as a nurse practitioner has been in the field of wellness, with a focus on individuals being proactive and empowered about their own health. The common core in all her interactions with patients as an RN and as an NP has been her compassion and genuine interest in forming real connections. She is currently enrolled in the Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program at Florida State University. She is especially interested in the treatment of mood disorders, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and substance use disorders; particularly regarding the elderly population, whose mental health needs are so often not being met. Wendy’s home is in Tampa with her husband, and she is blessed to live close enough to spoil her three (almost 4!) grandbabies.