In this episode of The Bossy Nurse Podcast, Marsha Battee speaks with Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, APRN, PMHNP. In this conversation, Claire describes how she moved from feeling overwhelmed in practice to becoming a confident, stress-free psychiatric nurse practitioner… and how she helps other nurse practitioners do the same.
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Key takeaways
- Many nurse practitioners graduate feeling academically prepared but clinically unsure, especially when treating complex mental health patients.
- Confidence in psych practice grows through structured frameworks, repetition, and understanding why treatments work.
- Reducing stress in practice often starts with strengthening diagnostic clarity and medication decision-making.
- Accessible education can help close the gap between school and real-world psychiatric care.
Show notes / what you’ll hear in this episode
- Claire shares her early experience as a new Psych NP and the moment she realized how unprepared she felt for real-world complexity.
- We talk about the common gaps in graduate education that leave nurse practitioners second-guessing diagnoses and treatment plans.
- Claire explains how uncertainty and lack of structure contribute directly to stress and burnout in mental health practice.
- You’ll hear how building strong foundations in diagnosis can simplify medication management and follow-up care.
- Claire breaks down why learning mental health doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or chaotic.
- We discuss how continued education can empower both new and experienced NPs to practice with more confidence.
- Claire shares her passion for improving access to quality mental health care for marginalized and underserved populations.
Resources mentioned
Where to find Claire online
Bio: Claire Ellerbrock, DNP, APRN, PMHNP
Claire Ellerbrock is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in Columbus, Ohio. Claire found that while her graduate program provided her with a degree to practice, she could have benefitted from more clinical guidance to confidently enter practice treating complex patients. This realization led her to create Stress Free Psych NP, an online educational platform, that guides both new and experienced psychiatric and family nurse practitioners to more confidently and competently treat their patients with mental health needs. Claire’s flagship course, the Mental Disorders Crash Course, helps providers to more effectively diagnose and treat the most important mental disorders commonly encountered in practice. Her vision is to help empower all nurse practitioners with the knowledge needed to not only excel in practice, but do so with less stress along the way.
Claire is also passionate about health equity and providing quality mental health care to marginalized and under-served populations. Claire received her DNP from Kent State University, MSN from Case Western Reserve University, and BA in Psychology from Washington University in St Louis.
