Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program to Launch in 2027

In response to a growing mental health crisis in the Pacific Northwest – particularly in rural areas – George Fox will launch a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program in 2027.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree will prepare practitioners to prescribe psychiatric medications and offer therapy and counseling services, with an emphasis placed on doing so where access to mental health treatment is limited.

Program Director April Phillips says the need for trained psychiatric providers is urgent.

“There is a critical need across the U.S. – we really don’t have any fully at-capacity areas in our country in regard to psychiatry,” she says. “Our rural areas are particularly underserved, with people waiting upwards of nine months to see a psychiatrist.”

Regional data underscores the challenge. Federal workforce projections show Oregon and Washington will need more than 220 additional mental health practitioners to meet demand, while Oregon is last in the nation in balancing youth mental illness and access to care, according to advocacy and monitoring nonprofit Mental Health America.

Phillips believes PMHNPs are uniquely positioned to respond. “We will be training our graduates to really treat the whole person, so that means not just medication management – it means treating the mental health issues of the individual. It means providing that valuable care and counseling, and providing for the spiritual care of the patient as well.”

As Phillips sees it, George Fox is positioned to make an impact locally, and ultimately, nationally.

“We’re looking at Portland as the epicenter, and I see us making a huge impact across the United States,” she says. “My goal is to make us one of the top-five programs in the country in this discipline.”