Complementary mental health?
What comes to mind when you think of complementary medicine (CM)? As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I thought CM was an adjunct treatment, or alternative to traditional treatments meant to enhance current psychopharmacological interventions. What I learned about complementary medicine is that it includes a diverse array of options including, health foods, over-the-counter medicines, acupuncture treatments, chiropractic care, and craniosacral therapy, which is a manipulation and massage of skull and cranium. This is a short list of the types of common complementary behavior health treatments. Like most nurses, I did not receive any certifications in most of these therapies, however like most clinicians I wanted to offer clients options to treat the root causes of their illnesses as well as enhance therapy options and tools to address behavioral medicine needs.
What can most providers integrate into practice? According to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing Advisory Ruling on Nursing Practice Number 9801, as Advanced Practice Nurses, RNs, LPNS, and even Doctorate Nurses we are not able to integrate some forms and methods of complementary therapeutics. As providers, we all have to have education, training, and experience using any complementary techniques but the ones we can not utilize include Acupuncture and body manipulatives including Chiropractic and Craniosacral therapy.
What can Nurses and other providers do safely in practice? As Nurse practitioners, we have a huge arsenal of treatment options to treat our clients. One of the 1st complementary treatments I integrated into my practice was vitamin supplements. Currently, I am Certified in Integrative Medicine and provide Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), psychotherapy, and psychopharmacology. Many nurses use aromatherapy, meditation, and animal-assisted therapy.
What should a client know when considering complementary and alternative therapies? First, you should locate a provider who is currently practicing with the type of complementary medicine you would like to practice. Inquire if your provider is certified as a Holistic Nurse Practitioner and/or Integrative Psychiatric Provider with certification. Educate yourself on any therapies considered and discuss them with your provider.
You can see a full list of interventions that are provided safely by Nurse Practitioners at
https://www.mass.gov/lists/advisory-rulings-for-the-board-of-registration-in-nursing
