Paula A. Whittle
APRN-NP, MSN, PMHNP-BC
Paula Whittle is the President and owner of Great Plains Mental Health Associates. Her goal was to create a space where people are not ashamed, feel welcomed, and feel heard. Paula’s desire is to turn mental health around from being the last thought of a person’s care to being the first. She wants to make sure your connection to the world you live in is addressed - to change the order to ... SPIRIT, MIND, and BODY. She knows when people are treated in that order they feel better, feel more at peace, and feel stronger to face life as it comes. GPMH providers are handpicked by Paula to ensure they believe in her mission.
As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Paula sees a wide variety of patients ranging from grief, anxiety, PTSD, and depression to those with bipolar and psychosis. Her focus is patient centered, holistic care looking at the whole of the issue not just the symptom. She addresses spirituality, lifestyle, and nutrition for optimum benefit. She specializes in Women's Health including new mothers and young families with parenting needs.
Background:
Paula graduated from one of the most competitive nursing schools in the country, the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing with her Bachelors of Nursing degree. Following graduation she was hired by Bryan Medical Center where she worked in the Neuro/Trauma Intensive Care Unit as well as the Emergency Room. There, she gained extensive medical knowledge and assessment skills. Working as a critical care nurse is the highest level of nursing care and exposes the nurse to a wide array of serious medical conditions. This experience has given Paula the knowledge to care for individuals who are chronically or terminally ill. She is well versed in end of life issues.
Paula then returned to school and attended the prestigious Creighton University for her Masters of Nursing degree. She is board certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. While in school she worked with a specialist in Psycho-Oncology and was given the opportunity to learn a great deal regarding the impacts on mental health when dealing with Cancer.
Paula is proud to have served as a Lieutenant Commander of the United States Navy Reserve Nurse Corps. Through the military she has received specialized training in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Suicide Prevention.