Liz Braun
Liz Braun
MSN CNP PMHNP-BC
Chief Integration Officer
Practicing since: RN since 2016, PMHNP since 2020
Previous roles:
Director at Intero Psychedelic Therapy
Former emergency nurse, psychiatric nurse, and SANE
Certified through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute
In Person & Virtual
Integrative Mental Health
Medication Management
Who I Work With
I enjoy working with folks who have a sense of humor about being human, even on the days it hurts. Who are curious about themselves and what actually drives them. Who still look for a bit of whimsy in the world. Many of them learned early to read a room before they could read words, and have spent a long time being careful with everyone, including themselves.
About Me
There are two primary drives in my life: to learn as much as I can, and to help as much as I can. That probably explains the winding path my career has taken.
I started out teaching high school mathematics. I loved it, and that’s where I first understood how I’m most useful to people: by listening more and talking less. A few years as an actuarial analyst followed, which sharpened my thinking but didn’t satisfy that drive to be of service. Then I found nursing, and I’m not sure there’s a better discipline for someone insatiably curious who wants that curiosity to benefit others.
My nursing career began as an emergency nurse in a level 1 trauma center. I also worked as a psychiatric nurse and a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). These experiences sent me back to school to become a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP), because I kept seeing the insidious impact of trauma on a person’s mental health and well-being, and knew that addressing those wounds was necessary for true healing to occur.
My work in this field has sharpened my skepticism of anyone who claims they have all the answers, and it is what drove me to continue learning by pursuing a PhD in nursing ethics at Duquesne.
What We Work On
Anxiety
Depression
Trauma / PTSD
OCD / Intrusive Thoughts
Sleep
Focus & Attention
How I Work
I may be a prescriber, but I’m far from prescriptive. I want you to know the whole range of options in front of you—whether we are discussing medications, supplements, therapeutic modalities, or lifestyle changes—and we’ll talk through them. I’ll tell you where the real limits are; everything inside them is your call. If something I suggest doesn’t resonate with you, I want to know, and sooner rather than later.
As a nurse, I am trained to treat the whole person in front of me—not just a diagnosis. Not much shocks me, and I listen without judgment or pretense. My training lets me help, but that doesn’t make me an authority on your life. We’ll talk about what’s working and what isn’t, with an ample dose of humor, because life is too serious a thing to take too seriously.
Where I’m Not a Fit
I’m not a good fit for those seeking standalone medication management. If you want a prescription and a brief check-in every few months, that’s a reasonable thing to want and there are other prescribers who do it well.
I see adults only, and I’m not the right fit for anyone who needs a higher level of care than an outpatient practice can provide. If you need crisis support or frequent contact between visits, you deserve a setting built for that.
Outside the Practice
I live with my partner, his three kids, and my three cats. I think of our blended family as the millennial version of the Brady Bunch. It is often chaotic but a ton of fun. I’ve picked up two new hobbies in the last few years: playing the harp and rowing. Both are humbling skills to learn, in the best way. I’m not originally from Minnesota; I arrived here in 2020 after living in Louisville, Kentucky for twelve years. I love exploring this amazing state, particularly the North Shore.
Influences
Sophie’s World
Care Ethics
Mary Lattimore
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Something People Wouldn’t Guess About Me
I once took synchronized swimming lessons as a child. I was the only one in the class.