There is hope. I believe you can heal.
Dr. Margaret Burchianti, DNP, ARNP
My Passion for Mental Health
I have always been fascinated by people’s stories, and curious about how the mind works; and I have always wanted to help people in my work. These interests initially created my path to studying Anthropology, where I earned a Master's degree, and learned to really listen to people's narratives. Later, as an academic advisor, I sought to listen to and help young people choose careers — but I always knew I wanted to help at a deeper level. My own challenges with depression in my 20's then led me to combine all three of my passions by entering the mental health profession and embarking on a journey that led to my becoming a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.
Pursuing a Holistic Path
From the very beginning of my career as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, I blended biological and psychological approaches. While practicing at an academic medical center, I developed expertise in the pharmacological treatment of psychiatric disorders and specialized in a psychotherapy approach called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). I found that the combination of medications and psychotherapy often helped patients more than using either treatment alone.
The Mysterious Illness & Recovery
My life took an unexpected turn when I was struck by a mysterious illness — a condition that defied diagnosis despite seeing multiple providers and undergoing numerous tests. Conventional medicine was unable to provide any explanation or relief. Desperate for answers, I embarked on a healing journey that led me to functional medicine providers. It was through their expertise and guidance that I finally got answers as to what was causing the symptoms and what to do to heal.
From Personal Experience to Professional Realization
Witnessing the transformative power of functional medicine in my own life, I realized the crucial need for this paradigm in psychiatric care. I therefore sought out intensive training in integrative psychiatry and functional medicine. As my health gradually improved, I began offering integrative and functional options to patients in my new private practice. I learned that patients were eager to have more options, and I have witnessed the benefits of these new approaches for my patients.
From My Healing Journey to Yours
I do not believe that people were meant to suffer in sickness and pain. That being said, my own illness had the silver lining of leading me to integrative and functional approaches in psychiatry, and to much deeper knowledge and skills. These now put me in a far better position to help my patients with their own healing. Together, let's embark on your healing journey.
About Dr. Margaret Burchianti, DNP, ARNP
Margaret is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with a doctoral degree in nursing.
After earning her doctoral degree and obtaining her nurse practitioner (ARNP) license in 2015, Margaret worked for 5 years as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, providing psychiatric care to her patients that included both medication management and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
Margaret started her own practice in 2021, to better serve her patients. With this aim, she has pursued rigorous intensive training in integrative psychiatry and functional medicine, in order to provide her patients with treatment options that help them heal more fully from the root causes of their psychiatric symptoms and mental health challenges.
Margaret also previously earned a Master's degree in Anthropology and conducted ethnographic research in Argentina — a process that instilled in her the importance of trying to understand people as individuals and as wholes, by listening intently to their stories.
Education:
Doctor of Nursing Practice, University of Iowa, 2015
License:
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, State of Iowa
Certification:
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan, American Nurses Credentialing Center
Additional Training:
12-Month Fellowship Program in Integrative Psychiatry, Integrative Psychiatry Institute
6 Advanced Practice Modules, Institute for Functional Medicine
Conferences on Inflammatory Brain Disorders including PANS/PANDAS
In progress: 12-Month Fellowship Program in Functional & Integrative Psychiatry, Psychiatry Redefined
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