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Lazare Shadzeka is a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner via the American Nurses Credentialing Center, with privileges in Maryland and Washington DC. He completed his Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree in 2014, in the renowned Marymount University and while pursuing a calling of serving the adult, elderly and vulnerable communities, he decided to further his education, consequently receiving his Master of Science in Nursing Degree with honors from Walden University. Lazare has accumulated over six enriching years in the provision of holistic care to a wide variety of clients, with psychiatric conditions. Lazare is an enthusiastic, caring and people-oriented person with an innate skill in managing overall patient care and support with provision of health assessments, psychiatric evaluations, treatment planning, medication management, therapeutic services, client education and regular follow-ups. Client wellness is a priority that drives his full engagement and committed nature. By starting cordial relationship with Lazare, clients will experience a caring, collaborative, and engaging environment with the goal of improving client outcomes progressively working towards their goals and improving on their daily lives.

My name is Eric Kowshoh Yenchi, I was born on 08/31/1980 in Cameroon central Africa, I grew up in a small village in the North West region of Cameroon known as Babungo. Growing up in Cameroon, life was very tough, especially when it came to health care .There was just 1 health center in my village which was staffed with 1 nurse and a medical doctor who visited once every two months. This meant people who were very sick and could not wait till the arrival of the medical doctor had to drive for about 5 hours to the closest hospital in the town of Kumbo to get health care. This meant that many people who made the journey died due to bad roads, and sometimes the long waits that it took to see a medical doctor at the hospital. The poor state of the health sector in my native country cost the lives of many of my family members, resulting in my resolve to become a medical professional so I could one day change the situation and help my community. With this in mind when I arrived the United States in 2006, I decided to study nursing. After graduating with my BSN in 2010, I decided to start my nursing career in a long term care facility taking care of geriatric patients with various illnesses confined to a nursing home. In January 2011, I visited my native country Cameroon for the first time, volunteered at the only clinic that was in my village. This time around they had more staff (4 nurses, and 1 medical doctor), which made my experience less tedious than I had anticipated. However, during this visit, I noticed that many of the people that were coming into the clinic with a mental illness were being turned away to traditional healers as the clinic did not have any experience dealing with mental illness. With my observation, I decided to do a little research about mental health in Cameroon .What I found was not only shocking but was also very scary. I found out there were only two government hospitals in the country providing mental health services to 22 million people. Cameroon has 0.03 psychiatrists per 100, 000 of the population, and 0.2 psychiatric nurses per 100,000 of the population (psychology in Africa, 2013).Initiatives by private organizations in recent years have seen the creation of Mental Health hospital in Kumbo and BIMEHC, a mental health clinic in my village of Babungo. With the acute shortage of these facilities and personnel, my focus changed. I realized there was not only a need for personnel but leadership to transform the mental health sector and sensitize the population about mental illness, as many attribute mental illness to witchcraft and spiritual curses. With this in mind, in 2011 I became a psychiatric nurse, enrolled and earned an MSN in Nursing Leadership in 2013.In 2015 I went to Cameroon, this time around I volunteered at Babungo Integrated Mental Health Care (BIMEHC) as a psychiatric nurse. During this service the main problem was the lack of a qualified practitioner for mental health. There was 1 psychiatrist coming from the capital every 6 months to meet with patients and prescribe medications for them. This acute shortage of mental health practitioners, has led me to believe that I can make a difference in the lives of those suffering from a mental illness by becoming a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Since becoming a psychiatric nurse , I have had various positions in the Mental health filed , from Charge nurse to , supervisor , and to Director of various mental health clinics in the Washington DC area .In November 2019 I passed my Boards to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and I am loving every minute of it .My short term goal is to continue providing services to those in need in and around my community , while my long term goal will be to someday own my own practice.

Nadine Missiet is a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with the American Nurses Credentialing Center in both the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing Degree at Walden University, and she is caring and compassionate nurse practitioner. She has devoted more than seven years providing holistic care to a wide variety of clients with psychiatric conditions.

As a nurse practitioner, she treats her patients with dignity, respect, and acting with empathy and compassion. She recognizes the importance of both mental and physical well-being, customizing care to respect the individual’s belief, and striving to educate patients on health maintenance and disease prevention that will promote quality living throughout the community. She believes that a patient’s wishes come first, and therefore, each individual should be considered a partner in his/her own care. Keeping a patient informed and well educated before making a decision regarding health is vital.

As a humble nurse practitioner, she will focus more on having her patients become partner in their own care, and be able to gain control and understanding of their own health and well being. At the end of the visit, a patient may not remember the laboratory results or vital signs divulged, but hopefully, they will remember how their practitioner made them feel valuable, empowered, and respected when choosing their provision of care.

"As a practitioner, Kate will bring a holistic care approach of both the body and mind, together with commitment to individual, personal and compressive care to patients."

Kate Pabai is a Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Practitioner with a huge passion for mental health, whose care is centered to incorporate the medical as well as the mental health needs of her clients. She provides extensive psychiatric evaluations, psychopharmacological treatment initiation, and monitoring for both acute and chronic mental health problems.

In 2016, Kate obtained her Bachelor of Science from Bowie State University. After having some experience at the bedside and seeing the need for mental health professionals, she decided to perused a master's degree as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in 2018. Kate started her health care career taking care of clients at their homes and gradually became a registered nurse with 5 years of experience at the bedside.

Before becoming a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Kate worked in a variety of settings including medical, surgical, stroke, dialysis, behavioral units, and case management. Working in multiple settings as a registered nurse helped Kate realize that her passion for the mentally ill will be a great help to society.

Kate Pabai has always wanted to be in the health field — since growing up as a child, Kate has always had that empathy for others and desire to help. Her passion for mental health is unmeasurable and knows that treating patients with mental problems takes a special person who is empathetic, can listen and understand each client with individualized and personalized care.

"As a brown, queer, nonbinary first gen kid, my approach to therapy is rooted in building a safe space to explore and grow towards your healing and wellness goals."

Jamy Drapeza, LICSW (they/she/siya) operates with a background in community based justice, restorative circle keeping, and people-led social change work. They are passionate about supporting people from all walks of life navigate through life transitions, identity exploration, and building towards their next best selves. Jamy specializes in adjusting to life changes, LGBTQ+ issues, transgender care issues, anxiety, and trauma healing.

Jamy completed their Master's of Social Work (MSW) at the Columbia University School of Social Work. They have over 15 years of experience in youth programming and leadership development, and over 5 years of experience as a nonprofit startup operations professional. These experiences of building systems and facilitating programs that focus on community and peer-led healing are evident in their approach to therapy work, as they explore tools and strategies that deepens their clients' connections to their existing and ideal communities.

Whether you have every other next move planned or need support figuring out your first step, Jamy is willing to walk with you as you make peace with your challenges to embrace your future living as your next favorite self. Connect today to see what working with Jamy can do for you.