Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Welcome from the Program Director
Welcome to the East Carolina University Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program.
Thank you for your interest in joining our community of future psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. Choosing to pursue a career in mental health is more than selecting a specialty—it is answering a call to improve lives, strengthen families, and expand access to exceptional evidence-based care for individuals and communities in need.
At ECU, we are committed to preparing highly skilled, ethical, and patient centered advanced practice nurses who are ready to meet the growing mental health needs of North Carolina and beyond. Our faculty are dedicated to creating a supportive learning environment that challenges students academically while fostering professional growth, confidence, and clinical excellence. Through innovative coursework, immersive clinical experiences, simulation, and individualized mentorship, our students develop the knowledge, clinical reasoning, and therapeutic skills necessary to provide exceptional psychiatric care across the lifespan.
We intentionally maintain a collaborative learning environment where students are known, supported, and encouraged throughout their educational journey. Whether your goal is to practice in rural communities, integrated primary care, inpatient psychiatry, private practice, or another specialty setting, our program is designed to prepare you to lead with empathy, clinical expertise, and a commitment to improving mental health outcomes.
It is both an honor and a privilege to serve as the Program Director of the ECU PMHNP Program. I look forward to welcoming the next generation of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners who are passionate about making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Thank you for considering East Carolina University as your partner in this exciting professional journey.
Warm regards,
Adrian Lennon, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC
Program Director, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program
East Carolina University College of Nursing
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Concentration
The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) concentration at East Carolina University College of Nursing prepares compassionate, clinically skilled, and evidence-based advanced practice nurses to provide comprehensive psychiatric and mental health care across the lifespan. Through rigorous academic preparation, immersive clinical experiences, and close faculty mentorship, graduates are equipped to assess, diagnose, treat, and manage mental health and substance use disorders while promoting recovery, resilience, and wellness through compassionate, evidence-based care.
Graduates earn either a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a PMHNP concentration or a Post-Master’s Certificate and are eligible to apply for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The ECU College of Nursing master’s program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Preparing Tomorrow’s Psychiatric Mental Health Leaders
Since welcoming its first cohort in 2017, the ECU PMHNP program has remained committed to preparing advanced practice psychiatric providers who combine clinical excellence with compassionate care. Graduates are equipped to deliver evidence-based psychiatric assessment, psychopharmacologic management, psychotherapy, and integrated mental health care across multiple practice settings while advancing ECU’s mission of improving the health and well-being of North Carolina’s communities.
The PMHNP concentration is directed by Dr. Adrian Lennon, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, who works alongside dedicated faculty committed to supporting students throughout their educational journey and preparing the next generation of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners.
Mission
The ECU Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program prepares advanced practice nurses to deliver compassionate evidence-based psychiatric care across the lifespan. Through innovative education, immersive clinical experiences, and dedicated faculty mentorship, we develop leaders committed to expanding access to high-quality mental health care and improving the health and well-being of the people of North Carolina and beyond.
Contribute
Want to learn ways you can support this important work? Contact our Director of Development.