Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Essman.
Hi Valerie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I didn’t necessarily find psychiatry as an advanced practice provider specialty…….it found me in moments that changed me forever.
One of the earliest moments was during my time as a medic in the Air Force. My first emergency response was a suicide attempt involving a young airman in our security forces-the nations defenders we trust to protect us. I can still see his bright, blue, tear-filled eyes. His emotional and psychological pain was so raw, it felt tangible. I didn’t have the perfect words, but I met him with compassion-and that night he made a decision to keep living….naturally, this moment never left me.
It ignited something in me. It also exposed a truth I couldn’t ignore-there is a deep stigma around mental health, especially in spaces where people are expected to be strong and suppress vulnerability. From that point on, whether I was working as a medic or later as a pediatric nurse, I saw the same pattern over and over again: emotional pain and mental health challenges everywhere, but not always seen, rarely validated.
And the truth is-none of us are immune to the battle of the mind. Mental health isn’t something that affects “some” people. It’s the foundation, and often a precursor in the trajectory of our lives. We may not have control over where we start, but as we grow, we have a responsibility to care for our whole selves- mind, body, and soul.
My journey became even more personal as I began navigating life as a neurodivergent mother to a child on the autism spectrum. This experience changed everything. It deepened my understanding of regulation, behavior, and what true support looks like. This strengthened my passion for working with individuals with neurodevelopmental differences in a way that is affirming, trauma-informed, and empowering.
As I pursued my graduate degree to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, I completed over 500 clinical hours in outpatient psychiatry. During my undergrad, I completed a preceptorship at a state mental health hospital. Most recently, I was offered a fellowship at UT Southwestern in child and adolescent psychiatry, which feels like a full-circle moment. It allows me to continue growing while focusing on early intervention, family support, and helping shape mental health outcomes from the very beginning. I have always been intrigued by neurobiology and how our brains operate- I know this is exactly where I’m meant to be.
But what I discovered in my clinical hours revealed a major gap. As providers, we’re taught how to care for patients-but not how to navigate the system. Billing, coding, credentialing, insurance requirements-these are the things that quietly determine access to care, yet they’re rarely taught.
That realization pushed me to build a platform to educate psychiatric providers on specialty-specific billing and coding- because if we don’t understand the system, we can’t truly advocate within it. I offer free and affordable resources for emerging clinicians, PMHNP students, and providers with established practices. The resources are constructed to be quick guide references and are accessible through my Stan store under the name Menty Bee Integrative Psychiatry.
This path was never random. It was built through lived experience, moments that demanded compassion, and a deep belief that mental health care should be human, accessible, and stigma-free.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Looking back, let’s just say there was some rough terrain ahead. I went through nursing school as a single mom, and during my final year of nurse practitioner school, I had my second son. That season required a level of resilience I didn’t even know I had-balancing motherhood, neurodivergent parenting, school, work, and clinical training all at once.
Choosing this field added another layer. When you specialize in mental health, you’re not just learning about others-you’re forced to look inward and face your own experiences. That process isn’t always comfortable, but it’s what shaped me into the provider I am today.
Professionally, one of the biggest challenges was realizing how much we aren’t taught in school- especially when it comes to the business side of psychiatry like medical billing, coding, and insurance. I had to learn that on my own, through trial and error, independent study, and extensive review-which ultimately pushed me to help other providers navigate it too.
There were moments of self-doubt along the way, but I kept pushing.
It took me longer than most to get where I am. Nothing was handed to me and I didn’t skip steps, I built this from the ground up: from allied health as a phlebotomist➡️
EMT➡️LVN➡️RN➡️PMHNP-BC. And this journey didn’t just give me credentials…it gave me perspective, grit, and a deep understanding of the people I serve.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I operate at the intersection of psychiatry services and systems-level change. I provide compassionate, trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming care-while also educating psychiatric providers on the business side of mental health, including billing, coding, and documentation.
I enjoy turning complex systems into clear, actionable strategies that improve both patient access and provider sustainability. I also recognized early on that many of the resources available to clinicians were expensive and often out of reach-I experienced that firsthand. That’s what pushed me to build something different: education that is not only high-quality, but realistic and accessible.
Through my “Menty Bee” online platform, I share optimization tools and education designed to help clinicians navigate psychiatric coding literacy with confidence, clarity, and integrity.
“Menty Bee” is obviously a play on words, short for “mental breakdown”. Hopefully most people can feel the humor in this as I believe it is relatable and offers some comedic relief in a very challenging climate. While the world unravels, we are somehow expected to keep it all together and I think it’s important to remind people that we are human. Life can be overwhelming and we’ve all reached our limit a time or two! Along with dissolving the stigma around seeking mental healthcare, I try to keep the core of who I am and what I offer- REAL, in its most organic form.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
What got me here is pure determination-even in the face of obstacles that should’ve taken me out. But it is compassion that guides me, and reminds me why this work is so important.
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