Coastal Counseling Center
809 Kent Place
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Mon – Fri
9am – 5pm
757-436-0605

757-436-0605

Meet the prescribing providers at Coastal Counseling Center:

Demetrous Johnston
NP

Demetrous Johnston
Olivia Bonanno
PMHNP-BC

Olivia Bonanno
Robyn Hilbert
MSN, PMHNP-BC

Robyn Hilbert
Sam Harris
PMHNP-BC

Sam Harris
Tannica Ball
PMHNP-BC

Tannica Ball
NP

Demetrous Johnston

Demetrous Johnston is a Nurse Practitioner and board-certified Medical-Surgical Nurse. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at Sentara College of Health Sciences in Chesapeake, Virginia and then later went on to become faculty after obtaining a Master of Science degree in Nursing Education. As an assistant professor, Demetrous served as a clinical and community instructor of psychiatric nursing. While in academia and working on an inpatient psychiatric unit, Demetrous attended the University of Virginia and completed his certification as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). Demetrous has work history in both acute medical surgical and psychiatric settings. His psychiatric outpatient background is in community health and individualized psychotherapy.

Accepting Patients 16 and Up

PMHNP-BC

Olivia Bonanno

Olivia Bonanno is a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner that graduated from The Ohio State University. She understands that meeting a psychiatric provider for the first time can be a stressful and overwhelming process. She strives to create a safe space for all clients while working together towards symptom recovery through a combination of psychopharmacology and psychotherapy.

Olivia has experience treating a wide range of psychiatric disorders for ages sixteen and above. She takes a trauma-informed and person-centered approach with her clients. She also has special interests in providing care for perinatal mental health conditions and for those in the LGBTQ+ community. If you are looking for a provider to be a supportive part of your treatment team, please reach out to get started.

 

MSN, PMHNP-BC

Robyn Hilbert

Robyn Hilbert, MSN, PMHNP-BC is a board certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). She began her career as a Registered Nurse, graduating from Sentara Norfolk General School of Professional Nursing in 1993. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015. Ms. Hilbert became board certified as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in 2022, after earning her Master of Science in Nursing from Eastern Kentucky University. She has provided psychiatric care to the geriatric, adult and pediatric populations in the outpatient setting as well as adults with either acute psychosis or severe mood disorders in the inpatient setting.

Robyn values being a Chesapeake native and enjoys serving the community. She seeks to destigmatize mental illness recognizing that everybody needs a little help at some point in their life. She believes “life is a journey” and she enjoys journeying with her patients, on their good days as well as their bad days. She not only meets her patients where they are currently on their journey, she also accepts them where they are on their journey. She finds joy in helping her patients celebrate the small things, knowing that the big things sometimes occur less often. She strives to maintain a professional private confidential and safe space that she calls “the no judgement zone.”

In her off time, Robyn enjoys time with her family which includes four fur babies, camping, gardening, and the relaxing near the water. Ms. Hilbert is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

PMHNP-BC

Sam Harris

Sam treats both younger and older adults. He uses his keen observation skills and humanizing approach to promote a mental wellness. Regardless of a persons’ current circumstance or level of functioning, he provides comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and management. Sam’s military career has helped to shape his practice through a variety of professional experiences in numerous treatment settings.

He is particularly skilled in adult psychopharmacology, adult psychotherapy, combat trauma, amputee rehabilitation, adjustment disorders, anxiety, depression, grief, and behavior change. Sam carefully uses medications and various psychotherapy techniques to help relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. Expect a friendly yet focused conversation at your initial visit with more targeted medication adjustments after that.

 

PMHNP-BC

Tannica Ball

Tannica draws upon a wide variety of clinical experiences to provide a comprehensive evaluation of each new patient. She has provided everything from critical care to school nursing during her career. She uses her wide variety of personal experiences to relate to each person who she treats. She also understands common challenges of teens, relationships, military life, and parenthood. While she tailors her approach to each individual, she can often be seen laughing and smiling because she enjoys her work. She is accepting new patients for medication management ages 15 through 64 and is participating with all major insurances.

 

 

Common Questions About Nurse Practitioners

What does PMHNP-BC mean?

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner- Board Certified

This designates that the nurse practitioner has completed specialized training in mental health diagnosis and treatment. All nurse practitioners receive some training in mental health care but a PMHNP-BC has completed a much more specialized and rigorous course of study focusing on psychiatry and psychotherapy.

What is a Nurse Practitioner?

Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses who have master’s, and often doctorate, degrees as well as extensive clinical training in the diagnosis and management of common and complex medical conditions. NPs provide a full range of health care services and guide patients in making educated health care decisions and promoting healthy lifestyle choices every day. Millions of patients choose NPs as their health care providers, with more than 1.06 billion visits annually.

A psychiatric NP is an advanced practice Registered Nurse who specializes in psychiatry with years of training and experience in the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental health disorders. Unlike psychologists, NPs must evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments, or strictly psychiatric.

What to expect when meeting with your psychiatric med provider for a psychiatric evaluation.

A request to fill out a medical history including past experiences with medications prior to your visit. This can be done in the comfort of your own home with a chance to ask family members for help. Your provider will look at this prior to the visit. It is important to consider as much data as possible as your prescriber formulates the most appropriate diagnosis and best treatment options.

During the appointment, a board-certified psychiatric medication provider like a physician or nurse practitioner will conduct a psychiatric evaluation, that includes an interview with you and possible family members that collects information about behavioral or emotional symptoms of the patient, along with medical, emotional, and social history.

A mental status examination is conducted that involves questions about current symptoms related to thoughts, cognition, and memory.

The medication provider will discuss a diagnosis and seek the patient’s input to help create a treatment plan. Psychiatric medications may or may not be recommended to help reduce emotional or behavioral symptoms.

How long will the appointment last?

Usually 1 hour will be allocated to your first appointment. Follow up visits usually last 20-30 minutes.

When will I be seen again?

If your medication provider accepts your case and you agree to treatment, then you will likely be seen once per month for several months. When you are feeling better for several months, you will likely only need to be seen a few times a year or when something changes.

What is a prior authorization?

Under medical and prescription drug plans, some treatments and medications may need approval from your health insurance carrier before you receive care.

During the appointment, a board-certified psychiatric medication provider like a physician or nurse practitioner will conduct a psychiatric evaluation, that includes an interview (lots of questions) that collects information about behavioral or emotional symptoms of the patient, along with their medical, emotional, and social history. Family members may also be interviewed to help understand the patient’s symptoms and history.

Prior authorization is usually required if you need a complex treatment or prescription. Coverage will not happen without it. That’s why beginning the prior authorization process early is important.Ask your health care provider if a prescription or medical treatment is going to require prior authorization so they can start the process immediately.

This is not the same as if you need additional treatments or prescriptions after your initial visit. In that instance, you may need to get a medical necessity review, or “authorization.”

For More Information.

Cigna »

What are some commonly prescribed psychiatric medications?

Antidepressants:

Zoloft, Prozac, Luvox, Celexa, Lexapro, Trintellix, Viibryd, Cymbalta, Effexor

Antianxiety:

Ativan, Klonopin, Restoril, Valium

Mood Stabilizers:

Depakote, Lithium, Lamictal

Sleep Aids:

Ambien, Lunesta, Rozerum
Attention and Focus: Adderall, Ritalin or methylphenidate, Vyvanse, Strattera, Kapvay

Antipsychotics:

Haldol, Seroquel, Latuda, Vraylar, Zyprexa, Abilify

Please visit these trusted websites for more information on Nurse Practitioners:

 

We Accept all Major insurance plans

We do not accept Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).

Notice: No Longer Accepting Text Messages
Dear Valued Customers, please accept this notice that Coastal Counseling Center is no longer able to communicate through text messages. All communications will have to be by phone or through the patient portal. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. We strive to be available to support any needs with this transition. Feel free to reach out to the office with any support needs at (757) 436-0605. Thank you.

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