Michael Van Gelder, PMHNP-BC

Background

I am a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with 15+ years of experience across community mental health and private practice. I built this practice from the ground up, and I know what it looks like when someone has been rushed, misdiagnosed, or handed a prescription without a real conversation.

Community mental health teaches you things a tidier setting does not. It teaches you how much of what shows up as a symptom is actually circumstance, how often the person in front of you has already been failed by a system, and how much difference an hour makes when someone has only ever been given fifteen minutes.

Credentials

Board certification

PMHNP-BC, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Graduate degree

M.S. Clinical Psychology, Eastern Washington University

Graduate degree

M.N. Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University

Experience

15+ years in community mental health and private practice

Professional verification is available through my Psychology Today profile.

Who I tend to work well with

Many of my patients are high-functioning on the outside but overwhelmed on the inside. They are thinkers. Questioners. People who have tried to play the game but cannot keep numbing what is real. I especially enjoy working with LGBTQ+ clients, and anyone who has felt out of place in spaces that prioritize conformity over truth.

How I work

I offer 60-minute evaluations and 25-minute follow-ups, with space to talk, reflect, and adjust. My practice is built on clarity, not just around medication but around what actually matters to you. We look at how your mental health intersects with work, sleep, relationships, and identity.

I do not overpathologize. I do not sugarcoat. If I think medication is the wrong tool for what you are describing, I will say so. If I am uncertain, you will hear that too.

My assistant Jesse handles all scheduling, billing, and coordination. Once you are a patient, you have direct access to me for medication questions by email, and most questions get a same-day response.

"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change." — Carl Rogers. That is the kind of work we will do together — not rushing to a diagnosis, but understanding you well enough to make decisions that actually hold.

What I treat

Anxiety and depression, OCD, ADHD for adults with an established diagnosis, grief and life transitions, postpartum mental health, and identity-related struggles. All of it through psychiatric medication management, in person in Spokane or by telehealth anywhere in Washington.