Dr. Shannon M Dechant
DNP, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, NCRP-CCE
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Dechant is a board-certified Family (FNP) and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). With over a decade of experience in reproductive health, she is dedicated to providing high-quality care to her patients and strives to empower individuals through education.
Dr. Dechant is among a very small national cohort of clinicians to earn the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry’s Certificate of Clinical Excellence (NCRP-CCE). The National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry (NCRP) is an award-winning initiative that created the first and only nationwide training standards in reproductive psychiatry. The Certificate of Clinical Excellence is granted solely to providers with extensive clinical experience who complete NCRP’s intensive coursework, focused supervision, and a proctored Clinical Skills Exam, placing Dr. Dechant in a select circle of specialists.Read More
Dr. Dechant earned her undergraduate degree from Liberty University majoring in Nursing. She is a graduate of Radford University, where she earned her Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Family Practice, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She is also certified in Perinatal Mental Health through Postpartum Support International (PSI).
In addition to her education, Dr. Dechant has gained valuable experience through her work as an inpatient labor and delivery nurse and as Family Nurse Practitioner in outpatient obstetrics and gynecology practices. She has taught in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs at Radford University where she currently serves as the PMHNP Program Coordinator.
Dr. Dechant is committed to providing comprehensive care to women across the lifespan and is passionate about serving those in need. She believes that every patient deserves to be treated with compassion, dignity, and respect.
Dr. Samantha Lawson
DNP, CNM, PMHNP-BC, PMH-C
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Samantha (Sam) Lawson is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) and Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). With over ten years of experience supporting women during pregnancy and birth, Sam brings a wealth of knowledge and empathy to our practice, specializing in the mental healthcare of women during pivotal life stages including pregnancy and postpartum. Read More
Sam’s educational journey began at the University of Utah, where she completed both her undergraduate degree in nursing and then her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree.
Her passion for caring for others took her across the globe serving on active duty in the United States Air Force, attending births in Virginia and Japan, culminating in attending over 600 births during her career as a CNM.
Her experiences have not only honed her skills but also deepened her understanding of the critical need for mental health support in women’s health. Her drive to fill this gap led her to complete her certification in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International. Furthering her commitment, Sam also pursued a Post-Master’s PMHNP from Johns Hopkins University, broadening her scope to include psychiatric care.
At the heart of Sam’s practice is her commitment to compassionate, evidence-based, and person-centered care. She believes in nurturing the mind and body, understanding the unique challenges women face during reproductive changes, and providing a supportive and healing environment. Sam looks forward to being a part of your journey, offering guidance, support, and expert care through every step.
Dr. Mary Heath Conner
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Conner is a summa cum laude graduate of East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program and previously earned her BSN at ETSU and a BA in Psychology from Georgia State University. Her commitment to evidence-based practice is reflected in her published research, “Tobacco Use and Attachment Style in Appalachia,” featured in Issues in Mental Health Nursing.
Dr. Conner brings a thoughtful, evidence-based perspective to our team, along with extensive experience treating complex psychiatric needs in diverse populations. Her background in addiction medicine, inpatient care, and veteran mental health uniquely complements our team’s strengths and broadens the range of services we offer. Dr. Conner is also passionate about reproductive psychiatry and enjoys supporting women through the full spectrum of their reproductive years, drawing on her VA experience delivering mental health care to female veterans. This passion enriches our practice’s commitment to supporting women throughout the reproductive lifespan. With her warm, collaborative approach and grounding in both research and real-world experience, Dr. Conner helps us further our mission of delivering uniquely personalized, compassionate care.
Known for her empathetic and team-oriented style, she blends thoughtful medication management with practical lifestyle strategies and therapeutic approaches, always aiming to empower patients through education and partnership. Away from the clinic, Dr. Conner recharges by hiking mountain trails, experimenting in the kitchen, traveling, and spending quality time with her three children.
Dr. Olivia Reichenbacker
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Reichenbacker is a board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) who has been working in psychiatry since 2013. While she has experience caring for both children and adults with all types of psychiatric illnesses, her area of passion and expertise is reproductive psychiatry. She most enjoys her time caring for those who are planning pregnancy, pregnant, or postpartum.
Dr. Reichenbacker is among a very small national cohort of clinicians to earn the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry’s Certificate of Clinical Excellence (NCRP-CCE). The National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry (NCRP) is an award-winning initiative that created the first and only nationwide training standards in reproductive psychiatry. The Certificate of Clinical Excellence is granted solely to providers with extensive clinical experience who complete NCRP’s intensive coursework, focused supervision, and a proctored Clinical Skills Exam, placing Dr. Reichenbacker in a select circle of specialists.Read More
Dr. Reichenbacker is dedicated to improving access to well-informed providers for patients in the perinatal period. She regularly presents at regional, state, national, and international conferences on the topic of reproductive mental health, and volunteers her time providing clinical instruction to PMHNP students.
Dr. Reichenbacker earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, double majoring in Nursing and Psychology. She then went on to earn both her Master’s and Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees from the University of South Alabama, completing her doctoral residency at Westhampton Family Psychologists in Richmond, VA. Dr. Reichenbacker has worked in a variety of settings, including inpatient psychiatry at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, outpatient psychiatry, and as an Assistant Professor and the PMHNP Program Coordinator at the University of Virginia’s School of Nursing.
Though sessions with Dr. Reichenbacker are focused on medication management, she prides herself in using an individualized, whole-person approach to care that addresses each client’s needs more fully. She also brings her enthusiasm for education to the clinical setting to ensure patients are better-informed and more capable partners in navigating their own care.
Jill Sykes
MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Jill Sykes is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) with over 35 years of diverse nursing experience. Her journey in healthcare began with distinguished service as a Naval Officer in the Nurse Corps. Throughout her naval career, she gained expertise across various specialties such as neonatal care, pediatric hematology/oncology, orthopedics, internal medicine, general surgery, and intensive care nursing. Notably, Mrs. Sykes served as a Staff Nurse in a combat unit during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, delivering emergency medical care to deployed troops. These high-pressure experiences in challenging environments laid the groundwork for her profound interest and empathetic calling to the field of psychiatry.Read More
After earning her undergraduate degree in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University, Mrs. Sykes dedicated 20 years to serving as a Navy Nurse. Upon her retirement from military service, she transitioned to work as a home health nurse, providing care in the comfort of patients’ homes. Recognizing the growing need for mental healthcare, she pursued and secured her Master of Science in Nursing, again from Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, she has acquired training in child and adolescent psychiatry, having completed hundreds of practicum hours at Virginia Commonwealth University’s esteemed Virginia Treatment Center for Children.
Mrs. Sykes’ expertise not only enhances our team but also fills a gap in services offered at Brookside Psychiatric Specialists. Mrs. Sykes brings a passion for serving military families and her deep connection to military life allows her to offer more empathy and understanding for the unique challenges that present or past military service poses to the mental health of all family members. Having raised three sons, she is also dedicated to serving children and people identifying as men, and will provide care to fathers and teens struggling with mental health concerns.
With a compassionate and holistic approach to mental health, Mrs. Sykes masterfully blends her profound empathy with a pragmatic method. She aims to address mental health issues practically and in the patient’s best interest through a partnership approach, always upholding the principle that every patient deserves dignity and respect.
When you see a reproductive psychiatry specialist, you can feel confident that you are receiving expert care that addresses your biological, psychological, and social needs more comprehensively.
Why do I need a reproductive psychiatry specialist?
Although providers practicing reproductive psychiatry manage mental health conditions in similar ways to providers practicing general psychiatry, these specialists are uniquely educated, trained, and experienced in addressing the complicated and unique mental health needs of women and people of other genders with female reproductive hormones.
Female reproductive hormones, hormonal changes, and life experiences affect all aspects of mental health treatment, from health promotion and support during more vulnerable periods (like the postpartum period), to identify the different ways mental illnesses present in the context of these hormones, to selecting specific medications and medication management strategies that are more appropriate or effective during different hormonal stages.Read More
Non-specialists are often misinformed about the most appropriate treatment strategies for women, and patients frequently receive incomplete, ineffective, or inappropriate care. The most common misconceptions surround the use of medications during pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding). Many providers believe incorrectly that most psychiatric medications are contraindicated during these life-stages.
When you see a reproductive psychiatry specialist, you can feel confident that you are receiving expert care that addresses your biological, psychological, and social needs more comprehensively. https://thepapergown.zocdoc.com/more-women-need-access-to-reproductive-psychiatrists/
We provide mental healthcare focused on medication management combined with brief psychotherapy for the following:
- Planning pregnancy
- Mental health concerns associated with pregnancy for people of all ages, including teens.
- Mental health concerns associated with infertility, pregnancy loss, unplanned pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, high risk pregnancy, and pregnancy termination
- Trauma associated with pregnancy, labor, and delivery
- Postpartum mental health concerns
- Mental health concerns associated with breastfeeding and lactation including Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER)
- Mental health concerns associated with the transition to parenthood for all parents (biological, adoptive, etc.)
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and other menstruation associated mental health concerns
- Menopause related mental health concerns
We provide mental healthcare focused on medication management combined with brief psychotherapy for the following:
- Planning pregnancy
- Mental health concerns associated with pregnancy for people of all ages, including teens.
- Mental health concerns associated with infertility, pregnancy loss, unplanned pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, high risk pregnancy, and pregnancy termination
- Trauma associated with pregnancy, labor, and delivery
- Postpartum mental health concerns
- Mental health concerns associated with breastfeeding and lactation including Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER)
- Mental health concerns associated with the transition to parenthood for all parents (biological, adoptive, etc.)
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and other menstruation associated mental health concerns
- Menopause related mental health concerns
We commonly treat the following conditions in women or people with female reproductive hormones across the lifespan:
Telehealth puts highly specialized mental healthcare in your reach.
Have you ever wished you could talk with a medical professional, get the help you need, and not have to leave home? Do you live out of town or where healthcare services are limited? Maybe you have children at home that you can’t leave. Whatever the reason, telehealth makes it possible for you to get care where you are.
Our Vision: A future where those in need, no matter where they live, can easily access high-quality, specialty mental health care that not only effectively treats illness, but also promotes healthier, more fulfilling lives.
