Psychopharmacology for Licensed Counselors: An Interdisciplinary, Trauma-Informed Approach to Collaborative Mental Health Care
Presented by Lisa Summerlin, MSN, CRNP, FNE-A
This interdisciplinary training, presented from the perspective of a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, provides licensed counselors with a clinically relevant overview of psychopharmacology to strengthen collaborative care and improve client outcomes. The presentation reviews major psychiatric medication classes, commonly prescribed brand and generic medications, and foundational concepts in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to help counselors better understand how medications work and why side effects occur.
Participants will learn what prescribers assess during psychiatric medication evaluations, including medical comorbidities, past medication trials, organ function considerations, and substance use risk. The training also addresses pharmacogenomic (gene) testing, generic versus brand-name medications, and trauma-informed and substance-use–informed prescribing principles. Maryland-specific guidance regarding CRISP (the state Prescription Drug Monitoring Program) clarifies scope of access and ethical collaboration, including a case example demonstrating how PDMP review can influence prescribing decisions.
This program emphasizes the counselor’s critical role in monitoring client response, addressing medication stigma, and supporting safe, coordinated mental health treatment.
Lisa Summerlin, MSN, CRNP, FNE-A is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with a diverse clinical background spanning neurotrauma, psychiatric care, and forensic nursing. She began her career at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, specializing in neurotrauma, where she developed a strong foundation in high-acuity assessment and interdisciplinary collaboration.
She currently practices as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner providing comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, and medication management across a range of mental health conditions. In addition, she serves as a Forensic Nurse Examiner within a Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE) program, integrating trauma-informed principles into both medical and psychiatric care.
Her clinical approach emphasizes safety, collaborative treatment planning, and strengthening interdisciplinary partnerships between prescribers and therapists. She is passionate about improving understanding of psychiatric care including psychopharmacology among counseling professionals to enhance coordinated, client-centered mental health care.
Cost: LCPCM members - $30 / Non-members - $40 ($5.00 fee for all refunds)
CEUs: 2 (10am to 12pm) No partial credit will be given
Registration is limited!
Registration will end and payment must be received by March 23 at 11:59pm.
Zoom link will be emailed to those registered approximately 24 hours prior to class.
Class evaluation and CEU certificate link will be sent on the following Monday (March 30, 2026)
