Although mental illnesses are prevalent in many populations throughout the United States, many people tend to avoid seeking psychiatric services. One of the main reasons: fear of the overall price of treatment. Fortunately, you might be able to benefit from insurance to receive the proper care you deserve to improve your mental and emotional well-being. Read on to learn more about health coverage for therapy so you can minimize your out-of-pocket expenses.

Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Winter Haven, FL, Kristen has been working in Internal Medicine and primary care for over two decades. Having grown up on a dairy farm, she grew a passion for animals and wanted to be a veterinarian at first. She even studied pre-veterinary medicine as an undergraduate at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

However, she realized that she also had an interest in human medicine and began pursuing a career as a physician assistant after having the concept introduced to her by her childhood friend’s sister. Since then, she’s never looked back and can’t see herself doing anything else! After all, she gets to meet incredibly interesting and wonderful people while helping them to improve their overall quality of life.

Kristen began her career by attending the University of South Florida before studying at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, FL. She later graduated from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Physician Assistant program and has been practicing for over 20 years. For 13 years, she performed all medical clearances for the inpatient psychiatric units at Lakeland Regional Health in Lakeland, FL.

She later furthered her training in psychiatry at Yantra Psychiatric Services and moved on to becoming a board-certified Physician Assistant while also holding an additional board certification in Psychiatry. She became invested in her work and joined with Embrace Psychiatric Wellness Center to provide telehealth services as a licensed Physician Assistant in New Jersey. Today, she treats patients both outpatient and in residential rehabilitation settings for general psychiatry and addiction medicine.

She is also a Suboxone, Sublocade, and Vivitrol prescriber trained via the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and is also a member of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

Outside of psychiatry, Kristen loves being with her tight-knit family who has supported her in every endeavor and is her source of strength. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her Labrador Retriever, Bratwurst, and her parakeet named Jose Luis Gaspar. She also likes baking, admiring abstract art, watching movies, looking at the nighttime space shuttle launches from her backyard, and is a major Saturday Night Live fan.

One fun fact about her: she grew up in a very musical family, as her mother has a master’s in music education. In turn, Kristen can play various instruments, like the ukulele and harp, and has even been a soloist in several past church performances and weddings!

Kristen is currently accepting new patients at one of our convenient New Jersey locations and via telehealth.

Call 908-923-3483 or visit: embracepwc.com to request an appointment with Kristen or one of our other caring and compassionate practitioners.