Whole-Person Psychiatric Care Built on Fifteen Years of Clinical Experience

Carrie Karr is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who brings something unusual to medication management: she has worked on both sides of the treatment equation. Before becoming a prescribing provider, she spent over a decade as a behavioral health RN and clinical manager inside hospital psychiatric units, learning firsthand what happens when patients fall through the cracks and what happens when they do not. That experience now shapes every appointment she holds at Axis Integrated Mental Health’s Denver Tech Center clinic.

Carrie approaches psychiatric care with a commitment to the whole person. Her clinical philosophy draws on evidence-based medicine, a deep respect for how physical health and mental health intersect, and a genuine curiosity about the full range of tools available to support recovery. She has seen what works in inpatient settings, outpatient clinics, and telehealth rooms, and she carries that breadth of experience to every patient she works with.

What Does Holistic Psychiatric Care Actually Mean?

“Holistic” is one of the most overused words in mental health marketing. So what does it actually look like in a psychiatric appointment?

For Carrie, it starts with the questions she asks. Most medication management appointments focus narrowly on symptom severity and medication response. Carrie widens that lens. She wants to know about sleep, nutrition, how your body is doing alongside your mind, and whether any supplements or herbs you are already using could interact with medications she might prescribe. This is not accidental. Carrie holds advanced training in herbal therapeutics from the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies, one of the few psychiatric providers in Colorado with that specific background. She understands pharmaceutical-herb interactions not as an afterthought but as a clinical variable that deserves attention.

This matters because patients do not always tell their prescribers what supplements they are taking, either because they forget or because they assume it is not relevant. Carrie creates a clinical environment where those conversations happen, which leads to safer, more tailored treatment plans.

Clinical Approach

Carrie’s treatment philosophy centers on what she calls continuous improvement, not just as a value she holds about her own practice, but as a goal she pursues on behalf of every patient. She builds evidence-based care plans grounded in DSM criteria, adjusts those plans based on how you actually respond, and stays curious about outcomes rather than attached to initial diagnoses.

Her areas of clinical focus include:

Medication management for depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. Carrie has extensive experience with complex cases, including patients who have not found relief with first-line antidepressants. She is comfortable evaluating whether a patient might benefit from Axis’s advanced treatment options, including Spravato (esketamine) or Deep TMS, and collaborating with the broader Axis clinical team to coordinate those pathways.

Dual diagnosis and substance use. At Jefferson Center for Mental Health, Carrie served as the primary provider for a community walk-in substance use clinic, prescribing medication-assisted treatment including Suboxone and conducting ASAM assessments. She is skilled at untangling co-occurring psychiatric and substance use conditions, a clinical challenge that many providers find difficult.

Carrie works in both in-person and telehealth formats and coordinates actively with patients’ other providers to ensure care is not fragmented.

Who Carrie Helps

Carrie works with adults navigating a range of psychiatric conditions, including:

• Depression, including treatment-resistant depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Mood disorders, including bipolar spectrum conditions
• Dual diagnosis (co-occurring psychiatric and substance use conditions)
• Patients seeking medication management after leaving hospital-based care

She is a strong fit for patients who want a provider who will take time to understand the full picture, ask about what they are already doing for their health, and build a treatment plan that reflects their life, not just their diagnosis. Patients who have felt dismissed or over-medicated elsewhere often find Carrie’s approach a meaningful change.

Background and Credentials

Carrie earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a focus in Psychiatric Mental Health from Walden University and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Colorado Denver. She is board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) and also holds a Gerontological Nursing Board Certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a credential that reflects her specialized expertise in geriatric care.

Earlier in her career, Carrie served as Clinical Nurse Manager at AdventHealth Porter (formerly Centura Health), where she helped launch and lead the hospital’s Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) unit, including developing clinical policies and training the full medical staff. She is a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association, the Colorado Nurses Association, and the American Nurses Association.

Why This Work

Carrie has been in psychiatric care settings since 2010, and her reasons for staying have deepened over time. She became a nurse practitioner not to leave bedside care behind but to extend what she could offer patients. The clinical questions she finds most interesting are the ones where the standard playbook runs out and where understanding the whole person, not just the diagnosis, makes the difference.

She has worked with patients who were acutely ill and patients who were finding their footing after stabilization. She has worked in locked inpatient units and in outpatient clinics. That span of experience gives her both clinical humility and clinical confidence. She knows how much is possible when patients feel genuinely partnered in their care.

Ready to Get Started?

Carrie is accepting new patients 18 years old and older at Axis Integrated Mental Health’s Denver Tech Center location. Whether you are looking for psychiatric medication management, a second opinion on your current treatment, or an evaluation for advanced options like Spravato or Deep TMS, Carrie is here to help you figure out the right next steps.

Book your appointment online at axismh.com/book-online or call us at 720.400.7025. Most major insurance plans are accepted.