Meet Sara Langley | Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sara Langley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
During the pandemic we really started to see the nationwide decline in childhood mental health and the associated crisis that started to unfurl. At the time I was at home on my maternity leave and started to reassess what I wanted my contribution to the health of my community to look like. I was trained in Primary Care but decided that I wanted to focus my efforts on addressing the lack of, specifically, child and adolescent mental health providers in California. So I went back to school to do both a fellowship and then a post-master’s certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health. As a new mother, I knew that I needed a schedule that was flexible and would allow me to split my time fairly with my new baby and with my patients, so instead of working for a large hospital group I decided to create my own medical corporation with my supervising physician, called ChildKind Integrative Psychiatry. The benefits of starting up my own business are that I am able to create the most beneficial mental healthcare experience for my patients, focusing on collaboration and comprehensive care for parents and their children. I love open and compassionate communication with my families and to give them the space and time to explore treatment options and alternatives. The goal of ChildKind Integrative Psychiatry is to take the stress and worry off the parent’s plate. I reach out to everyone involved in the child’s circle of care to make sure we are all on the same page and that the ball is not dropped. I touch base weekly with parents to check in on everyone and adjust the co-created treatment plan as necessary. I create super bills and file them on behalf of the parents. I am able to do all this by working for myself without the time and financial constraints that I would otherwise have to adhere to if working for someone else.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am the a founder and co-owner of ChildKind Integrative Psychiatry. In my practice, I employ a family-centered approach, displaying open communication, transparency and understanding with both children and their families. Children and their families are the experts in themselves, and I am excited to learn about their ideals, goals, experiences and concerns regarding the care they wish to receive. I provide medication management for a host of childhood mental health conditions including, but not limited to, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, anxiety, depression and mood disorders. What sets me apart is that I provide traditional medication management using antidepressants, antipsychotics and stimulants, but also like to offer and use supplementation specific for the condition we are treating. I also love to collaborate with therapists, pediatricians, teachers and other professionals to make sure that children in my care are receiving full comprehensive and complimentary care.

To complement my clinic I also created a blog site called Mommies In Mind. Here I explain the facts to mothers with about medications their children may be taking. I answer commonly asked questions regarding medications and diagnosis of childhood mental health conditions. My integrative approach, as well as this blog site, are what set me apart from others and illustrates my dedication and commitment to helping families understand and cope with mental health issues in a way that is based in common sense and transparency.

Setting up a business takes a great deal of time and grit, and you really have to want it and work at it. It is not enough to know your speciality, you need to learn new skills like marketing and accounting, especially in the beginning when you are just starting out. I found myself a Nurse Practitioner mentor called Alysha Woods who had gone through the process a few years before I had, and she taught me how to set up everything and get the ball rolling. She introduced me to a group of other Nurse Practitioners doing the same thing as me and they have become my tribe. Without her showing me that it could be done, and that it was possible, I would not be here today.

Lessons I have learned along the way include being patient when starting up: It can be disheartening when you are right at the beginning of your journey and things are not falling into place the way you imagined. The imposter syndrome is real. Surround yourself with people who have already been there and remember what it was like in the beginning. They will be amazing sources of information and support, and will really help you network and spread brand awareness.

I want the world to know that even after working for years within the healthcare system myself, navigating this maze with my child has been frustrating and overwhelming. The system itself has a lot to answer for, and in many instances, it is not fit for purpose. Therefore my goal with ChildKind Integrative Psychiatry was to create a place where parents can feel reassured that their child’s mental health needs are taken care of to the fullest extent. The goal is to restore their child’s full social emotional vibrancy. Therefore, for parents, instead of having to tirelessly relay information back and forth between their child’s school, extended family members, providers and therapists, I take that burden off their plates so that they can spend time concentrating on the things that matter the most without feeling the burn out on their own mental health. Parents are busy enough.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First is Griffith Park. The vast expanse of greenery is such a lovely contrast to the concrete and high rise building of the city. It provides a mental break from the noise and activity of the streets and helps to ground me in the moment.

The Farmer’s Market at 3rd and Fairfax is a fun place to see and walk through, as is The Grove.

For food I enjoy Javiers at Century City Mall with dessert at Bacio di Latte for their rose vanilla ice cream.

Finally the museums in and around LA. We are fortunate to have access to LACMA, the La Brea Tar Pits, The Museum of Natural History and The Science Centre to name but a few. There are always exhibits traveling through the city as well as live music and events locally to celebrate the vast diversity of heritage and culture here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to give a shout out to Alysha Woods, PMHNP, my good friend and mentor at Rooted Psychiatry. She provides mentorship to Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners working for new practices to address the mental healthcare shortage. This would not have been possible without her.

Website: https://www.childkindpsychiatry.com/

Instagram: Mommies_In_Mind

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557069413053

Other: https://www.mommiesinmind.com

Image Credits
Jess koehler Photo
https://www.jesskoehlerphoto.com/