Jane Soderberg, ARNP, PMHNP-BC, enjoys making connections with fellow practitioners, most recently as chair of the East King County AAPPN Chapter.
“AAPPN is a lifeline for me. Especially being in private practice, one can feel so alone and disconnected. This organization provides opportunities with colleagues to consult, learn, and gather with.”
Jane practices adult psychiatry and psychotherapy in Redmond.
You’ve been able to experience psychiatric nursing through its evolution. How did you get your start?
I graduated from UW School of Nursing in 1981. After college I worked at a small hospital in Ballard. I worked in the ICU, and received further training including a certification in ACLS. One advantage of working in a small hospital is that it provided more opportunities such as participating and directing codes, drawing arterial and venous blood for labs, giving respiratory treatments, including when patients were on ventilators.
Even though it was very challenging and interesting, I decided after a few years to work in home healthcare, which utilized my ICU skills in a home setting. As I started having children, I decreased my hours and worked part time.
It sounds like you got a strong foundation with bedside care and non-psychiatric nursing. How did you transition to psych and advanced practice?
I became interested in psychiatry and psychotherapy and found a unique program at a community mental health clinic that taught counseling. They provided experience by giving you a small caseload. We were closely supervised with case consultation and continuing counseling education. That gave me some experience treating the mentally ill.
It wasn’t long after that I applied to the nursing masters program in psychiatry at the UW in Seattle. It had been 17 years since I had been in school, so it was a challenge with a family at home. I remember talking to a professor before I applied to the program and I expressed my doubts. She was so encouraging. I just had days to complete my GRE and just managed to pass. I celebrated my graduation with my oldest daughter, who was also graduating from high school.
What do you enjoy about your current practice?
It became clear to me early on that I wanted to focus on maternal mental health. As D.W. Winnicott states, “there is no such thing as a baby without a mother.” Treating the mother is saving two lives. How successful one feels as a mother, contributes to how she feels emotionally with her baby. This greatly effects the attachment between the mother and baby.
Wanting to help a mother feel successful, I made a video on how infants communicate. I filmed infants showing various behaviors that reflected what they were feeling. This informed the mother/parent as to what the infant needed.
Knowing this, the mother could become more successful at responding to her infant’s needs and this greatly effected how she felt emotionally.
I am currently in private practice treating adults with mood disorders, but I continue to specialize in providing treatment in the perinatal period. I also have some expertise in parent education and coaching. I enjoy interacting with psychiatrists and psychologists around the nation.
What are you most proud of?
What I am most proud of is not one big moment or achievement (although landing a job directing a program right of school was pretty cool).
I am most proud of the moment with a new mom who feels desperate, “crazy,” anxious, filled with guilt, and, after sitting with me, feels some relief and looks at me like she knows I get it. This is such a hopeful moment and I feel so honored that she allowed me to really “see” her.
What has AAPPN meant to you in your career and practice?
AAPPN is a lifeline for me. Especially being in private practice, one can feel so alone and disconnected. This organization provides opportunities with colleagues to consult, learn, and gather with. AAPPN also provides much needed continuing education to maintain licensure.
How do you reset?
I really enjoy hiking, biking and swimming and walking with friends. And more recently, I have been camping and I am constantly awed by the beauty in the NW.