Helping you understand who you are beyond the surface

I understand how identity, culture, and community shape our mental health, and how much it matters to feel safe with your provider. I hold space for the full spectrum of who you are, while helping you understand your mind, regulate your emotions, and move toward a life that feels more grounded and free.

Hey, I’m Shelby Husband DNP, PMHNP-BC

I am a doctorally prepared board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who practices both traditional and integrative psychiatry.

Before becoming a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, I started my career as an emergency room nurse, drawn to moments of intensity and human vulnerability. But it was my years spent working with youth in residential and acute psychiatric settings who’ve been abandoned, rejected, or misunderstood, and families stretched thin by worry and conflict that shifted my path.

In many cases, I became the bridge between child and parent, pain and understanding, chaos and calm. I chose children and adolescents (especially Black and brown youth) as one of my primary specialties because, as children of color, our first introduction to the world is unique. Sometimes, we can carry so much pain with so few words at an early age. How we experience the world during those years sets us on a life path that can sometimes be hard to break from.

I understand what it means to carry the invisible weight of your identity. As a Black man who was raised in the South and doesn't identify with the typical status quo of what it means to be “masculine” or a “man,” I know how isolating it can feel in a world that doesn’t always leave space for your full self. 

Meeting you where you are

I understand how identity, culture, and community shape our mental health, and how much it matters to feel safe with your provider. I hold space for the full spectrum of who you are, while helping you understand your mind, regulate your emotions, and move toward a life that feels more grounded and free.

Outside of my clinical work, I’m a proud anime fan always searching for my next favorite series (and yes, I’m counting down to the next Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War season). Music, especially R&B, is my sanctuary—Jhene Aiko’s melodies have a way of meeting me right where I am. 

Beyond the Office

I love traveling, exploring cultures through food and tradition, and finding peace in nature. When I’m taking a walk or sitting quietly beneath a tree, I’m reminded of something essential: we are not separate from the world around us. We’re part of something bigger, and that perspective shapes how I help others heal.

Credentials and Experience

  • Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), University of Tennessee Health Science Center

  • Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC)

  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), University of Tennessee Health Science Center

  • SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program Alumni

  • Dream Practice Academy Integrative Psychiatry Training Program Graduate

  • 3 years working in youth residential behavioral health treatment as an RN

  • 2 years in acute child/adolescent inpatient psychiatric care as an RN

  • 12 years in the United States Navy Reserve as a Hospital Corpsman

  • 2 years as a Reserve Naval Officer and Psychiatric Nurse

Compassionate Care Rooted in Curiosity

I lead with compassion and keep an open mind to all the different perspectives that might be shaping a person’s emotional experience. I also use integrative practices, so people feel like they have options and don’t always have to rely on medication to feel like themselves.

Sometimes just knowing there’s another path can help you feel more grounded and more hopeful.