Melissa Brown, APRN, PMHNP-BC, WHNP-BC, PMH-C
Melissa Brown, APRN, PMHNP-BC, WHNP-BC, PMH-C, is a dual board-certified psychiatric and women’s health nurse practitioner at iTrust Wellness Group, a holistic outpatient psychiatric practice serving the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson area in South Carolina. She specializes in the intersection of mental and reproductive health, providing expert care during critical life stages, including pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause. Her clinical focus encompasses bipolar disorder, late-diagnosed ADHD, and trauma-informed care for individuals with complex PTSD, emphasizing patient-centered, evidence-based approaches tailored to each individual’s unique needs.
Melissa’s path to becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner was unexpected. While working in dental marketing with no healthcare background, she became pregnant and learned her son would have a birth defect, leading to nine weeks in the NICU. The emotional support and dedication of the nurses inspired her to pursue nursing, and she spent five years as a NICU nurse in Greenville. Recognizing a desire to have a broader impact on women’s health, she earned her women’s health nurse practitioner degree from Vanderbilt University, then expanded into psychiatric care after seeing the limitations of short OB-GYN visits. She later completed a post-master’s certificate in psychiatry, allowing her to provide comprehensive, patient-centered mental health care in an outpatient setting where she advocates tirelessly for her patients.
Beyond her clinical practice, Melissa contributes to the broader medical community as a speaker for Johnson & Johnson and a psychiatry content advisor for Rescripted, a women’s health–focused educational platform. She also actively mentors clinicians and participates in reproductive mental health initiatives through Postpartum Support International and the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry. Melissa earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina, her Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University, and a post-master’s certificate from Wilkes University, with additional certifications in perinatal mental health and reproductive psychiatry supervision. Her professional journey reflects a commitment to holistic, empathetic care and patient advocacy across the lifespan.
• Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC)
• Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurse - SC ONLY/Registered Nurse - Multi State Compact
• Perinatal Mental Health - Certified
• Vanderbilt University - MSN
• Medical University of South Carolina - BSN
• Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College - ASN
• The Menopause Society
• Marcé for North America
• American Association of Nurse Practitioners
• American Psychiatric Association
• National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
• South Carolina Perinatal Association
• Postpartum Support International
• Postpartum Support International
• Mission Health
What do you attribute your success to?
I really don't think I would have realized that any of this was even needed if I hadn't had this huge thing happen that felt horrible at the time. It wasn't a pregnancy I was excited about. I was not planning on being a mother ever, and my son showed me wrong. I will try every day of my life to prove myself wrong and to keep looking at that. Just because you don't do it in the timeline that looks successful doesn't mean that you can't be, and life experience counts for so much. Everything that you do, bad, good, otherwise, it'll just help you connect with somebody down the road. That makes a big difference in healthcare too. If somebody thinks that I understand them, or have been in a similar situation, they're more likely to be compliant with their medication and listen to me.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to have a 4.0 GPA to make a difference, you just have to care. There are plenty of nurse practitioners out there who got all the best grades and got into all the best schools, but they don't form connections with their patients. You need to care about yourselves and care about your patients. Just do your absolute, absolute best. If you've done your absolute best, then you don't have to question anything. When I graduated high school, I had no goals. My GPA was probably a 2.8. I wasn't going into awards, I wasn't trying to do that, and I didn't believe in myself at that point. But once I became pregnant, it really put the mirror on me. It's better to start at 80% and get started than to try to wait till 100% and never get started.