What if the most powerful tool in psychiatric care isn’t a prescription, but a relationship built with skill, ethics, and presence? We sit down with Dr. Kathleen McCoy to trace a career shaped by Hildegard Peplau’s interpersonal theory—from a 25-cent used book to leading practice, mentoring clinicians, and resetting norms in systems that push for eight-minute med checks.
We talk about building a practice that stands on clear values and measurable outcomes: fewer revolving-door returns, deeper engagement, and care plans that actually fit a person’s life. Kathleen shares how she set time standards, documented with rigor, and earned trust across teams, all while refusing to let psychotherapy get crowded out by coding and speed. She explains how to right-size caseloads, make fast, ethical referrals for higher-acuity needs, and use community connections as clinical infrastructure—case managers, primary care, jobs, child care, and simple resources that stabilize daily life and reduce stigma.
Mentorship runs through every story. Kathleen shows why mastering paperwork and credentialing frees you to focus on people, how precise language shifts culture—moving from adherence to participation—and how to teach interviewing and motivation so patients become advocates for themselves. Finally, she opens up about sustaining the therapeutic self with prayer, color, painting, swimming, dance, travel, and friendships—whole-person living that keeps compassion sharp and burnout at bay.
If you’re a psychiatric nurse, NP, therapist, educator, or anyone trying to deliver human care in a high-pressure system, this conversation offers a grounded roadmap. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs a boost, and leave a review with the insight or quote that stayed with you.
ISPN Article of the Year 2025: McCoy, K. T., & Williams, K. A. (2024). The Williams and McCoy model of motivational spirited cognitive behavioral change communication. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 48, 1-6.
Let’s Connect
Dr Dan Wesemann
Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu
Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann
Dr Kate Melino
Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu
Dr Sean Convoy
Email: sc585@duke.edu
Dr Melissa Chapman
Email: mchapman@pdastats.com
