About Michelle van Duinen, APRN

Michelle van Duinen, APRN is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with over 30 years of clinical experience. She is board-certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She specializes in the comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and psychiatric treatment of adults in Stonington, Connecticut, and its neighboring communities. Michelle has moved her clinical practice to her hometown of Stonington to be closer to family and the area she grew up in.

Psychiatric mental health-related illness manifests in symptoms that affect an individual’s thoughts, mood, behaviors, and sleep. Michelle targets disruptive symptoms and helps her patients learn to navigate them with a wholistic approach to treatment.

Michelle is currently an attending treatment provider in the Acute Hospital setting at Hebrew Home, treating geriatric psychiatric hospital patients. The treatment focus in this hospital is the stabilization of symptoms of dementia and other brain-based illnesses.

She is also an attending treatment provider at both Saint Francis and Johnson Memorial Hospitals. In these settings, she works with patients on acute mental health stabilization and/or detoxification for substance dependence.

In addition, Michelle works with the Court Supported Service Division of Connecticut Counseling, helping patients whose criminal offense was correlated with a mental illness, substance-related illness, or both. The court refers these patients into treatment when it determines the patients can successfully recover from the symptoms and avoid incarceration. Michelle also treats patients in an outpatient practice setting.

Michelle received her Associate of Science in Nursing from Mount Wachusett Community College, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Master of Science in Nursing-Adult Psychiatric Mental Health from the University of Saint Joseph. She serves as a clinical adjunct faculty member at the University of Saint Joseph for clinical practicum placement.

In her practice, Michelle treats a broad spectrum of patients. Among her areas of clinical expertise is the treatment of dementia, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, eating disorders, ADHD, Suboxone treatment for opiate dependence, alcohol and substance use disorders co-occurring with other psychiatric disorders, and psychiatric disorders among the medically ill.

Education

University of Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT
Master of Science – Nursing/Adult Psychiatric Mental Health
Bachelor of Science – Nursing

Mount Wachusett Community College, Gardner, MA
Associate Degree – Nursing

Additional Training

Yale Psychiatric Institute, New Haven
Institute of Living, Hartford
Assertive Community Treatment Team

License, Certifications, & Awards

Licensed in the State of Connecticut
Board Certification by American Nurses Credentialing Center
Holds DEA waiver to practice opioid dependency treatment with approved buprenorphine medications

Professional Activities and Memberships

Sigma Theta Tau International – International Honor Society of Nursing
American Nurses Association
Connecticut Nurses Association
Connecticut APRN Association
American Psychiatric Nurses Association