Kelly Small graduated from the University of Maryland, School of Nursing, in 1993 with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing Degree from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2023. She is board certified as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) with the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Kelly spent 30 years working at Medstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. During her tenure at Medstar, Kelly gained a wide variety of experience including emergency and trauma resuscitation care, flight nursing, high acuity intensive care, and leadership. Kelly’s experience has provided her with opportunities to work with patients and families during some of their most difficult life experiences ranging from critical illness, traumatic injuries and experiences, death and dying, substance use and abuse, and substance withdrawal. Kelly’s leadership experience has provided her with much experience working with people and helping them navigate through difficult situations including not getting along with their coworkers, personal challenges, career goals, and coping with stress through substance use.
Kelly is passionate about providing care to those who struggle with mental health and addiction. She believes that she can provide an empathic, non-judgmental, and trusted environment for those that struggle with mental health issues, substance use, or both. Kelly feels she can identify with patients to an extent through her own personal experience with losing close family members to addiction.
Kelly’s goal in practice is to provide additional assistance in the treatment of substance use through evaluation for potential mental health issues that may have contributed to substance use or have resulted in difficulties maintaining sobriety. She hopes to decrease the stigma that surrounds mental health challenges while giving her patients additional tools to help them move forward and become their best selves. Her primary treatments will include evaluating for mental health issues, providing the necessary medications, and monitoring the effects of those medications through regular follow-up appointments. She can provide brief therapy as needed but will encourage patients to attend regular sessions with a therapist, or social worker, or through group therapy.