EP 280: From Cardiac Care to Mind Matters: Keri Kendall's Journey With Green Peacock Psychiatry

What Makes Keri Kendall with Green Peacock Psychiatry a Good Neighbor?

What if we treated our brains with the same care and attention we give to our hearts, lungs, or any other vital organ? Keri Kendall, founder of Green Peacock Psychiatry, brings this compassionate perspective to mental healthcare, challenging the stigma often surrounding psychiatric treatment.

Keri is a Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner whose company, Green Peacock Psychiatry, provides patients with assessments, diagnoses, medication management, and a little bit of therapy. Her powerful personal journey—from navigating a difficult divorce with a one-year-old child to discovering her true passion through caring for a special needs child—led her to psychiatric nursing. After completing Baylor University’s nursing program and beginning her career in cardiac care, she followed her heart to mental health, where her clinical rotations resonated most deeply.

Her approach is rooted in collaboration. “It’s about you,” she reminds listeners considering psychiatric care. “You know you best.” This guiding philosophy shapes every step of her practice, from hour-long initial evaluations to ongoing care for patients aged five through 64 across Texas. Instead of prescribing rigid treatment plans, Keri partners with each person to discover what optimal living looks like uniquely for them.

The conversation also explores practical aspects of psychiatric care, including appointment schedules, while thoughtfully addressing how faith-based approaches can complement psychiatric treatment. Keri honors the role of church communities in mental wellness through connection, meditation, and prayer, while recognizing when additional clinical support is beneficial.

Whether you’re curious about psychiatric care for yourself or a loved one, seeking clarity amid mental health misconceptions, or interested in diverse healthcare journeys, this episode offers authentic insights from a practitioner dedicated to meeting patients exactly where they are.

Ready to rethink brain health? Listen now and discover a perspective that might just transform your approach to mental wellbeing.

To learn more about Green Peacock Psychiatry, go to: https://greenpeacockpsychiatry.com/

 Green Peacock Psychiatry

  469-669-3585

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of aboard-certified psychiatric
nurse practitioner?
Well, one may be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing Keri Kendall, your
good neighbor, with her companyGreen Peacock Psychiatry.
Keri, how are you today?

(00:32):
I'm well.
How are you?
I'm also doing well Now.
We are so excited to learn allabout you and your business.
Can you start off by tellingour listeners a little bit about
your company?

Speaker 3 (00:54):
Sure, green Peacock.
Psychiatry was started by me.
I do in-person visits, mostlyin Oak Cliff, but I do also do
virtual visits all over Texas.
I can you know we get on thephone and we do a kind of a
telehealth visit and those are.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
I have patients all across Texas that we do that
with Wow.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
You must stay very busy.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yes, I do actually.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Now, carrie, how did you originally get into this
business?
So I started about 10 years ago.
I went through a divorce and Istarted trying to figure out
what I was going to do goingforward.
I had a one-year-old, so Istarted taking care of a special
needs child and then that tookme to become more interested and
I was like well, I kind of likethis and I think I can do this.

(01:44):
So I took some classes at, youknow, community college and then
I joined.
I applied to the BaylorUniversity nursing program shout
out to Baylor.
I went through their fastbackprogram in a year and a year
later I was a nurse and then.
So I became a cardiac nursefirst, but I ultimately knew I

(02:07):
would go into psychiatry orpsychiatric practice mental
health it interested me the most.
When I did my clinical rotationin mental health, it was my
favorite by far, my favorite byfar.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Now, what is the biggest myth or misconception
you come across in your industry?

Speaker 3 (02:37):
I know there is quite a few I was about to say there
are so many but one of thethings that I think I would like
to address most is the brain isan organ just like your heart,
just like your kidneys, justlike your lungs, and if you had
a problem with one of those, youwould be sitting in the
doctor's office trying toaddress it.
In fact, if you couldn't breathe, you would probably be begging
for the medication, and I kindof always describe this to my

(03:01):
patients, you know, who are kindof hesitant about medication,
describe this to my patients,you know, who are kind of
hesitant about medication, and Iobviously don't push it, but I
just when I know they'restruggling and this could be an
option that could give them somerelief.
They've been in therapy for awhile.
It's not.
It's not fully working.
It's working, but notcompletely.
And so you know the brain goesthrough different stages.

(03:26):
We all go through differentthings in our life that we may
have to, you know, address itwith medication.
And so it's the brain.
Like I said, the brain is a lotlike any of the other organs
that might struggle or have amoment where it needs medication
to recover, or maybe it'slifelong, but maybe it's not.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Most definitely Now, keri.
Who are your target customersand how do you currently attract
them?

Speaker 3 (03:59):
So my target population is mostly it's
children through adults, so it'sstarting at age five through 64
.
And I really want people thatare serious about addressing
their mental health.
I'm, you know, from day one, onboard, working with you, trying

(04:24):
to get you in the livingoptimally, or living your life
how you want to live it, and soI want you to come to me serious
and ready to work, becausethat's what I'm, that's what I'm
doing too.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Now, neurologically speaking, why is five the age
where you start taking patients?

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Well, sometimes there might be a little bit of anger
issues or even, you know, somehyperactivity that we can't even
get them to participate inclass, or even if they're like,
in a pre-K class or if they'rein a kindergarten class or
whatever, and they can't even.
You know the teacher's spendingso much time trying to get this

(05:05):
one child to focus and learn,and everybody's, you know, got a
goal in school they need toparticipate and learn, and so
that's what we're trying to do.
We're trying to get.
That's when we start at.
Five is pretty much whenthey're not at home.
They need to be sitting stillin a classroom.
They have expectations, and momand dad isn't getting a phone

(05:26):
call all the time about come getyour child, or.
You know that's pretty much whywe started dressing it at five.
Are there some people thatstart as early as three and four
?
Yes, I think.
My comfort level, though, isabout five to 64.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
Understood.
Now we know marketing is theheart of every business.
Have you ever thought aboutdoing your very own podcast?

Speaker 3 (05:56):
Yes, um, but it would require taking time away from
patients right now.
So I think I'm just veryfocused on patient care and that
tends to be my main focus, butit is something that I've
considered in the future.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yes, Now outside of work, when you're not helping
patients, what do you like to do?

Speaker 3 (06:21):
Well, I'm working on my mental health.
So I go work out, I hang outwith my daughter.
I have a small circle offriends that I go and do things
with.
I also my family's fairly local, or, you know, within a couple
hours away.
So I see them, I talk to themoften, and so I'd like to get

(06:44):
more involved in my community inOak Cliff, and that's my plan.
I haven't lived there very longbut I do enjoy it, but that's
kind of how I spend my free time.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
Now please tell our listeners one thing they should
remember about green peacockpsychiatry.

Speaker 3 (07:12):
I always say it's about you.
Um, I'm coming in, we're gonnafocus on you.
Do I have suggestions?
Sure, do I have my own thoughtsabout it?
Yes, but I also need you tohelp me.
You know you best, and so we'regoing to work together as a
team and to figure out whereyou're comfortable, what you
know.
We're going to work through allthe questions, all all the

(07:33):
things that you're just not sureabout, and we're going to walk,
you know, work through that asa team.
I think that's what they shouldthink of when they come in to
see me is this is kind of a teameffort and it's about how to
get them living optimally andthe life that they really want
to have.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
Wow.
Now follow up question for you,for our listeners who may be
considering psychiatry but notsure what that time commitment
is going to look like, can yougive them a rough estimate of a
timeline?

Speaker 3 (08:19):
you know, if you decide medication is for you, we
typically will have like thefirst initial evaluation, which
takes about an hour, and thenafter that I will kind of say to
the person, hey, when would youlike to see me again?
What is your?
And sometimes they'll say in acouple of weeks, sometimes
they'll say in a month,sometimes it's like you know
I've already been on thismedication a while We'll just

(08:39):
three months.
But the average, you know, theaverage visit is the initial is
an hour and then after that it's30 minutes to 45 minutes and
then it's every one, two, threemonths.
Sometimes, you know, if they'repretty stable on it, it's.
Then it's every three months.
So it's four times a year.

Speaker 2 (09:00):
And what would you say for the people who believe
more in a faith route?
Would you still recommend themto go to psychiatry if they
really need it, but they justdon't take the medication.

Speaker 3 (09:13):
So if they want to, if they don't want to take
medication, then I obviouslystay with therapy, go.
Obviously if they're taking afaith route, they would probably
find counseling inside theirchurch.
But I do think you know, evenif that they find that that's
not enough or that they feellike they need a little bit more

(09:36):
like a boost in their mood,maybe church isn't as fun
anymore, maybe they're notgetting so much from it, or
whatever part of their life theyfeel like is just not working,
then definitely come see me.
But church fits into thepicture.
I mean, church providescommunity and it definitely

(09:59):
fosters a very you know,meditation, prayer, all of that.
It fosters a lot of greatmental health, a pathway for
good mental health.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
And where can our listeners go to learn more about
Green Peacock Psychiatry?

Speaker 3 (10:15):
I have a website, greenpeacockpsychiatrycom, and
my phone number is 469-669-3585,and I also have an Instagram
page.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
Well, Keri, I really appreciate you being on the show
.
We wish you and your businessthe best moving forward.

Speaker 3 (10:35):
Thank you for having me.
It was good to speak with you.

Speaker 1 (10:40):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPFriscocom.
That's GNPFriscocom, or call469-221-9345.