Beth King

Beth King, PhD, PMHNP, Assistant Professor, Florida Atlantic University, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing

Dr. Beth King, assistant professor and coordinator of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, is researching and advocating for mental health. Currently, she is conducting a study with parents and guardians of children enrolled in Head Start. As part of the study, she is teaching HeartMath® as an intervention to cope with stress, anxiety and depression. While the results have not been analyzed, narrative responses have been positive. Additionally, Dr. King, in coordination with Dr. Charlotte Barry, has been involved in an exploratory study to investigate the mental health strengths and needs of adults living in Bondeau, Haiti. The aims of the study are to determine the severity of depressive symptomatology, degree of anxiety and resiliency of persons. The results showed that the people in this region have significant mental health needs, as almost 40 percent of participants experienced moderate to severe symptoms of depression, 45 percent experienced moderate to severe levels of anxiety, and the resilience level was low for the majority of participants. It is Dr. King’s hope that through her work she can organize activities to advocate, educate and change attitudes and the understanding of mental health.