Nicole Buatala

Nicole Buatala is a board‑certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with advanced training in perinatal mental health and addiction psychiatry. She specializes in women’s psychiatric care, with a focus on perinatal transitions, ADHD, recovery, and professional burnout.

Nicole began her nursing career in 2004, advancing from LPN to RN to BSN while working across urgent care, family practice, urology, and women’s health. These early experiences shaped her commitment to integrated, whole‑person care. While serving on an ACT team supporting individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, she discovered her passion for bridging primary care and psychiatry.

She earned her MSN as a Family Nurse Practitioner before completing post‑graduate certification as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Her clinical training spans hospital, outpatient, inpatient, rural systems, the VA, and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic settings. Nicole has also worked in private psychiatric practice and interventional psychiatry, including ketamine infusions, Spravato, TMS, and ECT referral coordination. She currently practices with LifeStance Health and provides interventional services with The Remedy. She is licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin and is a recipient of the Sigma Award for Nursing Excellence.

Nicole’s commitment to perinatal mental health is both professional and personal. After navigating pregnancy and postpartum challenges during her husband’s military deployment, she pursued advanced training in perinatal psychiatry. Since 2017, she has worked extensively with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, frequently alongside comorbid substance use. She believes effective treatment supports not only the individual, but the broader family system.

In addition to clinical practice, Nicole is actively engaged in mental health advocacy. She volunteers with NAMI, serves on the Washington County Mental Health Advisory Council, and participates in Mental Health Day on the Hill. She believes education, policy engagement, and community advocacy are essential to reducing stigma and expanding access to care.

Nicole practices with a collaborative, evidence‑informed approach rooted in shared decision‑making. She believes sustainable outcomes are built on trust, education, and thoughtful integration of medication and therapeutic strategies.

Outside of practice, Nicole enjoys time with her family, supporting her son’s growth and curiosity, caring for her animals, crafting, and participating in community fun runs.