Christine Farina

PMHNP-BC

Psychiatric Mental health Nurse Practitioner

Hi, I'm Christine. Think of me as the psych provider who won't ghost you, gaslight you, or make you feel like you're just background noise in your own story. As a queer, tattooed, unapologetically weird provider, I specialize in the cases other practices get nervous about: complex presentations, treatment-resistant conditions, and people who've been dismissed, over-medicated, or handed a diagnosis that never quite fit.
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I provide telepsychiatry throughout Colorado for complex, treatment-resistant, and high-acuity conditions, including OCD, PTSD, mood disorders, ADHD, personality disorders, and dual diagnosis. I have more than a decade in psychiatry, much of it in community mental health, where I worked with the full spectrum of mental health conditions alongside substance use, serious medical illness, and complicated medication regimens. That experience is why I'm judicious with controlled substances, and why I'd rather simplify what you're taking than stack more on top.

I focus on the cluster of symptoms you're actually living with, not on squeezing you into a box. A diagnosis matters for coding and insurance, but your care plan should be built around you. I take the time to ask questions, listen to your concerns about medication, and explain the benefits and the trade-offs. Many patients tell me they felt heard, not handed a prescription.

I use humor, sometimes dark, always respectful, because psychiatric care doesn't have to feel cold and clinical to work. I'm part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC patients often tell me they feel especially at home here. Everyone is welcome to bring their whole self.

If you've cycled through providers who made you feel like too much, too complicated, or too far gone, you're probably exactly who I'm here for.

My Album

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Healing Support: Christine Farina's Specialties

Depression

Major Depressive Disorder: persistent low mood, loss of interest, and changes in sleep, appetite, energy, and concentration that affect daily life. Care looks at your full symptom picture and history, including options when past medications haven't worked or have caused more problems than they solved.

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders involve persistent worry, panic, or physical tension, such as a racing heart, restlessness, and trouble sleeping, that is hard to switch off. Treatment focuses on which symptoms are causing the most distress and builds a plan that eases them without over-treating.

ADHD

A neurodevelopmental condition marked by ongoing difficulty with focus, impulse control, and restlessness that affects work, school, and relationships. Many adults are first diagnosed later in life. Care includes a thorough evaluation, medication options when appropriate, and practical strategies for focus and follow-through.

PTSD

A condition that can follow trauma, showing up as flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, hypervigilance, and trouble concentrating. Treatment is matched to your specific cluster of symptoms and paired with therapy, and intensive outpatient support when it's warranted, including for complex and long-term trauma.

OCD

Intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental rituals (compulsions) that take up time and cause real distress. Care combines medication options with therapy-based strategies, coordinated with your therapist.

Bipolar Disorder

A mood disorder with episodes of elevated or irritable mood and high energy (mania or hypomania) alternating with depression. Care centers on mood stabilization, careful monitoring, and preventing relapse.

Schizophrenia Disorder

Serious conditions that affect thinking, perception, and mood, including hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. Consistent, collaborative treatment and early support improve outcomes, and your own experience guides the plan.

Insomnia

Ongoing trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking unrefreshed, often tied to anxiety, depression, trauma, or medical conditions. Care looks at what's driving the problem before choosing a medication, with the goal of restoring sleep without creating dependence.

Personality Disorders

Long-standing patterns of thinking, emotion, and relating that cause distress or strain relationships, including borderline personality disorder. Care offers steady, nonjudgmental treatment of symptoms like mood swings and impulsivity, alongside therapy.

Substance Use & Dual Diagnosis

When a mental health condition and substance use occur together. Treating both at once, with respect and without shame, tends to work better than treating either alone.

LGBTQAI2+

Affirming psychiatric care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and two-spirit people, including those exploring gender identity. Christine brings both clinical and lived experience to this work and understands how discrimination and stigma affect mental health.

BIPOC

Culturally responsive care that recognizes how systemic racism, discrimination, and cultural barriers shape mental health and access to care. Christine asks questions, is honest about what she doesn't know, and learns from each patient what feels safe and respectful.

Christine Farina's Patient Care Mix:

Adolescents (13-18), Adults (19-64), Seniors (65+)

Christine Farina's Care Philosophy: From Application to Psychiatric Practice

What inspires you to want to work for Forest Path Psychiatry & Healing? What did you like (or not like!) about the job description?

This was the first job listing I'd seen that put diversity of populations front and center and welcomed providers' personalities and sense of humor. Healthcare doesn't always make room for people who think differently or step outside the "norm," and I wanted to work somewhere that sees that as an asset.

How do you define diversity, and why is it important?

Diversity is the commitment to give personalized care to patients from all different walks of life. It's extremely important to me to learn how to connect with patients who are different from me. Just because I can't completely empathize with someone's experience doesn't mean I can't work to understand their perspective.

What strategies do you use to ensure that all clients, regardless of their backgrounds, feel valued and respected in your clinical process?

I acknowledge the gaps in my own understanding, ask questions, and make sure every patient feels comfortable talking about their specific needs around race, culture, sexuality, and more. Psychiatric care is a collaboration, and each person needs their own care plan.

How do you feel about caring for BIPOC and LGBTQAI+ communities?

After more than a decade in psychiatry, my sense of humor is pretty dark. I won't say anything inappropriate to patients, but I use humor to humanize hard conversations.

Tell us about a time you advocated for a client when the system wasn't supportive.

There's a lot of homophobia and transphobia in healthcare, and I've had to confront coworkers who voiced problematic views about LGBT people. When a transgender patient was being misgendered by staff, I gently corrected them and explained how transphobia affects health outcomes.

How do you feel about humor with clients?

After more than a decade in psychiatry, my sense of humor is pretty dark. I won't say anything inappropriate to patients, but I use humor to humanize hard conversations.

Outside of work, who or what inspires you?

People who aren't afraid to go against the grain. I have tattoos and a nose piercing, and patients have told me that my appearance helped them feel more comfortable. These are my people.