Hear to Help is a nurses way of thinking, advocating, and supporting individuals. Using trauma informed principles ensuring safety, empowerment, voice, collaboration, inclusivity, and support. Psychiatric care should be inviting, genuine, and understandable. Hear to Help Mental Health is here to listen to you and what you need from a psychiatric provider.

Hear to Help Mental Health

Hear to Help started with an idea….to listen and be present for people on their mental health journey

JoEllen “Ellen” Schimmels is hear to help mental health. Empowering individuals with trauma informed, evidence based care. Ellen has been a nurse since 1998, and has worked in a variety of clinical, administrative, academic, and strategic settings. During her 20+ years active duty in the US Army, she worked with individuals and advocated, mentored, and implemented system based changes across the military health system. She is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (for insomnia, trauma focused, and suicide prevention), prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, and accelerated resolution therapy. A consummate mental health advocate, she has presented and published on anxiety, trauma, well-being, telehealth, substance use issues, education, and suicide. She has been a proponent of improving mental health care for well over two decades, using trauma-informed nursing practices that distinguishes her in the field. Let hear to help, here to heal work with you on your journey for improved mental health in your life.

Selected References

Morganstein, J. C., West, J. C., Schimmels, J., & Benedek, D. M. (2020, April 27) Response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic: What will it take? Psychiatry, 1-6. doi: 10.1080/00332747.2020.1750928

Naegle, M.A., Kelly, L.A., Embree, J.L., Valentine, N., Sharp, D., Grinspun, D., Hines-Martin, V.P., Crawford, C.L., & Rosa, W.E. (2023, March/April). American academy of nursing consensus recommendations to advance system level change for nurse well-being. Nurs Outlook, 71(2), 19. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.outlook.2023.101917

Schimmels, J., & Cunningham, L. (2021).  How do we move forward with trauma-informed care?  Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(4),405-411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.12.005

Schimmels, J., Groh, C., Neft, M., Wocial, L., Young, C., & Davidson, J. E. (2023). American Academy of Nursing expert panel consensus statement on leveraging equity in policy to improve recognition and treatment of mental health, substance use disorders, and nurse suicide. Nursing Outlook, 71(3), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2023.101970.

Schimmels, J. (2026, January 26). Inclusivity in nursing: Sustaining professional values in a changing landscape. Nursing Nexus, featured articles. https://nursingnexus.net/inclusivity-in-nursing-sustaining-professional-values-in-a-changing-landscape/

 Schimmels, J. (2026, January 20). Humanic, not robotic: Countertransference culture shift in nursing. Nursing Nexus, https://nursingnexus.net/humanic-not-robotic-countertransference-culture-shift-in-nursing/. Peer reviewed commentary.

 Schimmels, J. (2025). Traumatic influences on nursing students’ decision to pursue a nursing career: A qualitative study. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 00, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2025.10.021

 Newton, M., Brammer, S. V., Chang, Y., Hain, D., Herbert, W., Kverno, K., Mumba, M., & Schimmels, J. (2025). Improving engagement for enhancing social capital in the older adult: An AAN consensus paper. Nursing Outlook, 73(6), 102555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102555

 Schimmels, J., Beeber, L. Delaney, K., Hauenstein, E., Iennaco, J., Sharp, D., & Shattell, M. (2025). Expanding the five urgent recommendations: Advancing workplace

safety in healthcare settings. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/10783903251348948

 Schimmels, J., Iennaco, J., Delaney, K. R., Hauenstein, E., Sharp, D., Brewer-Smyth, K., Kverno, K., Patch, M., Cadena, S., Blaakman, S., Arends, R., & Beeber, L. (2025).  Protecting our nursing and healthcare workers with comprehensive strategies for preventing violence and promoting safety: An American Academy of Nursing Consensus Paper. Nursing Outlook, 73(3), 102425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102425

 Tierney, M., Schimmels, J., Delaney, K., Mumba, M., Glymph, D., Handrup, C., & Phoenix, B. (2025). Policy priorities to improve access to specialty advanced practice nursing care for mental health and substance use problems: An American Academy of Nursing Manuscript. Nursing Outlook, 73(1), 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2024.10342