Arjun Gokhale, PMHNP
Arjun is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who is experienced in treating depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other psychiatric disorders.
More about Arjun Gokhale
Arjun Gokhale has a passion for psychiatry that was borne of his creative nature. Arjun would often notice an overlap between creativity and psychiatric distress in many of the artists who inspired him. He was struck by how these artists found meaning in their suffering and created empowering works that facilitated their healing. Similarly, Arjun views psychiatry and psychotherapy as forms of art, requiring creativity, thinking “outside-the-box,” exploration of one’s thoughts and emotions, and accepting the beauty in imperfection. Just like there is no one way to create art, there is no one way to approach a patient’s mental health treatment.
Arjun understands that the decision to seek psychiatric treatment, whether medication, psychotherapy, or other interventions, can be challenging for people. Many patients have worries or misconceptions about what this will entail. Arjun’s approach is to establish a collaborative and supportive partnership with his patients, that promotes open dialogue, is non-judgmental, and meets his patients “where they are.” He feels this is the best approach to facilitate his patients’ recovery, empower them to regain a sense of control over their lives, and dismantle stigmas around receiving psychiatric care. Arjun’s strengths include providing empathetic, culturally-sensitive, LGBTQ-affirmative, and trauma-informed care.
Along with psychopharmacology and psychotherapy, Arjun is very interested in evidence-based interventions such as therapeutic Ketamine, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Arjun views TMS as a non-invasive and evidence-based treatment, which can have life-changing benefits for some patients. He is excited to offer TMS as one of several treatment options for depression.
Arjun Gokhale joins Mindful Health Solutions in the winter of 2020.
Personal Interests
A long-time resident of the Bay Area, Arjun is inspired by the cultural diversity, beauty, and non-stop energy of San Francisco. In his free time, Arjun loves to explore the city, create art (painting, sculpting, or cell-phone photography), attempt culinary experiments, or read up on whatever interests him in the moment.
Education & Experience
Arjun graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014. During his time there, he trained at the UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, where he created and implemented an innovative quality-improvement project aimed at preventing patient suicides after discharge. Arjun’s project was favorably received and the hospital steering committee voted to implement it as a permanent part of patient care.
Arjun began his career as an RN at San Francisco General Hospital, working in Psychiatric Emergency Services and on the adult inpatient psychiatric units. At SFGH, he managed care of patients experiencing acute mental health crises, mood and psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, personality disorders, and trauma-related disorders. He also ran well-received groups on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, symptom management, psychotropic medication education, harm-reduction, and safety planning after discharge.
A desire to have an expanded scope of practice by being able to diagnose psychiatric disorders, prescribe medications, provide psychotherapy, and manage outpatient treatment led Arjun to pursue advanced-practice training as a PMHNP. Arjun graduated from the UCSF PMHNP program in 2020 with a Master of Science in Nursing. As part of his training at UCSF, he completed year-long residencies at a community psychiatry outpatient clinic, and on the psychiatric consult-liaison service at UCSF Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute.
Upon graduation, Arjun was drawn to the patient-centered and innovative environment at Mindful Health Solutions, and eagerly accepted the opportunity to work alongside highly qualified, compassionate, and collaborative providers.
Certifications & Memberships
- Member, American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA)
- KRIYA Ketamine Research Institute, “Advanced Study in Therapeutic Ketamine” Certification