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Who is Christina
Integrating Psychiatric Care into Oncology
Christina Cutcher, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Christina Cutcher is a dedicated mental health professional with a deep commitment to supporting cancer patients through their emotional and psychological challenges. She holds a BS degree in Public Health from East Tennessee State University, a BSN degree from Lincoln Memorial University, and an MSN degree from Lincoln Memorial University.
With over a decade of experience as an Oncology Nurse Navigator, Christina has a rich background in oncology, where she became acutely aware of the lack of psychiatric services available to cancer patients. This significant gap in care motivated her to pursue an advanced practice degree in psychiatry, aiming to address the psychological needs of this unique patient population.
Christina’s journey in psycho-oncology began in 2013, where she quickly identified the unmet mental health needs of cancer patients. Despite her efforts to provide minimal psychological support & address barriers to care, she realized that the resources available were insufficient. This realization fueled her passion to seek better solutions.
A pivotal moment came when she attended a conference and heard a breast cancer survivor’s harrowing story of receiving a diagnosis while driving with her children. This experience, coupled with her interactions with countless patients, reinforced her understanding of the profound mental health burden cancer patients face. She recognized that while medical treatments were available, the emotional support required to help patients navigate their diagnoses was lacking.
In 2018, inspired by a lecture on the unmet psychological needs of cancer patients and feeling a strong nudge from within, Christina decided to further her education. Despite being 42 years old with two children and already holding two degrees, she enrolled in a psychiatric nurse practitioner program. Christina was determined to bridge the gap in mental health care for cancer patients, believing that addressing their psychological needs was just as crucial as treating the physical aspects of their illness.
Christina's approach is deeply compassionate and personalized, focusing on treating the whole person rather than just the disease. She works closely with her patients and their families to provide comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, personalized oncology coaching, psychotherapy, medication management, and innovative genetic testing to tailor treatments.
Through her work at Beyond the Ribbon Psychiatric Care, Christina is dedicated to ensuring that no patient has to face their cancer journey alone. She strives to provide the emotional and psychological support that is so often missing, helping patients find hope, resilience, and a path to recovery.
"Our patients deserve comprehensive care that addresses both their physical & psychological needs.
We must do better, & we can do better."
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