Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Graves.
Hi Jasmine , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey in mental health began in 2015 when I started working as a mental health specialist. I was drawn to behavioral health early because I appreciated the complexity of people and the opportunity to understand what was happening beneath the surface, not simply respond to symptoms.
In 2017, I became a psychiatric registered nurse and worked in psychiatric hospitals across multiple units. That experience gave me a strong foundation in acute psychiatric care, crisis management, patient safety, interdisciplinary collaboration, and caring for individuals experiencing a wide range of mental health conditions.
I later earned my Master of Science in Nursing from Indiana University and became a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in 2021. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, my experience expanded across inpatient psychiatry, outpatient mental health, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, telehealth, skilled nursing, and long term care settings.
Working across such different levels of care has given me a broad perspective on mental health treatment. I have cared for people during psychiatric crises, during transitions out of higher levels of care, and through the ongoing management of anxiety, depression, mood disorders, grief, cognitive changes, life transitions, and other mental health concerns. That range of experience has strengthened my ability to look at the full picture rather than treating a diagnosis in isolation.
Becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner also allowed me to combine advanced psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, medication management, psychotherapy, psychoeducation, and patient education in a way that felt aligned with how I wanted to practice. I strongly value collaborative care. I want patients to understand what they are experiencing, understand their treatment options, and feel like an active participant in the decisions being made about their mental health.
After years of working within larger healthcare systems, I began to recognize the type of psychiatric practice I wanted to create. I wanted more room for meaningful conversations. I wanted patients to feel heard rather than rushed. I also wanted to build a space where medication could be discussed as one tool among many, rather than automatically becoming the entire focus of treatment.
That vision became Optimal Mental Outlook, which I started in 2024.
Optimal Mental Outlook is a psychiatric practice centered on thoughtful, individualized mental health care. I provide psychiatric evaluations, medication management, brief psychotherapy, psychoeducation, and ongoing support for adults navigating concerns such as anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, relationship stress, life transitions, and other emotional challenges. I have a particular passion for supporting women who are balancing careers, motherhood, relationships, personal goals, and the pressure to function well in every area of life.
My approach to psychiatry has been shaped by more than a decade in behavioral health and by seeing firsthand how interconnected mental health is with the rest of someone’s life. Sleep, relationships, stress, physical health, boundaries, purpose, environment, and daily routines can all influence how a person feels. Because of that, I try to look at the whole person rather than reducing someone to a diagnosis or medication list.
That philosophy also influences how I live personally. I value ambition and I have worked hard to build a career and business that I am proud of, but I do not believe success should require constantly operating in survival mode. I value being present with my family, caring for my physical and spiritual health, traveling, creating meaningful experiences, and making room for rest and joy alongside professional goals.
For me, living intentionally does not mean having perfect balance every day. It means regularly asking whether the way I am spending my time reflects what I say matters most to me.
Optimal Mental Outlook grew from that same belief. Mental health care should not only help people get through difficult moments. It should also help them create lives that feel sustainable, meaningful, and genuinely their own.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road. Nursing school was challenging because I completed an accelerated program, which required a great deal of discipline and sacrifice. NP school itself felt manageable academically, but that season of life was difficult. I was pregnant, gave birth, and became a new mother during the COVID pandemic.
Postpartum depression was one of the hardest journeys I have experienced personally. Healing took time, but movement, community, and faith played a major role in helping me find my way back to myself. That experience also deepened my compassion as a psychiatric provider and reinforced how important it is to care for the whole person.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Optimal Mental Outlook ?
Optimal Mental Outlook is a Florida based psychiatric practice providing virtual mental health services to adults throughout the state. I offer psychiatric evaluations, medication management, brief psychotherapy, psychoeducation, and ongoing support for individuals navigating anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, relationship stress, and major life transitions.
I have a particular passion for women’s mental health and supporting women who are balancing careers, motherhood, relationships, and the many demands of everyday life. What sets my practice apart is my collaborative and whole person approach. I do not believe psychiatric care should feel rushed or centered only around medication. Medication is a conversation, not a requirement, and treatment should also consider sleep, stress, relationships, routines, coping skills, physical wellness, and the patient’s personal goals.
My background across inpatient, outpatient, PHP/IOP, long term care, and telepsychiatry has given me a broad clinical perspective and allows me to meet patients with both experience and flexibility.
Brand wise, I am most proud that Optimal Mental Outlook reflects the type of care I truly believe in: thoughtful, approachable, evidence based, and intentional. I want readers to know that quality psychiatric care can be both professional and personal, and through telehealth I am able to provide that care to patients across Florida from the comfort and privacy of their own space.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is my faith, my family, my time, my peace, and my community. My faith keeps me grounded and gives me perspective, while my family reminds me why I work as hard as I do.
As I have grown personally and professionally, I have also learned to value time differently. Success means very little to me if I do not have the time or peace to enjoy the life I am building. I want to be present for my family, nurture meaningful relationships, contribute to my community, and still make space for myself.
Those values influence how I run my business as well. I believe we can be ambitious and still choose a life rooted in intention, connection, and peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://OptimalMentalOutlook.com
- Instagram: Jasmineaigner_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19GSbcySjR/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/optimalmentaloutlook_?stkn=MXMzdGJ0NnYxdWllMA==
