Better Life Psychiatry

From Mercedes, APRN:

I’m Mercedes Scott Stepp, a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and the founder of Better Life Psychiatry. I specialize in trauma, OCD, and ADHD, working with adults, couples, and children who are ready to feel more like themselves again.

My path here started long before nursing school. I served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, providing psychiatric support to service members — an experience that shaped how I think about care under real pressure. From there, I spent years as a psychiatric registered nurse across inpatient, outpatient, and addiction treatment settings, including at OSU Wexner Medical Center’s Harding Hospital, before becoming a nurse practitioner.

I’m certified in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), a trauma-focused approach I turn to often because I’ve watched it help patients heal in a way that lasts — sometimes in far fewer sessions than they expected. I also draw on Shared Decision Making in every appointment: you know your life better than I do, so we build your plan together, and I never judge a patient for hesitating, forgetting a dose, or not being ready for something new. That’s part of being human, not a failure.

Every first appointment runs a full 90 minutes, because real understanding takes real time. Whether you’re working through trauma, caught in OCD’s loop, or struggling to focus despite trying everything, I want you to leave every session feeling heard, informed, and like an active partner in your own care.

I hold a Master of Science in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner studies from The Ohio State University and am a certified SMART Recovery Facilitator, with experience leading recovery support groups. Outside of clinical work, I believe healing happens in community, honesty, and taking things one real step at a time.