Master
Mechanism-Based Prescribing Strategy for Every Major Medication Class
You became a provider to treat the whole patient.
Psychiatric prescribing turned you into a
specialist you never trained to be.
Whether you’re in family practice, internal medicine, psychiatry, or
pediatrics, you’re the one managing depression, anxiety, ADHD, and mood stability —
usually in 15 minutes or less. When a first-line medication doesn’t fully work, the next
step can feel limited to raising the dose or trying another agent in the same class.
Plus, earn up to 12.5 Pharmacology CE
Hours.See full CE details »Credit details
Here’s What You’ll Bring Back to Your Very Next Patient Visit
✓A mechanism-based framework
to choose, switch, and combine medications
✓ A stepwise switch-and-augment
algorithm for patients who are only partially responding
✓ Tools to screen for bipolarity,
trauma, and comorbidities before treatment stalls
✓ The newest FDA approvals and
guideline updates across every major condition you treat
✓ Clear criteria for exactly when
referral is the right call — so you can manage more, refer less
✓ Earn up
to 12.5 CE Hours, including up to 12.5 Pharmacology CE Hours
Two days. Zero travel. Prescribing decisions you can
trust.
Meet Your Instructor
Stephanie Shafer, DHSc, MSN, PMHNP-BC,
ANP-BC, founded Neurobehavioral Health and Wellness, a private mental health
practice in Okemos, Michigan, recognized as the “Best Mental Health Clinic”
several years in a row. The practice serves adults, adolescents, and children with
psychiatric disorders, including ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety,
obsessive-compulsive tendencies, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, traumatic brain
injury, PTSD, and personality disorders.
Her clinical background spans emergency medicine, primary care, and psychiatry — a
transition driven by a commitment to serving a growing population of underserved patients
with psychiatric disorders. She holds a post-master’s in psychiatric mental health
from The Johns Hopkins University, dual board certification as a nurse practitioner, and NEI
Master Psychopharmacology certification. She regularly shares her expertise with
multidisciplinary healthcare audiences nationwide, including resident physicians at Michigan
State University. Information about Stephanie L. Shafer
Real Results: What Clinicians Have to
Say After Training with Dr. Shafer
★★★★★
“Extremely well put together! Access to these advanced insights will improve my
prescriptive decision making. More than I did from graduate level pharmacology
courses!”
—Carey, NP
★★★★★
“Dr. Shafer is a high-level expert with excellent content delivery.”
—Christopher, APRN
★★★★★
“One of the best presentations I’ve attended in a long time. Loved the
helpful visual descriptions.”
—Elizabeth, APRN
★★★★★
“Excellent program on complex therapies.”
—David, NP
★★★★★
“Speaker was great! I learned more today than what I have collected through
previous trainings and experiences.”
—Debra, NP
★★★★★
“Wow! I feel much more comfortable ordering psychiatric medications, whether
initiating or adjusting.”
—Joyce, NP
★★★★★
“I have a deeper understanding on the pathophysiology of psychotropics and real
strategies to help patients.”
—Laura, NP
★★★★★
“Beautifully and comprehensively presented. Great slides. Bravo and thank
you.”
—Christine, NP
Ready to Prescribe Psychotropic Meds with
Precision?
Plus, earn up to 12.5 Pharmacology CE
Hours.See full CE details »Credit details
Nine Sessions. Every Major Medication Class.
One CE-Packed Intensive.
Who Is This Training For
This training is designed for prescribing providers: Nurse Practitioners •
Physician Assistants • Physicians — working in primary care, family practice,
internal medicine, psychiatry, or pediatrics.
When Does This Take Place
Monday, December 14 & Tuesday, December 15, 2026
8:00 am – 4:00 pm CT (Lunch break from 11:50 am – 1:00 pm CT, 15-minute
mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks)
Unavailable on the live dates? The digital
seminar pre-order is available, with the same great content.
What’s Inside the Training
Nine sessions build a complete, mechanism-first approach to psychiatric prescribing
— from core neurobiology to combination therapy — with primary care realities and clinical
takeaways woven throughout every session.
DAY 1: The Neurobiology and Major Medication
Classes
Session 1
Behind Every Psychotropic Class: The Neurobiology and Mechanisms of Action
The problem: Prescribing by habit and comfort zone,
not mechanism.
Core neurotransmitter systems behind every drug class: Serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, GABA,
glutamate
Serotonin receptor subtypes and how each predicts effect and side-effect profile
A repeatable framework for reading binding profiles to predict efficacy and risk
Your Takeaway: A mechanism-first framework to choose the best medication,
case by case
Session 2
Antidepressants: Matching Mechanism to Patient Presentation
The problem: Managing “partial
responders” with no clear next step.
Class-by-class differentiation: MAOIs, TCAs, SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs/SARIs/NaSSAs, SPARIs (Viibryd vs.
Trintellix), and newer agents like Auvelity
Evidence
Update Expanded lumateperone (Caplyta) approval as an adjunctive MDD option
Your Takeaway: A stepwise switch-and-augment algorithm
Session 3
Anxiety Disorders and Anxiolytics: The Right Agent for the Patient
The problem: Inheriting long-term benzodiazepine
prescriptions with no taper plan.
The anxiety spectrum (GAD, panic, OCD, social anxiety) and overlapping neurobiology
Evidence
Update New ASAM-led joint guideline on benzo tapering
Your Takeaway: A ready-to-use taper framework and risk-benefit talking
points
Session 4
Antipsychotics: Binding Profiles, Benefits, and Side-Effect Trade-Offs
The problem: Hesitating to start or adjust —
with no psychiatry backup.
Mechanism of action by binding profile: D2 affinity, 5-HT2A antagonism, and more
First- vs. second-generation agents, compared in practical terms
Evidence
Update Newest atypical antipsychotic approval, Bysanti, for bipolar I and schizophrenia
Your Takeaway: Clear criteria for treatment vs. urgent referral, and
prescribing as an augmenting agent
Session 5
Mood Stabilizers: Differentiating Bipolar Depression from Unipolar MDD
The problem: Misclassifying bipolar depression as
MDD changes the treatment plan.
Evidence
Update How different mood stabilizers effectively work
Lithium and AEDs: Monitoring requirements and safety windows
Your Takeaway: A fast bipolarity screen and confidence prescribing agents
like lamotrigine
DAY 2: Special Populations, Comorbidity, and Combination
Strategy
Session 6
ADHD Across the Lifespan: Comparing Stimulant and Non-Stimulant Options
The problem: Initiating adult ADHD treatment without
formal training.
ADHD as a neurodevelopmental condition, common comorbidities, and brain regions involved
Stimulants, non-stimulants, and alpha agents compared
Evidence
Update Centanafadine (Simtriyo), the first triple-reuptake ADHD medication
Your Takeaway: A framework to select the best first-line agent, stimulant
or not
Session 7
Treating Insomnia for Efficacy and Safety: Newer Options vs. Older Options
The problem: Defaulting to the same
sedative-hypnotic refill, visit after visit.
Rethink the benzo: Risks of long-term use and safer, evidence-based alternatives
Evidence
Update DORA drugs and Z-drugs comparisons for mechanism-driven selection
Anxiety + insomnia comorbidity: Frameworks for overlapping presentations
Your Takeaway: A mechanism-based decision tree for choosing between
DORAs, Z-drugs, and tapering off benzos
Session 8
Trauma, PTSD, and Difficult-to-Treat Conditions: A First Line-to-Augmentation Approach
The problem: Treatment stalls without an
augmentation sequence to consider.
Trauma’s effects on the brain and common comorbid presentations
Evidence
Update APA’s Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD in Adults
Your Takeaway: A practical, sequenced PTSD treatment approach
Session 9
Managing Comorbidity and Combination Therapy: Treating the Whole Patient with the Fewest
Medications
The problem: Comorbidity is the norm; treatment
plans rarely are.
Evaluating and triaging patients with multiple comorbid psychiatric disorders
Evidence
Update Combining medications across classes by symptoms, not just diagnosis
Your Takeaway: A symptom-triage, minimum-effective-regimen approach
Objectives
Identify the roles of the major neurotransmitter systems (serotonin, norepinephrine,
dopamine, GABA, and glutamate) in psychotropic medication mechanisms.
Differentiate how neurobiology and receptor activity influence medication selection for
depression, anxiety, mood disorders, ADHD, and psychotic disorders.
Differentiate antidepressant classes based on mechanism of action, efficacy, and side
effect risk.
Evaluate antidepressant treatment options for patients who have an inadequate response
to first-line therapy.
Compare anxiolytic medication classes to select appropriate treatment based on patient
presentation.
Develop a benzodiazepine tapering plan using current clinical practice guidelines.
Differentiate first- and second-generation antipsychotics based on mechanisms of action,
efficacy, and side effect risk.
Differentiate bipolar depression from unipolar major depressive disorder to guide
appropriate pharmacologic treatment.
Classify ADHD medications based on mechanism of action and patient-specific
considerations.
Evaluate the role of newly approved ADHD medications compared with established treatment
options.
Develop a pharmacologic treatment plan for PTSD consistent with current clinical
practice guidelines.
Determine when psychiatric referral is indicated versus when management can remain in
the primary care setting.
Prescribe with Precision. Manage More. Refer Less.
You didn’t become a prescriber to manage psychiatric medications by trial and
error, one 15-minute visit at a time.
You accepted the responsibilities to get patients
real, fast relief.
This is your chance to build a true mechanism-based framework for every major
medication class — and walk out ready to use it on your very next patient.
Two days. Zero travel. Prescribing decisions you can
trust.
