2 Hours Mental Health and Psychopharmacology for Nurse Practitioners - California Nursing

2 Hours Mental Health and Psychopharmacology for Nurse Practitioners - California Nursing

✅ Approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing | Provider #CEP 18292 | 2 Contact Hours | Only $14.99 | Instant Emailed Certificate | 100% Online & Self-Paced

Earn 2 California BRN-approved contact hours toward your nurse practitioner renewal with an online mental health and psychopharmacology course for only $14.99. It covers depression and anxiety screening, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, insomnia, bipolar disorder, suicide prevention, perinatal and youth mental health, and California mental health law.

Work at your own pace and log in and out as often as you like without losing your progress. There is no final exam. Complete each section and a short course evaluation, and your certificate of completion is emailed to you immediately. California nurses report their own continuing education to the BRN when they renew, so save your certificate for four years in case you are selected for an audit.

✅ Course Details

• Course name: 2 Hours Mental Health and Psychopharmacology for Nurse Practitioners - California Nursing
• Approved by: California Board of Registered Nursing
• Provider number: CEP 18292
• Contact hours: 2 (each hour is 60 minutes of instruction, more than the BRN's 50-minute minimum)
• Category: Nurse practitioner continuing education
• Format: 100% online, self-paced, text-based with no final exam
• Instructor: Valeria Garcia, BSN, RN
• Price: $14.99
• Certificate: Emailed instantly when you finish
• Reporting: California nurses self-report CE to the BRN at renewal; keep your certificate for four years
• Support: Call or text 1-800-698-2770

✅ Who Should Take This Course?

This course is written for:

• California nurse practitioners who treat mental health conditions in primary care
• Psychiatric-mental health and family NPs
• NPs practicing under standardized procedures or sections 2837.103 and 2837.104
• NPs who prescribe antidepressants, benzodiazepines, or stimulants
• NPs caring for perinatal patients, children, or adolescents
• Any NP who wants a review of California mental health law

✅ Does This Course Satisfy the California Requirement?

This course provides 2 of the 30 contact hours California nurse practitioners need every two years. It does not complete the full renewal requirement by itself.

It counts as general nurse practitioner continuing education. It is not the separate Schedule II course or a gerontology course, so add those if they apply to you.

Need more hours? Our 30 Hour California RN Complete Renewal Package provides a full 30 hours of BRN-approved nursing CE for $39.99, and those hours count toward an NP's RN renewal as well.

✅ California Nurse Practitioner Continuing Education Requirements

California nurse practitioners renew their registered nurse license every two years, and the RN requirement of 30 contact hours of continuing education applies. Courses must come from a provider the BRN recognizes, and online courses are accepted. Several NP-specific rules may also apply.

• Total hours: 30 contact hours every two-year renewal period
• Gerontology: If more than 25% of your primary care patients are 65 or older, at least 6 of your 30 hours must be in gerontology, the special care needs of patients with dementia, or the care of older patients
• Schedule II furnishing: If you hold a furnishing number, are authorized to furnish Schedule II controlled substances, and are registered with the DEA, your continuing education must include a course covering Schedule II controlled substances and the risks of addiction, based on BRN standards
• Furnishing number: Your furnishing number renews at the time of your RN license renewal
• First renewal: If you are renewing your RN license for the first time within two years of initial licensure, you are exempt from the 30 hours but must complete a one-hour implicit bias course
• Records: Keep certificates for four years; the BRN audits at random

How this course helps: This 2-hour mental health and psychopharmacology course contributes 2 of the 30 contact hours required for renewal. The remaining 28 hours, and any Schedule II or gerontology hours that apply to you, must be completed separately.

✅ When Do California Nurse Practitioners Renew?

California RN licenses renew every two years. Your license expires on the last day of your birth month, and your exact expiration date appears on your license record in BreEZe, the BRN's online licensing system. Nurse practitioners renew through the RN license, and a furnishing number renews at the same time.

The BRN mails a renewal notice about three months before your license expires, but you are responsible for renewing even if the notice never arrives. You can renew no earlier than three months before your expiration date. A renewal submitted after the expiration date costs more and leaves you unable to practice until the license is active again.

The continuing education you report must be completed during the renewal period that is ending, so plan to finish your hours before you submit.

✅ How to Renew Your California License as a Nurse Practitioner

1. Check your record. Look up your license status and expiration date in BreEZe.
2. Complete your hours. Finish 30 contact hours from BRN-recognized providers during your renewal period, including any gerontology or Schedule II course that applies to you, or the one-hour implicit bias course if this is your first renewal.
3. Save your certificates. Each certificate shows the provider name and number, course title, completion date, and hours.
4. Sign in to BreEZe. Within three months of your expiration date, log in to BreEZe Online Services and start your renewal.
5. Answer the renewal questions. Confirm your continuing education, enter course details if asked, and complete the required disclosures.
6. Pay the fees. The BRN's fee schedule lists $190 for an on-time active RN renewal, and a furnishing number renewal fee also applies if you hold one.
7. Confirm and keep records. Verify that your license shows the new expiration date, and keep your certificates for four years.

✅ What You Will Learn

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Apply USPSTF screening recommendations for depression, anxiety, and suicide risk
• Select, start, and monitor antidepressants safely
• Manage anxiety and insomnia while applying benzodiazepine and sedative boxed warnings
• Screen for bipolar disorder and monitor mood stabilizers and antipsychotics
• Assess suicide risk and build a safety plan
• Apply California law on 5150 holds, the CARE Act, minors, and the duty to protect

✅ Course Content Overview

The course is organized into two one-hour sections, each with six subtopics:

Section 1 (1 Hour): Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Bipolar Disorder and Psychopharmacology, With Addiction Risk

• Screening and Diagnosis of Depression and Anxiety in Adults
• Antidepressant Selection, Monitoring and Safety
• Anxiety Disorders, Benzodiazepines and Safer Alternatives
• Insomnia: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy First, Then Medication
• Bipolar Disorder, Mood Stabilizers and Antipsychotic Monitoring
• Addiction Risk: Benzodiazepines, Prescription Stimulants, Alcohol and Co-occurring Substance Use

Section 2 (1 Hour): Suicide Prevention, Perinatal and Youth Mental Health, California Mental Health Law, Collaborative Care and Implicit Bias

• Suicide Risk Assessment, Safety Planning and Lethal Means Counseling
• Perinatal Mental Health
• Children and Adolescents
• California Mental Health Law: Section 5150, the CARE Act and the Duty to Protect
• Collaborative Care, Measurement-Based Care and Referral
• Implicit Bias in Mental Health Care

✅ Other California Nursing Courses

Build the rest of your renewal with these BRN-approved courses:

• 30 Hour California Nurse Practitioner Complete Renewal Package – $59.99
• 3 Hours Controlled Substances and Schedule II Furnishing for Nurse Practitioners - California Nursing – $29.99
• 6 Hour California Nurse Practitioner Gerontology Package – $29.99
• 30 Hour California RN Complete Renewal Package – $39.99

✅ Why Choose 1st Choice CE?

• California BRN-approved provider (CEP 18292)
• Affordable pricing: only $14.99 for 2 contact hours
• 100% online and self-paced
• Log in and out anytime without losing progress
• Instant emailed certificate
• Money-back guarantee
• Over 10 years of continuing education experience
• Support by phone or text at 1-800-698-2770

✅ Enroll Now

Earn 2 contact hours toward your California NP renewal for only $14.99. Enroll today, work at your own pace, and receive your certificate by email the moment you finish.

Questions before you enroll? Call or text us at 1-800-698-2770.