Meet Leslie Binford, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC
Leslie Binford, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC is a doctorally prepared, Board Certified, Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Assistant Professor of Nursing at Austin Peay State University. Dr. Binford's experience includes working with individuals with severe and persistent mental health needs, addiction, women’s mental health, perinatal and postpartum mental health, and trauma. Dr. Binford is passionate about perinatal mental health care and partnering with you in your healing journey.
Dr. Binford also works with patients at SheBlooms, a division of Tennessee Reproductive Therapy that offers counseling and medication management services to empower teen girls and young women as they bloom into the next version of themselves.
Dr. Binford received a BSN from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2008 and an MSN, with a focus in psychiatric mental health, from Vanderbilt University in 2012. She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Belmont University in May of 2020, with a research focus in perinatal mental health. Dr. Binford has been practicing as a nurse practitioner since December 2012, entering the nurse practitioner role with five years of experience as a bachelor’s prepared registered nurse. She is an active member of the American Nurse’s Associate, Tennessee Nurses Association, and the American Psychiatric Nurse’s Association where she serves on the APNA Research Grant and Review Committee and the APNA Recovery Council Advisory Panel.
Dr. Binford’s journey into psychiatric mental health nursing, specifically perinatal mental health was inspired by her own experiences after the birth of her first child. This experience fueled a passion to create a care space where women feel heard and valued and receive the best evidence-based treatment.
Dr. Binford believes in establishing an environment of care that is rooted in shared decision-making. This means that she views her role in the client-provider relationship as holding space and providing education/treatment options so that each client can make a treatment decision that is best and right for them. She hopes that you leave the session feeling empowered, educated, and heard. She also believes that medication isn’t always the best option. When needed, it can be a powerful tool in your toolkit for wellness. Dr. Binford looks forward to partnering with you as we discuss how medication may benefit your current care and other available holistic treatment options. Again, her goal is that you feel empowered, educated, and heard. She looks forward to the honor of being invited into your care and considers it a privilege to hold space for women and families.
Dr. Binford is a Nashville native. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys being outdoors, reading a good book, and spending time with her family.
Dr. Binford is in-network for Cigna.
