Meet Carlee: Helping Youth Find Stability and Support

At Youth Homes, healing happens through compassionate, collaborative care. As Youth Homes’ Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Carlee plays a critical role in that process. She supports youth through psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and ongoing mental health care. For many of our clients, these services are an important part of their path toward healing and stability.

Carlee’s passion for nursing and mental health care began with deeply personal experiences growing up in the East Bay. After closely witnessing multiple family members experience medical and psychiatric crises, she realized how life-changing healthcare can be when you have someone on your side. This inspired her to pursue a career where she could support people and their families through some of their most difficult moments. Today, Carlee holds credentials as a Registered Nurse (RN), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), with degrees from Saint Mary's College, Samuel Merritt University, and University of San Francisco.

In addition to her work at Youth Homes, Carlee teaches undergraduate nursing students at the University of San Francisco and works in a crisis stabilization unit serving youth ages 5 to 17. Across all of her roles, she sees trauma as one of the biggest mental health challenges facing young people today. She believes education, early intervention, and reducing stigma surrounding mental health are key to creating lasting change - especially within communities of color, where barriers to care and stigma have historically been significant.

Carlee was drawn to Youth Homes because of our commitment to eliminate those stigmas and access barriers, and meet youth where they are. It gives her hope to see the growing awareness younger generations have around emotional wellness, mental health, and breaking the cycle of generational trauma. “You may not be able to change the past,” she shared, “but you can change how you respond to what happened.”

This National Nurses Month, we are incredibly grateful for Carlee and the compassion, expert knowledge, and advocacy she brings to Youth Homes every day. From supporting youth directly to helping educate future nurses, her impact in our community will span generations to come.