The Voice of Hope with Dr. Ken Huey
Join Dr. Ken Huey on The Voice of Hope, where real stories and expert insights meet to inspire healing and transformation. With decades of experience in behavioral health and trauma therapy, Dr. Huey draws from his personal journey and professional expertise to offer practical advice for families, adoptees, and anyone seeking growth. Discover strategies to navigate trauma, build stronger relationships, and embrace hope in every episode. Tune in for thoughtful conversations that uplift and empower.
The Voice of Hope with Dr. Ken Huey
Christina Camomilli Starkey – Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Bright Futures Psychiatry
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In this episode of The Voice of Hope with Dr. Ken Huey, we speak with Christina Camomilli Starkey, a psychiatric nurse practitioner specializing in child and adolescent mental health at Bright Futures Psychiatry. Christina shares her unique perspective shaped by both professional experience and personal journey as a parent navigating the mental health system.
We explore the gaps in mental health care for children, the challenges families face during crises, and what meaningful care should look like in inpatient and outpatient settings. Christina also offers actionable insights for communities, schools, and families to better support young people, while sharing a story of hope that keeps her motivated in this challenging field.
If you’re a parent, provider, educator, or anyone invested in child and adolescent mental health, this conversation provides clarity, practical guidance, and inspiration.
00:00:00 – 00:00:25
Ken Huey: Welcome to The Voice of Hope, where bold leaders and healers share how they're building hope. Not just talking about it. I'm Dr. Ken Huey. Let's meet the change makers transforming lives from the therapy room to the boardroom. Today's guest is Christina Campbell, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Bright Futures Psychiatry, specializing in child and adolescent mental health.
00:00:25 – 00:00:42
Ken Huey: With a background spanning pediatric care, hospital leadership, and years devoted to family and caregiving, Christina brings a grounded, compassionate perspective on supporting young people and families through trauma, development, and healing. Christina, so grateful to have you here.
Christina Camomilli Starkey: Thank you. I appreciate being on here.
00:00:44 – 00:00:52
Ken Huey: I'm always fascinated to know how people land where they are. What is your why? Why are you here doing this work?
00:00:53 – 00:01:18
Christina Camomilli Starkey: I have a great passion for mental health, and my big Y happened later in life, combining my work as a pediatric nurse practitioner with my daughter’s journey with mental illness.
00:01:18 – 00:01:32
Ken Huey: How has your understanding of the mental health system changed with your daughter’s experience?
00:01:32 – 00:02:56
Christina Camomilli Starkey: My first real in-depth experience was as a parent. In primary care, we referred most mental health issues out unless dire. When my daughter began showing severe depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, I felt unmoored, overwhelmed by differing opinions, and unsupported in navigating the system.
00:02:56 – 00:03:04
Ken Huey: You land in a mental health crisis with your child. Where's the biggest breakdown in those first few days?
00:03:04 – 00:06:49
Christina Camomilli Starkey: The biggest breakdowns include lack of public awareness of mental health signs in children, provider shortages, long waits for inpatient psychiatric beds, fragmented care between systems, lack of follow-up care, and ongoing stigma and ignorance. Education, awareness, and community support are essential.
00:06:49 – 00:06:59
Ken Huey: You said hospitals act like holding cells. What should meaningful care look like during that time frame?
00:06:59 – 00:13:27
Christina Camomilli Starkey: Meaningful care should include: adequate time for observation and treatment, family involvement, personalized therapy, community integration, coping skills training, and proper discharge planning. Hospitals are often constrained by insurance and staffing limitations, which leaves parents unprepared and kids underserved.
00:13:27 – 00:13:37
Ken Huey: How do you go from panic to partnership when trying to get help for your child?
00:13:38 – 00:14:44
Christina Camomilli Starkey: Establishing trust and rapport with families is crucial. Being seen and heard as an ally is the first step in creating a partnership that supports adherence to treatment and therapeutic engagement.
00:14:44 – 00:16:47
Ken Huey: If you could redesign anything in child and adolescent health care, what would you fix first?
Christina Camomilli Starkey: I would start with community cohesion and grassroots engagement, building understanding and connection, integrating mentorship programs, and teaching coping skills in schools using practical approaches like dialectical behavior therapy.
00:16:47 – 00:18:04
Ken Huey: What gives you hope in this field?
Christina Camomilli Starkey: Seeing a patient recover from severe depression and suicidal ideation through persistent therapy and the right medication demonstrates that recovery is possible, even if it isn’t linear. That success fuels my hope and commitment to this work.
00:18:04 – 00:18:29
Ken Huey: Thank you for sharing your expertise and personal insight. Thanks for joining us on The Voice of Hope.
