Ms. Locke

Toni Ann Locke received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Oklahoma School of Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing specializing as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Cal State San Marcos. Her Post Master’s Certificate: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner is from National University.

As a former Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Toni Ann saw many patients with a variety of illnesses, with some of them needing psychiatric services. As an FNP, she could provide prescriptions for depression and anxiety, but her clients needed more and she couldn’t give them what they needed in a family practice setting. She decided to go back to school and obtain her postgraduate certification as a PMHNP and sit for the national boards to help bridge this gap in her community.

Toni Ann takes a team approach when treating her clients. It is important that they understand what is going on and that their mental health struggles are not their fault. It isn’t something that they are doing or not doing. Taking this approach helps facilitate conversations and leads to her clients making informed decisions. She uses a combination of CBT and emotionally-focused therapy.

Toni Ann grew up in England. Her grandmother was a World War II psychiatric nurse and bought her a “nurse’s kit” from the toy store so that she could play nurse to her dolls. That was not enough for Toni Ann, so she went around the playground looking for injured playmates or animals. At 12, she moved from England to South Carolina. It was not an easy transition, and she did not fit in well as she had a “funny” accent and friend groups were already established. This caused her to feel anxious about school and social situations.

As an adult, she knew she wanted to focus her schooling on medicine. She couldn’t go to medical school so she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and her Master’s as a Family Nurse Practitioner and eventually specialized in Psychiatry.

Toni Ann has a lot of outside interests. She loves dogs and has three Keeshonds. She shows them competitively and hopes to go to Westminster one day. She enjoys remote camping (AKA overlanding) in her Toyota 4 Runner, ultralight backpacking, and day hiking on the Pacific Coast Trail and in the desert. She also loves snowboarding and traveling internationally.