Meet Cherry
Cherry Santos, MSN, MSN, ARNP, FNP, is a nurse practitioner dually trained in family medicine and psychiatry, bringing more than fifteen years of experience caring for people across the lifespan to the Centered Mind Counseling Services (CMCS) team. Cherry offers psychiatric care and thoughtful medication management for children, teens, and adults, with a whole-person approach that pays attention to how sleep, stress, physical health, and the nervous system shape mental health. She sees clients in person at our Issaquah, WA office and through secure telehealth across Washington State. Not sure if she is the right fit? Reach out and our team will help you find out.
Cherry Santos, MSN, MSN, ARNP, FNP — Child, Adolescent & Adult Family Nurse Practitioner
A Whole-Person Approach to Healing
I’m Cherry Santos, a nurse practitioner dually trained in family medicine and psychiatry, with more than fifteen years of experience caring for people across the lifespan, from pediatrics and oncology to family medicine and community health. Across all of it, one truth has shaped my work: the mind and body are inseparable.
Family medicine made the patterns impossible to ignore: thyroid imbalances that looked like depression; autoimmune flares that tracked with chronic stress, anxiety, and depression; the patient with unexplained fatigue who was quietly grieving; the teenager whose stomach pain showed up the same week as a hard conversation at home. The body and mind were never separate, they were telling the same story in different languages. Psychiatry became the place I could care for both at once.
How We’ll Work Together
So much of life is spent moving too fast to be fully witnessed, even by ourselves. My hope is that you leave each visit feeling seen, heard, and given the space to build a plan that fits your life and your goals.
As your psychiatric provider with Centered Mind Counseling Services, I offer thoughtful medication management when it’s needed, while drawing on my family medicine background to consider the other factors that shape mental health: sleep, stress, lifestyle, medical conditions, and the nervous system itself. My care is informed by polyvagal theory, somatic and parts-based principles, and humanistic practice, grounded in the belief that you are the expert on your own experience.
Not every path looks the same, and yours shouldn’t either. Healing isn’t always comfortable, but you don’t have to do it alone. I’ll meet you where you are, and I won’t leave you there.
What I Can Help With
I provide psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and ongoing support for a wide range of mental health concerns, including:
- Depression, including seasonal and persistent depression
- Anxiety, panic, and social anxiety
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- ADHD across the lifespan
- Bipolar Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and acute stress
- Adjustment and stress-related concerns tied to medical illness, life change, and grief
- LGBTQIA+ affirming psychiatric care
Who I Work With
- Children and teens (ages 10 to 17)
- Adults (ages 18 to 64)
- Older adults (ages 65 and older)
- LGBTQIA+ and allied communities
- Clients seeking racially and culturally responsive care
- English- and Tagalog-speaking clients
The Benefit of Having a Full Team Behind You
One of the things I value about working at Centered Mind Counseling Services is that integrated care is available to you if and when you need it. You might start with psychiatric support alone, therapy alone, or both at once. If your needs change and you want to add another layer of care, that option is already here. Our providers communicate directly with one another, so you never have to coordinate it yourself or repeat your story from scratch.
My family medicine background adds something many psychiatric providers cannot: an eye for the physical health questions that sit underneath mental health symptoms. When it helps, I coordinate with your therapist or counselor and with your primary care provider, so your care holds together as a whole.
Whether you are coming to me first or adding psychiatric support to existing therapy, our team makes that process simple. Learn more about our counseling services or meet the full CMCS team I work alongside.
Now Accepting New Clients for Psychiatric Medication Management in Issaquah and Across Washington State
I’m currently accepting new clients and provide psychiatric evaluations and medication management for children, teens, adults, and older adults. I see clients in person at our Issaquah office and through secure telehealth anywhere in Washington State, including Sammamish, Bellevue, Redmond, and Seattle, so you can meet in the way that works for your life.
If you are unsure whether psychiatric medication management is the right next step, reach out to us — our team will help you figure out the best fit.
Background and Credentials
Master of Science (MSN) Psychiatric Mental Health, Gonzaga University
Master of Science (MSN) Family Medicine, Gonzaga University
Bachelor of Science (BSN) Nursing, University of Portland
Washington State Licensed Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) License No. AP61405251
Cherry’s Washington State license can be verified through the Washington State Department of Health Provider Credential Search.
On a Personal Note
When I’m not in session, you’ll find me painting, dancing, playing tennis, swimming in a lake, or out on a trail. The Pacific Northwest is home, and hiking is one of my favorite ways to come back to myself. I’m also an unapologetic animal lover. The animals in my life have taught me as much about presence as anything else.
Cherry Santos brings deep clinical experience and a steady, whole-person presence to every visit. As a nurse practitioner with Centered Mind Counseling Services (CMCS), she is honored to walk alongside each client toward steadier, healthier ground.