CONHS Alumna Turns Personal Loss into a Mission for Teen Mental Health
Early in her nursing career, Dr. Daisy Lara worked on an eating disorder unit, and it changed the course of her professional life. The experience ignited her interest in psychiatric care and set the College of Nursing and Health Sciences alumna on the path to becoming a nurse practitioner.
Then her path took a deeply personal turn. Her nephew died by suspected suicide. “After that, I knew I had to create a space where teens felt safe enough to talk with someone,” she says.
The need was already visible in the community where she would later practice. A series of suicides had affected students at a local high school, and teens in the area had no access to in-person mental health care. Lara, a fellow of the American Nurses Association’s Minority Fellowship Program, chose to fill that gap herself. Her Doctor of Nursing Practice project at Wilmington University laid the foundation.
Today, Lara is a family nurse practitioner, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and the founder of Resilio Mental Health Solutions in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Her practice serves patients who face language, stigma and cost barriers, with a focus on teens and young adults.
“Mental healthcare can feel invasive,” Lara says. “It’s an honor for me that my patients trust me with their life.”
Her commitment reaches beyond Pennsylvania. For several years, she has traveled to the Dominican Republic to provide care where resources are scarce. This year, she returns for the first time as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, with plans to teach parents about emotional regulation and brain health and how to recognize when a child is in crisis.
The American Nurses Association recently featured Lara’s story during Suicide Prevention Month, honoring nurses who raise awareness and create safe spaces for people to seek help.
— Aaron Sebach
Wilmington University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences is proud to count Dr. Lara among its alumni, making a lasting impact in communities that need it most.
Early in her nursing career, Dr. Daisy Lara worked on an eating disorder unit, and it changed the course of her professional life. The experience ignited her interest in psychiatric care and set the College of Nursing and Health Sciences alumna on the path to becoming a nurse practitioner.
Then her path took a deeply personal turn. Her nephew died by suspected suicide. “After that, I knew I had to create a space where teens felt safe enough to talk with someone,” she says.
The need was already visible in the community where she would later practice. A series of suicides had affected students at a local high school, and teens in the area had no access to in-person mental health care. Lara, a fellow of the American Nurses Association’s Minority Fellowship Program, chose to fill that gap herself. Her Doctor of Nursing Practice project at Wilmington University laid the foundation.
Today, Lara is a family nurse practitioner, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and the founder of Resilio Mental Health Solutions in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Her practice serves patients who face language, stigma and cost barriers, with a focus on teens and young adults.
“Mental healthcare can feel invasive,” Lara says. “It’s an honor for me that my patients trust me with their life.”
Her commitment reaches beyond Pennsylvania. For several years, she has traveled to the Dominican Republic to provide care where resources are scarce. This year, she returns for the first time as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, with plans to teach parents about emotional regulation and brain health and how to recognize when a child is in crisis.
The American Nurses Association recently featured Lara’s story during Suicide Prevention Month, honoring nurses who raise awareness and create safe spaces for people to seek help.
— Aaron Sebach
Wilmington University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences is proud to count Dr. Lara among its alumni, making a lasting impact in communities that need it most.
