Elizabeth Handte is a Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner who provides compassionate, individualized psychiatric care for patients ages 15 and older. She has a special interest in helping individuals manage mood and anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and opioid use disorder.
Elizabeth earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with honors, from the University of Florida in 1998. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing, with excellence, at the University of Tampa in 2005 and became a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner that same year. She later completed a Post-Master’s Certificate in Psychiatry at Jacksonville University in 2020 and is a Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
After completing her first master’s degree, Elizabeth began her nurse practitioner career at Carson Family Care Center. In addition to providing family care, she helped develop and establish the practice’s medical spa, Carson Family Care Center and Medi Spa. Her work also included rounding on patients in long-term care and rehabilitation facilities, where she developed a meaningful interest in caring for older adults.
As her exposure to psychiatric care grew, Elizabeth recognized the increasing importance of specialized psychiatric education and pursued post-master’s training in psychiatric mental health nursing. Her career later included work with Buprenorphine Treatment Centers, where she supported individuals in treatment and recovery from opioid addiction. She found this work especially meaningful as she witnessed patients make significant strides toward stability, independence, and rebuilding their lives.
Elizabeth also served in a full-time psychiatric role with Comprehensive MedPsych Systems, later acquired by Optum. This experience allowed her to further expand her psychiatric clinical experience and work with patients experiencing a broad range of mental health conditions.
In addition to her clinical practice, Elizabeth has served as a clinical preceptor for students from the University of Florida, the University of Tampa, and the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences.
Born and raised in Clearwater, Florida, Elizabeth grew up on Clearwater Beach and was married there. She is the oldest of four children and is married with two children—a son and a daughter—and five grandchildren.
Outside of work, Elizabeth has participated in mounted drill competitions throughout Florida with the Sunshine State Mounted Drill Team Association. As a member of the In-Sync team, she traveled with her horses to compete in coordinated riding formations set to music, with themed costumes and tack.