A practice built around wāhine (women).
I started Mana Mental Health & Wellness because I'm passionate about helping every woman feel her best during the perinatal period. I also wanted to create a place for Kānaka Maoli wāhine living throughout Hawai'i and the Hawaiian Diaspora to be able to access care from an Indigenous healthcare provider with shared cultural values and ties. Although I specialize in caring for Native Hawaiian & Pasifika wāhine experiencing Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders and midlife & menopausal, I also care for the entire community and welcome a partnership with all women in need of help and balance during these times. I'm glad you're here and I'm looking forward to working together!
My approach
I blend medication management with supportive psychotherapy, hormone therapy, and lifestyle medicine. I do not provide stand-alone psychotherapy or lactation counseling.
Shared decision-making sits at the center. You bring your history, preferences, and goals. I bring evidence, options, and follow-through. Together we build a plan that fits your life.
Credentials & licensure
- PMHNP-BC & FNP-C
Dual-certified Psychiatric–Mental Health and Family Nurse Practitioner
- CLC
Certified Lactation Counselor
- Women's Hormone Therapy Specialist
The Academy for Advanced Women's Health Medicine
- Licensed in 4 states
HI · CA · OR · WA
Issued by The Academy for Advanced Women's Health Medicine — verified on Credly.
Kalena Lanuza — Founder, Family & Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Aloha mai kākou! My name is Kalena Kaopuuokalani Lanuza and I am a doctorally prepared, Certified Family and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Certified Lactation Counselor. As an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, I offer Reproductive Mental Healthcare to clients in Hawai'i, California, Oregon & Washington. I specialize in pregnancy and postpartum mental health & midlife and menopausal care for women. I offer medication/ herbal & supplement management in conjunction with brief supportive therapy & lactation counseling to those in need. As an Indigenous provider (Kanaka Maoli- Native Hawaiian), I work to bring the wisdom of my kūpuna (ancestors/ elders) with me into relationship with the people that I serve and try to use the Native Hawaiian concepts of aloha (love), ha'aha'a (humility), kōkua (to help) and lōkahi (harmony/ unity) to inform my work.
I believe that the best approach toward caring for wāhine who are struggling to feel well is by being a humble and helpful clinician, listening to their needs and doing everything I can to assist them in regaining their balance, health and using their innate mana to heal.
Education
I began my nursing career as a licensed vocational nurse in 1996 and became a Registered Nurse in 2003 after completing my Associate of Science degree in Nursing at Ventura Community College. I received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, Northridge in 2011, a Master of Science in Nursing and Family Nurse Practitioner certificate from Western University of Health Sciences in 2014, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Frontier Nursing University in 2018.
With my educational experience and passion for reproductive justice, health equity and perinatal mental health, I began specializing in caring for people experiencing Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) in 2017. Alongside other passionate professionals and volunteers, I co-founded the Maternal Mental Health Coalition of Ventura County, providing education and awareness to healthcare providers and community members about PMADs and their sometimes devastating effects on families.
Through my work as a Family Nurse Practitioner I recognized a gap in availability of skilled reproductive psychiatric providers in my community and decided to expand my scope of practice by completing a post-doctoral Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate from Brandman University in 2021 to serve this need.
Experience
Over the past 30 years as a nurse, I have practiced across a wide range of specialties, including Neonatal Intensive Care, Pediatrics, Primary Care, Nephrology, Women's Health and Mental Health. In addition to my clinical practice, I have served as faculty in both undergraduate and graduate nursing education programs and I enjoy teaching the next generation of nurse leaders.
I am skilled in Quality Improvement and strive to constantly enhance my nursing practice by combining my clients' experiences with care and the best, most up-to-date evidence available.
What's a Nurse Practitioner?
Learn what a Nurse Practitioner is, how NPs are educated and licensed, and what Full Practice means in the states where I provide care.
Read moreSpecialized Training
- 2015Certified Lactation Counselor — 5-day training course
- 2018Maternal Mental Health Certificate Training — Postpartum Support International & 2020 Mom
- 2021Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychopharmacology Training — Postpartum Support International
- 2022Perinatal Psychiatry: In-Depth Modules for Enhanced Approaches — Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Academy
- 2022Lactation Education Resources — 20 L-CERPs and CE Hours in lactation
- 2022Interpersonal Psychotherapy Institute — Level A: IPT Perinatal Course
- 2022Perinatal Mental Health Advanced Psychopharmacology Training — Postpartum Support International
- 2023Reproductive & Integrative Psychiatry Fellowship — conducted by Anna Glezer, MD
- 2024 /2025Basic & Master Accelerated Resolution Therapy Certification
- 2026Women's Hormone Therapy Specialist — The Academy for Advanced Women's Health Medicine