Aksana Tharp is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC) and has been with Optimae LifeServices’ behavioral health team since 2025. As a prescriber, she treats patients with mental health diagnoses and serves individuals of all ages throughout the Des Moines and Ames areas. She believes every patient deserves safe, individualized and patient-centered care.
Aksana’s experience spans a variety of inpatient and outpatient health care settings, where she has served as a behavioral health registered nurse providing comprehensive care to individuals with a wide range of mental health diagnoses and needs.
She specializes in assisting individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, and addiction disorders. By integrating evidence-based practices, Aksana strives to help individuals achieve their mental health goals.
Aksana earned her associate degree in nursing from Indian Hills Community College, her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Missouri, and her master’s degree in nursing from Allen College in Waterloo, Iowa.