Charlotte/
Lake Norman
Monica Bentley, PMHNP-BC, FNP
Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Monica Bentley is is a dual board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner, a combination that gives her an exceptional ability to understand the full connection between physical and emotional health. Her extensive experience across diverse nursing and clinical settings allows her to recognize patterns, underlying issues, and medical contributors that many practitioners overlook. Patients often remark that she “catches things no one else has.”
Monica began her career as a Registered Nurse before completing her Family Nurse Practitioner training at UNC–Charlotte and starting practice in 2010. After seeing firsthand the challenges patients face in accessing meaningful mental health care, she pursued additional training and completed the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program at UNC–Chapel Hill in 2015. This dual background enables her to approach each client holistically, blending medical knowledge with psychiatric insight to uncover the true root of mood changes, attention difficulties, sleep issues, and stress-related symptoms. Together with her clients, she develops individualized treatment plans that reflect the full picture of their health and well-being.
Outside of her clinical work, Monica is a busy mom of three, often found shuttling her kids to piano lessons, swim meets, drama club, basketball games, golf matches, and baseball practices. She loves a tidy house, avoids cooking whenever possible, and happily enjoys her husband’s meals instead. When she manages a quiet moment, she’s usually reading in her hammock, jogging with a favorite podcast, or chasing one of her labs who still hasn’t accepted the idea of an underground fence.
Monica’s approach integrates physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health, helping clients feel fully seen, thoroughly understood, and supported in creating lasting, meaningful change.
Erin Klender, PMHNP-BC
Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Erin Klender is a board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and the founder of Common Ground Psychiatry. With over two decades of healthcare experience, she provides compassionate psychiatric care to adolescents (13+) and adults across North Carolina.
Erin earned her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2001, became a Registered Nurse in 2006, and completed her Master’s degree in Nursing at the University of Southern Indiana in 2017. She blends clinical expertise, knowledge of psychopharmacology, and lived experience in a neurodivergent family to guide clients thoughtfully and safely through mental health care.
She works closely with teens, young adults, and high-performing neurodivergent individuals to explore whether a diagnosis fits and what treatment options make sense—whether that includes medication, therapy, or a referral. Medication is offered only when truly appropriate, and clients can trust that their care will be personalized and grounded in both evidence and experience. Clients are welcome to come as they are—without judgment—and work with Erin to find the approach that fits their life.
Outside of work, Erin is a mother of three, married to her college sweetheart, and shares her home with a spirited rescue cat named Bean. She values humor, authenticity, and showing up as yourself, even if that means in pajamas.