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I was born and raised in Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. I received my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialty in Neuropsychology from the San Diego State/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in 2005 after completing a Predoctoral Clinical Internship at Duke University Medical School. I also completed a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology from the University of California, San Francisco Memory and Aging Center and the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center at the University of California, San Diego. I am licensed in the state of Colorado for the Independent Practice of Psychology CO #3445, 2008 - present.

 

In addition to an early research career, I have had extensive clinical experience providing

Psychotherapy to individuals suffering from a variety of mental health concerns (Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety and Panic Disorders, Substance Abuse and Addiction, Relationship difficulties and Adjustment concerns following retirement, pregnancy, major injury/illness, career change), as well as in Clinical Neuropsychological Assessment providing comprehensive diagnostic cognitive, psychiatric, functional, and personality evaluations for inpatients and outpatients suffering from a wide range of known or suspected central nervous system injury or illness including:

 

• Alzheimer’s Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Chemotherapy, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), Corticobasal Syndrome, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Frontotemporal variants, HIV-related Cognitive Impairment, Huntington’s Disease, Lewy Body Dementias, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Posterior Cortical Atrophy, Prion Disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Psychiatric Disorders, Seizure disorders, Stroke, Substance Use Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Vascular Disease.

 

While taking some time off to raise my two children, I remained active in clinical research as well as teaching undergraduate neuroscience and neuropharmacology as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver. I have also served as a Scientific Advisor for Miro, a neurological science company developing empirically sound assessment measures and apps for large-scale clinical trials.

 

My two primary areas of clinical focus currently are:

1) Psychotherapy with women struggling with stress related to parenting issues (e.g., leaving a professional identity to parent full time, or working parents struggling to balance it all, and parenting children who are struggling)

 

2) Neuropsychological Assessment of older adults who are starting to notice cognitive changes as they age and helping them determine whether their symptoms are due to normal age-related changes in the brain or something more serious like a degenerative disease that could benefit from early intervention and tracking over time.

 

In my personal time I enjoy writing, irrationally following my sports’ teams, learning to play the drums, and binge-watching shows with my husband. My husband and I are the proud parents of Karen, Thomas, Ernie the English bulldog, and Pot Roast the cat.

 

Click here for my Curriculum Vitae.

 

Click here for a list of my research publications.