Mission
Dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of children and adolescents by expanding the reach of evidence-based, family-focused mental health care. Keeping patients safe is our top priority. We're delivering thoughtful, high-quality care for kids who need it: both in person and through telehealth.
About Our Division Chair
Dr. Liaw was previously the Director of the Sala Institute's Child-Family Services and Resilience Programs and Chief of Service of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone. Nationally, Dr. Liaw has served as an expert consultant in design and innovation, family engagement, improvement science, mental health integration, clinician wellbeing, diversity and equity for the American Board of Pediatrics Foundation's Resilience Roadmap Pilot Collaborative, Greater New York Hospital Association Clinician Wellbeing Advisory Group, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Children's Hospital Association's Behavioral Health Leadership Roundtable, and IDEO.
Dr. K. Ron-Li Liaw is the Cannon Y. & Lyndia Harvey Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Chair of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children's Hospital Colorado. Dr. Liaw is a Professor, Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Division Director of Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She serves as the inaugural Mental Health In-Chief at Colorado Children's Hospital to help shape and oversee child mental health vision and strategy, operations, quality, safety, and workforce development system-wide.
Dr. Liaw was previously the Director of the Sala Institute's Child-Family Services and Resilience Programs and Chief of Service of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone. Nationally, Dr. Liaw has served as an expert consultant in design and innovation, family engagement, improvement science, mental health integration, clinician wellbeing, diversity and equity for the American Board of Pediatrics Foundation's Resilience Roadmap Pilot Collaborative, Greater New York Hospital Association Clinician Wellbeing Advisory Group, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Children's Hospital Association's Behavioral Health Leadership Roundtable, and IDEO.
The current research foci for the Division of Children and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) is (1) intervention and implementation, (2) services, (3) integrated/medical, and (4) neuroscience/clinical phenotyping. In Federal Fiscal Year 2020, the Division received $4.8M in funding and was the largest grant contributor in the Department of Psychiatry. Indeed, CAMH faculty are advancing our understanding of child development and mental illness in childhood, striving to implement quality clinical practice, as well as improving mental health care in the community.
Dr. Laura Anthony, PhD, is the Director of Research for the Division of CAMH. She is a clinical and development psychologist whose research is primarily focused on developing, testing, and implementing new treatments to improve executive functioning in children with ASD and ADHD. Dr. Anthony's vision for this role is to build towards the future of research in the Division. That includes supporting our current research faculty, in addition to growing and expanding our research areas tailored to Colorado's unique needs in collaboration with the other research programs on campus. Ideally, through a combination of these efforts, we will grow into a nationally recognized, multifaceted research program with multiple teams bringing in more federal funding with a focus on helping youth, their families and those who serve them immediately.
Dr. Merlin Ariefdjohan, PhD, MPH joined the CAMH Division in 2015. Currently, she directs the Psychiatry Research Innovations (PRI), which is a departmental research support infrastructure for the faculty members in the Department of Psychiatry. The PRI has been established to advance research and academic success of our faculty by providing research-related administrative, operational, and educational support. While managing and providing oversight to PRI operation that encompasses five specialized services (sponsored program management, research operations, biostatistics, clinical research support, and research education), she is returning to CAMH as the Associate Director of Research and partnering with Dr. Laura Anthony in creating inter-disciplinary research pathways, fostering new collaborations with internal and external partners, and advancing research excellence at the Division.
Check out the following to learn more about the exciting work our research faculty is doing:
• The Community Based Intervention and Implementation Research Group (CIIRG)
• Developmental Psychobiology Research Group
• Emotion and Development Lab
• Unstuck and On Target
• Program for Early Assessment, Care, & Study (PEACS)
The Division of Child and Adolescent Mental Health currently has 25 faculty who are active in research (click on the link to see their publications):
• Audrey Blakely-Smith
• Aviva Olsavsky
• Ayelet Talmi
• Benjamin Mullin
• Bruno Anthony
• Elizabeth Christofferson
• Cindy Buchanan
• Courtney Lynn
• Emily Muther
• Jacob Holzman
• Jessica Hawks
• Joel Stoddard
• Judy Reaven
• Karen Frankel
• Laura Anthony
• Lauren Wood
• Lina Patel
• Michelle Clementi
• Michelle West
• Monique Germone
• Patrick Romani
• Robin Gabriels
• Sarah Kennedy
• Steve Berkowitz
• Verenea Serrano
Dr. Laura Anthony, PhD, is the Director of Research for the Division of CAMH. She is a clinical and development psychologist whose research is primarily focused on developing, testing, and implementing new treatments to improve executive functioning in children with ASD and ADHD. Dr. Anthony's vision for this role is to build towards the future of research in the Division. That includes supporting our current research faculty, in addition to growing and expanding our research areas tailored to Colorado's unique needs in collaboration with the other research programs on campus. Ideally, through a combination of these efforts, we will grow into a nationally recognized, multifaceted research program with multiple teams bringing in more federal funding with a focus on helping youth, their families and those who serve them immediately.
Dr. Merlin Ariefdjohan, PhD, MPH joined the CAMH Division in 2015. Currently, she directs the Psychiatry Research Innovations (PRI), which is a departmental research support infrastructure for the faculty members in the Department of Psychiatry. The PRI has been established to advance research and academic success of our faculty by providing research-related administrative, operational, and educational support. While managing and providing oversight to PRI operation that encompasses five specialized services (sponsored program management, research operations, biostatistics, clinical research support, and research education), she is returning to CAMH as the Associate Director of Research and partnering with Dr. Laura Anthony in creating inter-disciplinary research pathways, fostering new collaborations with internal and external partners, and advancing research excellence at the Division.
Check out the following to learn more about the exciting work our research faculty is doing:
• The Community Based Intervention and Implementation Research Group (CIIRG)
• Developmental Psychobiology Research Group
• Emotion and Development Lab
• Unstuck and On Target
• Program for Early Assessment, Care, & Study (PEACS)
The Division of Child and Adolescent Mental Health currently has 25 faculty who are active in research (click on the link to see their publications):
• Audrey Blakely-Smith
• Aviva Olsavsky
• Ayelet Talmi
• Benjamin Mullin
• Bruno Anthony
• Elizabeth Christofferson
• Cindy Buchanan
• Courtney Lynn
• Emily Muther
• Jacob Holzman
• Jessica Hawks
• Joel Stoddard
• Judy Reaven
• Karen Frankel
• Laura Anthony
• Lauren Wood
• Lina Patel
• Michelle Clementi
• Michelle West
• Monique Germone
• Patrick Romani
• Robin Gabriels
• Sarah Kennedy
• Steve Berkowitz
• Verenea Serrano
Residents and Fellows
The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship is a two-year program with a mission to produce leaders with the clinical, scholarship, and advocacy expertise to improve the lives of children and families in our communities. Fellows gain expertise (1) treating infants, children, and adolescents experiencing a broad range of difficulties and (2) utilizing evidence-based interventions to treat patients across a wide variety of settings, with graduated clinical autonomy. All fellows give a Grand Round's presentation with a PhD intern and participate in a mentored scholarship project, producing a poster and or manuscript.
Psychiatry residents who wish to pursue research as part of their current and future career may match into the Residency's Research Track. Residents in this track work with a mentor to develop an Individualized Research Plan and have mentored research experiences across residency. This track seeks to prepare future clinician-scientists for academic roles in psychiatry. Those residents in the track who choose to complete a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship continue to have protected research time during fellowship training.
Psychiatry residents who wish to explore an interest in child and adolescent psychiatry can rotate at the Inpatient Unit at Children's Hospital Colorado or the Outpatient Clinic at UCHealth in addition to doing pediatrics and pediatric neurology in their first year.
Psychology Training Programs
Psychology training experiences, including externships, internships, and post-doctoral fellowships are available through the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children's Hospital Colorado across a wide variety of settings. Part-time externships are available to doctoral students within the region who want to gain experience in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and their families. The Children's Hospital Colorado's APA accredited, full-time doctoral internships offer robust training in child clinical and pediatric psychology with the option for students to specialize in neuropsychology, rehabilitation, pediatric health, developmental pediatrics, primary care, or child clinical intensive services. The program has been around since 1989 and has produced many child and pediatric psychologists who work in a variety of roles and settings in and outside of academic medicine. The model of psychology training is based on developing socially responsive scientist practitioners. We want our trainees to be developers of empirically informed socially responsive practices and culturally humble practitioners. Post-doctoral psychology fellowships are intended for those who have recently graduated from doctoral programs after completion of an APA accredited internship who wish to advance their clinical training and research production in a major area of study within child clinical and pediatric specialty areas. For example, the Irving Harris Program in Child Development and Infant Mental Health provides clinical training, consultation, advocacy, and research in infant and early childhood mental health. The Harris Fellowship Program trains postdoctoral psychology fellows and advanced community professionals intending to work in infancy and early childhood systems.
The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship is a two-year program with a mission to produce leaders with the clinical, scholarship, and advocacy expertise to improve the lives of children and families in our communities. Fellows gain expertise (1) treating infants, children, and adolescents experiencing a broad range of difficulties and (2) utilizing evidence-based interventions to treat patients across a wide variety of settings, with graduated clinical autonomy. All fellows give a Grand Round's presentation with a PhD intern and participate in a mentored scholarship project, producing a poster and or manuscript.
Psychiatry residents who wish to pursue research as part of their current and future career may match into the Residency's Research Track. Residents in this track work with a mentor to develop an Individualized Research Plan and have mentored research experiences across residency. This track seeks to prepare future clinician-scientists for academic roles in psychiatry. Those residents in the track who choose to complete a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship continue to have protected research time during fellowship training.
Psychiatry residents who wish to explore an interest in child and adolescent psychiatry can rotate at the Inpatient Unit at Children's Hospital Colorado or the Outpatient Clinic at UCHealth in addition to doing pediatrics and pediatric neurology in their first year.
Psychology Training Programs
Psychology training experiences, including externships, internships, and post-doctoral fellowships are available through the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children's Hospital Colorado across a wide variety of settings. Part-time externships are available to doctoral students within the region who want to gain experience in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and their families. The Children's Hospital Colorado's APA accredited, full-time doctoral internships offer robust training in child clinical and pediatric psychology with the option for students to specialize in neuropsychology, rehabilitation, pediatric health, developmental pediatrics, primary care, or child clinical intensive services. The program has been around since 1989 and has produced many child and pediatric psychologists who work in a variety of roles and settings in and outside of academic medicine. The model of psychology training is based on developing socially responsive scientist practitioners. We want our trainees to be developers of empirically informed socially responsive practices and culturally humble practitioners. Post-doctoral psychology fellowships are intended for those who have recently graduated from doctoral programs after completion of an APA accredited internship who wish to advance their clinical training and research production in a major area of study within child clinical and pediatric specialty areas. For example, the Irving Harris Program in Child Development and Infant Mental Health provides clinical training, consultation, advocacy, and research in infant and early childhood mental health. The Harris Fellowship Program trains postdoctoral psychology fellows and advanced community professionals intending to work in infancy and early childhood systems.
Inpatient Psychiatric Services
Our inpatient services include 24-hours care for children and adolescents experiencing a mental health crisis who require inpatient treatment for stabilization and safety. Children aged 3 to 12 years who require psychiatric hospitalization are treated on the Child Psychiatric Unit (CPU); adolescents aged 13 to 17 are treated on the Adolescent Psychiatric Unit (APU). This service will be increasing from previous 18 bed unit to 26 bed unit mid-2022 and will have age based "zones" for cohorting and treatment.
Ambulatory Services
We provide outpatient, intensive outpatient, and partial hospitalization services at Anschutz Medical Campus, Children's Hospital Colorado's Highlands Ranch and Broomfield Network of Care locations. This includes specialty programs in perinatal mental health, anxiety, externalizing problems, mood disorders, eating disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Integrated Specialty Care
Our Division provides fully integrated mental health services for a number of specialty programs at Children's Hospital Colorado, including programs for Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, neurology, urology, and transplant among others.
Partial Hospitalization
The Partial Hospitalization Program includes structured and intensive daily programming for children and adolescents experiencing serious emotional and behavioral challenges. Our division provides a general partial hospitalization program as well as specialized programs including:
(1) Eating Disorders Program
(2) Medical Day Treatment
(3) Neuropsychiatric Special Care
Colorado Springs Children's Hospital Colorado
Our Colorado Springs location is currently undergoing growth and strategic planning. We currently offer the following services: (1) Psychiatric Emergency Services, (2) Consultation Services, (3) therapists in some local schools, (4) Integrated Care in the Specialty Clinics at The Briargate Center, (5) traditional outpatient services at Telstar location, and (6) Partial Hospitalization Program at Telstar location.
We currently offer the following clinical care modalities, but not limited to:
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- Medication Evaluation & Management
- Individual Therapy
- Family Therapy
- Group Therapy
- Creative Arts Therapy
- Education series for parents and caregivers
- Crisis Services – We are developing Crisis Services as a new level of care for patients not yet safe to go home, who would benefit from a family centered, acute crisis intervention.
Community-Based Programs
- Partners for Children's Mental Health (PCMH) works to improve youth mental health services in Colorado by increasing capacity, access, and quality. Through collaboration with partners across the state, PCMH works to identify, scale, and sustain best practices that will help save lives and ensure that children Colorado receive excellent mental health treatment.
- Colorado Healthy Steps is an evidence-based program that places a child development specialist within a primary care team. This approach supports healthy development in babies and toddlers by promoting nurturing parenting behaviors.
- Our Children's Mental Health Speaker's Bureau works to educate the community about children's mental health through community seminars and through local, regional, and national media.
- The Colorado Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation and Access Program provides pediatric care providers with consultations by licensed child and adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, and specialized community resource navigators.
- Project CLIMB (Consultation Liaison in Mental Health and Behavior) provides innovative, fully integrated mental health services in the pediatric primary care clinics at Children's Hospital Colorado. Members of the CLIMB team include licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, fellows and interns.
- Traverse Academy – In partnership with Cherry Creek School District, Traverse Academy is a hybrid-intensive outpatient treatment center and school catering specifically to students experiencing severe emotional and behavioral challenges.