Student and Resident Mental Health Clinical Team

David Brown, DO Is an adult psychiatrist and senior instructor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he also completed residency and served as chief resident.  

Dr. Brown provides evaluations and consultations for medication management, provides psychodynamic psychotherapy, and is trained in exposure response prevention for obsessive compulsive disorder.  In addition, Dr. Brown serves on the executive committee of the Colorado Psychiatric Society. He is currently enrolled in the Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program at the Denver Institute for Psychoanalysis. Dr. Brown emphasizes treatment that gets at the root of psychiatric problems in addition to treating their symptoms. Dr. Brown enjoys exploring national parks, photography, and social dance.            

I am a clinical educator ,both a general psychiatrist and child/adolescent and family psychiatrist. Currently in Student Mental Health I am available on Mondays from 0800-12 noon. I have expertise in working with perinatal /postpartum issues effecting parents, culturally diverse populations including LGBT+ populations. I primarily provide pharmacotherapy. 

Intro: Traversing the difficult terrains of life can be difficult, especially when done alone. As your mental health adventure guide, Charles is dedicated to helping create a warm, inviting space that cultivates not only safety but also, a judgement free environment to thrive.

Subscribing to a person-centered, holistic approach to support change for the whole person (building approaches that love on the mind, body, soul, and heart), Charles walks alongside clients to deepen avenues for safe exploration of their behaviors, beliefs, and systemic dynamics that are currently contributing to life difficulties. Utilizing mindfulness, self-care, movement and compassion techniques along with other interventions that support being the best, Charles strives to support the most authentic and whole version of yourself.

 

When counseling, Charles uses an eclectic approach that looks to find an appropriate fit for each, individual client, and their needs. Therapeutic approaches Charles uses vary from Narrative Therapy to Solution focused, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Experiential, to name a few.

 

Background: As a lifelong learner, Charles has a diverse background that includes a B.S. in Marketing – UL-Lafayette, M.S. in Health and Human Performance concentrated in Sport Administration – Northwestern State University and M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Abilene Christian University.

 

Treatment: As a clinician, Charles has experience in working with trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, identity development and related issues, self-esteem, and self-confidence work, underserved and minority issues, relational/marital counseling, working with athletes, bereavement and loss, personality disorders, and LGBTQIA+ concerns.

Rachel Davis, MD is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Director of Student and Resident Mental Health.  Her other roles include Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs and Strategy, Medical Director of the OCD Program, and Service Director of Psychiatric Neuromodulation and Advanced Therapeutics.  She is Past-President of the Colorado Psychiatric Society (CPS) and Chair of the Colorado Psychiatric Society Ethics Committee.  Dr. Davis is a Colorado Native and grew up in the rural (frontier), Southeastern Colorado town of Eads, CO.  She completed her undergraduate training at the University of Colorado Boulder, medical school at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and psychiatry residency at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She enjoys working with people from diverse backgrounds and is LGBTQ+ affirming.  Dr. Davis loves animals and shares her home with a senior diabetic miniature pinscher, a sun conure, two budgies, and four mice.  

 

I am originally from southern California, from a family that migrated from Mexico with my grandparents. I started my professional journey at the University of California, San Diego where I majored in biology and followed a passion for art.  I then moved on to the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. While at UC Davis, I found my love for psychiatry through the Klingenstein Foundation Fellowship, where I worked with mentors in rural farming communities providing mental health services to families, much like my own. I then moved onto residency at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, where I completed my general psychiatry training and explored an interest in mindfulness-based therapies. I then continued in an academic role at CUAMC, while I also continued my training as a Psychoanalytic Candidate at the Denver Institute for Psychoanalysis. I am certified in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and will soon be fully certified in Psychoanalysis. Outside of my professional career, I am a long-distance runner always with an eye to a marathon in the future. I'm also a general mountain goer: from trail running, to cycling up mountain passes, to multiday wilderness backpacking adventures, to skiing, to snowshoeing, to just being lost in the mountains sharing stories with friends, my family and people I meet along the way.  I love it all. 

Isabella Evan-Cook (she/her) is a foundation year MSW student at University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. She is completing her internship as a Student Resident Mental Health Intern at the Department of Psychiatry. She is from Chicago, IL and completed her undergrad at Drake University, where she ran cross country and track. She will be assisting with case management and intakes, research projects, shadowing client therapy sessions, and attend training on OCD, ED, and other mental health related disorders. She hopes to become a licensed clinical social worker and work with NCAA athletes and eventually open her own practice.

Christina Garza, LPC

Dr. Noa Heiman, is a psychologist specializing in long term psychodynamic therapy. She is the director of psychological services and director of group services at the Student and Resident Mental Health clinic. Dr. Heiman has been working with students and residents since 2013 and has published articles on student mental health related topics - 

Heiman N, Davis R, Rothberg B. (2019). A Deeper Understanding of Depression and Suicidality among Medical Students. Medical Teacher. 41(6): 711-713.

Davis R, Wolfe J, Heiman N (2021) Increasing utilization of student mental health services on a college campus: Eight actionable tips, Journal of American College Health, DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1909035 

Unstructured, Uncertain, Uneasy - Students During COVID-19. Podcast and Essay, Mind the
Brain series, department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado.  

My passion as a therapist is to collaborate with those I work with to create an effective path towards personal growth. As such, I draw from a variety of well-established therapeutic methodologies (including but not limited to cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic, and systems) applying them as indicated to the unique circumstances of your situation. Clients describe me as warm, thorough, enthusiastic, and actively involved in the process of treatment. I have experience working in medical, university counseling, community mental health, and private practice settings. I particularly like working with individuals who have never been in therapy before, those struggling with life transition, relationships, anxiety, depression, grief, and have a good deal of experience working with the LGBTQ+ community as well as individuals with learning challenges. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Master's Degrees in Educational Psychology and Clinical Psychology, as well as a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

Dr. Hopfer is a child/adolescent and addiction psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry who works at SRMH monday afternoons. He is available for psychiatric evaluations and medication management. He enjoys working with patients to address their psychiatric concerns and has sub-specialty expertise in the area of addiction as well as ADHD.  While not at SRMH he serves as medical director of CeDAR, a UCHealth addiction treatment program and conducts research on the effects of cannabis legalization on mental health.

Stephanie Lehto, PsyD is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Colorado and currently is Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Lehto is Clinical Director of Student and Resident Mental Health, Clinical Director of Faculty and Staff Mental Health, and a therapist with the OCD Program. Dr. Lehto received her PsyD from Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona in 2017. Dr. Lehto completed her Pre-Doctoral and Post-Doctoral training with the Eating Recovery Center where she received training in evidence-based modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT).

 

Dr. Lehto prefers to take an eclectic and transdiagnostic approach, pulling from modalities of therapy that would be the best fit for you in the moment. She specializes in: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Eating Disorders, Body Dysmorphia, and Anxiety and Mood Disorders. Dr. Lehto takes an empowerment and values based approach to therapy.

View Lexie Persinger, LCSW's bio here

Dr. Pesko completed medical school at Harvard, general psychiatry residency at Stanford, and child psychiatry fellowship at the University of Colorado. He has worked with the Student and Resident Mental Health service as well as clinics at Denver Health since 2019. He is able to engage in evaluations and ongoing care for patients for therapy and medication management through this clinic and is available for virtual as well as in-person visits. He practices supportive, CBT/ACT, and dynamic therapy modalities. He also supervises other learners (psychiatry residents/fellows) in his clinics. 

Jennifer Quigley completed her physician assistant training at Duke and has a passion for serving underserved and culturally diverse populations. She was a recipient of the National Health Service Corps scholarship in PA school, which led her initially to working in primary care in eastern North Carolina. Through this experience, she realized her desire to provide mental health treatment in a more specialized setting. She has worked in both outpatient and residential at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health prior to her time at Student and Resident Mental Health. She enjoys meeting patients where they are and collaborating with them to create a treatment plan that best fits their needs. 

Dr. Rob Rosenthal is a licensed psychologist specializing in long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. He seeks to help people learn about how they think, feel and understand themselves so as to have more choice and flexibility in how they approach their lives. He is the director of psychological assessment, often assessing students with attention and learning difficulties. He values the opportunity to work with adults of diverse backgrounds and is GLBT affirming. 

Are you ready to take the next steps to make a positive change?  I am a results-driven therapist focused on helping you feel better, reclaim your life, and reach your highest potential. In my therapy room, I work creatively to meet you where you are at and follow your lead as you are the expert of your life.  Together, we will explore existing strengths and resources with a goal of bringing them into the present to support personal growth and attainment of goals.  

My clinical interests include the treatment of anxiety, trauma, life transitions, and relational issues, as well as the exploration of wellness, personal development, skill building and mindfulness.  It’s most important to me to treat the whole person and honor the mind, body, and spirit connection through an eclectic, mixed approach.  I utilize a variety of approaches including CBT, DBT, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD, and Internal Family Systems (the movie “Inside Out” is based on this model!). 

To be qualified to help you with the above, I earned my Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Valdosta State University in 2012 (think: humid south Georgia).  I relocated to Nashville, Tennessee to work in a residential setting that provided a wide range of experiences.  While there, I learned the value of trauma-informed approach to therapy and specialized in equine therapy before packing up and moving west at the end of 2019.  It is an honor to land at Anschutz’s Student and Resident Mental Health Clinic and I am fortunate to continue walking along side those on their healing journey. 

Outside of the therapy room, I am engaging in a variety of activities to keep my own spirit charged such as hiking, backpacking, yoga, learning to snowboard, connecting with loved ones, watering my houseplants, cooking, listening to dance music, playing with my cat GellyBall and crafting.  I look forward to helping you get connected to the passions that light you up, too! 

Rachel is dedicated to providing clients with a safe, warm, and non-judgmental environment to support them in meeting their goals of therapy.  Rachel works with clients to explore behaviors, beliefs, and dynamics that may be contributing to current suffering. Rachel encourages self-compassion and mindfulness strategies to support change & client’s movement toward greater fulfillment. Rachel believes that a fundamental shift from judgment to curiosity and compassion can open up space for tremendous healing. Rachel’s goal in working with clients is to help them cultivate a greater sense of compassion, connection, and mindful awareness with themselves and others.

Rachel counsels from a blended approach using techniques from several therapeutic modalities, including: Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Exposure Response Therapy (ERP). Rachel seeks to respect the multiple identities clients may hold across race, religion, culture, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and others.   Rachel provides LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy which means that clients who are members of this population will encounter a loving, open, and non-oppressive environment. All are welcome here.

BACKGROUND: Rachel has a broad and unique base of experience providing individual, group, couples, and family therapy services to clients in inpatient, day treatment, community, and private practice settings. Rachel received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Kansas and her Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from the University of Iowa. Rachel is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado.  

 Rachel has expertise working with:

–        Anxiety 

–        Depression

–        Life and career transition

–        Bereavement and Loss

–        Eating Disorders

–        Identity Development

–        LGBTQIA+ Concerns

–        Self-image & self-esteem issues

View Dr. Julie Wolfe's bio here.