EMPOWER’s Providers

EMPOWER only hires highly experienced, academically trained, well qualified family behavioral health specialists. EMPOWER actively recruits clinicians with exceptional reputations, known to possess high level expertise in their specialty area.

More about our providers

EMPOWER routes all new providers through a rigorous, standardized hiring and training process that requires potential hires to demonstrate their knowledge, interpersonal skills, team mindedness, clinical acumen and integrity. EMPOWER will only hire individuals with proven track records of exceptional performance and histories of innovative program development. EMPOWER clinicians must demonstrate deep commitment and passion in serving patients and families, along with intense drive to continually strive for excellence, in all aspects of their work.

The field of behavioral health is comprised of a number of provider types and disciplines that range widely in the level of education and training required to achieve licensure. Please see Appendix A for a comparison of behavioral health provider types. EMPOWER clinicians have only higher level masters and doctorate level degrees and must have been trained at fully credentialed, top tier programs. They must be fully licensed in the state of Colorado and have a pristine record of performance. EMPOWER seeks out providers who have demonstrated a long-standing pattern of effectiveness, self-directness, conscientiousness, ingenuity and leadership.

Only a very small percent of available, eligible and interested clinicians will be considered qualified to meet full hiring criteria and standards to join the ranks of EMPOWER. See Appendix B for details regarding target profiles for EMPOWER hires. EMPOWER clinicians must have a record of mastery in evidence-based assessment and treatment approaches, and have strong backgrounds in serving families, in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.

Provider Type Descriptions

Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists are Medical Doctors (MD or DO) who have earned a Bachelor’s degree from college, and then graduated from an accredited 4-year medical school. They must then have completed 5-6 years of psychiatric residency training that specializes in the assessment and treatment of child, adolescent and adult psychiatric concerns. They are licensed by the State of Colorado, and Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in both General and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Psychiatrists can perform psychiatric consultations, diagnostic assessments, medication evaluations, medication management and provide a broad range of individual, group and family psychotherapies.

Child + Adolescent Psychologist

Child and Adolescent Psychologists are doctorate level clinicians (PhD or PsyD). Child Psychologists must have earned a Bachelor’s degree from college and then have completed an additional 5-7 years of postgraduate education and training at an accredited program. They are licensed by the State of Colorado and qualified to perform psychological evaluations, diagnostic assessments, standardized testing and provide a broad range of individual, group and family psychotherapies.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) is a Master’s Level Therapist, licensed by the State of Colorado. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree from college, LCSWs must have completed 3-4 years of additional education and training at an accredited program. The level of education and training required to earn an LCSW significantly exceeds that of other Master’s Level Therapists or Counselors, such as providers who have earned degrees including Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Master’s of Social Work (MSW) or Licensed Social Worker (LSW). LCSWs are qualified to perform psychosocial assessments, diagnostic evaluations, and provide a broad range of individual, group and family psychotherapies, along with care coordination and resource access assistance for families.

Kym Spring Thompson, PsyD, IMH-E® (IV-C)

Clinical Director

Mariah Stuart, MSW, LCSW

Director of Operations

Heather Adams, DO

Medical Director

Mary Nord Cook, MD

Executive Director

Jaimelyn Roets, LCSW

Director of Anxiety Programs

Anne Bliss Niess, MA, LPC

Young Adult, Athlete & Eating D/O Specialist

Barry McCoy, LCSW

Parenting & Behavior Specialist

Rachel Garrett, LPC

Adolescent & Young Adult
Anxiety, Mood, Eating D/O Specialist

Saira Malhotra, MSW, LSW

Children, Teens & Young Adults
Anxiety, Mood & Behavior Specialist

“Good Isn’t Good Enough…Only EXCELLENCE Will Do!”

Kym Spring-Thompson, PsyD

Brief Biographical Sketch

Dr. Spring-Thompson graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996 with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Behavioral Science and Law. She worked with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families for 7 years before moving to Denver. She began graduate school at the University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology in 2004, at which time she began doing psychotherapy and assessments with children and families. She earned her Masters Degree in November 1996 and Doctorate in August 2009, both in Clinical Psychology, with a specialty focus on children and families. She is Licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in the State of Colorado (#3555).

Much of her experience has been in supporting children with emotional and behavioral issues, which has often included anxiety or behavior management and parent coaching. Her research interests have included high conflict divorce, mothers as athletes, and neurobehavioral issues in children. A specialized interest in Postpartum Depression led to her research and publication entitled “Postpartum Depression: Impact on Infants and Implications for Intervention.” Additionally, she serves in the Healthy Expectations Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado, specializing in Perinatal Mental Health and Mother-Infant Therapy. A parallel area of passion has been in early trauma, inspiring her to pursue additional training and clinical experiences working with children and families who had experienced varied traumatic events. In the areas of trauma, anxiety and postpartum depression, Dr. Spring-Thompson has extensive training and experience in the application of evidenced-based practices. She has guest lectured, on an invited basis, to Masters, Doctoral and Post-doctoral Level students on Autism Spectrum Disorders, Infant-Caregiver Relationships and Infant/Early Childhood Assessments.

Passion Related to Work and EMPOWER

EMPOWER was founded by a group of smart, talented, enthusiastic professionals with whom I look forward to building something that is innovative and cutting edge. I plan to serve at EMPOWER by performing diagnostic evaluations, and conducting psychotherapy groups to treat mood and anxiety issues, as well as providing support and therapy to parents and families. Over time, I hope to support the expansion of our mission and services to include establishing EMPOWER Centers as a state of the art training site for graduate students and residents, where they might receive the highest caliber clinical training and supervision, in evidence-based methods. Additionally, we intend to expand the target population to include perinatal women, infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents.

Involvement with Other Non-Profit Organizations: I have worked for the Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO) for the last 4 years in the Healthy Expectations Program, specializing in Perinatal Mental Health and Mother-Infant Therapy. I worked for two years in CHCO’s Anxiety and General Intensive Outpatient Programs and have also worked for the Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health as the Endorsement Coordinator since 2011.

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Mariah Stuart, MSW, LCSW

Brief Biographical Sketch

Mariah Stuart, MSW, LSW, is a social worker and registered psychotherapist. She received both her undergraduate degree and her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver with a concentration in Children and Youth: Risks and Healthy Development. Mariah has over 5 years of experience working with children of all ages in multiple settings including schools, residential mental health care and hospitals. Mariah completed her first internship as a school social worker in Adams 12 Five Star Schools and her clinical internship at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Outpatient Psychiatry. Through her training, Mariah has grown a passion for working with anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Passion Related to Work and EMPOWER

I am passionate about working with children and their families and so excited to be a part of the EMPOWER family! Every day I look forward to the privilege of EMPOWERing families and working alongside some of the most talented providers in the region. At EMPOWER, we strive to provide the very best and most researched evidence-based treatments to each and every family who comes through our clinic. I cannot wait to EMPOWER every family who I serve and help each child reach their full potential.

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Jaimelyn Roets, LCSW

Brief Biographical Sketch

Jaimelyn Roets is a licensed clinical social worker. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Michigan State University, and her Masters of Social Work degree from The University of Michigan. She has worked for Children’s Hospital Colorado for the last six years, primarily within its Anxiety Program. Prior to this role, Jaimelyn worked for The Children’s Resource Center in Bowling Green, Ohio for three years providing outpatient mental health support, crisis management and suicide prevention approaches to children and families in need. She also worked part time with The University of Michigan Pain Clinic through Ross Halpern and Associates, providing mental health support for patients with chronic pain. As a part of Jaimelyn’s practicum at The University of Michigan, she worked for The University Center for the Child and Family, where she provided therapy to children and families struggling with deficits in emotion regulation. Jaimelyn’s primary areas of interest include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, anxiety disorders, OCD, athletic performance anxiety and eating disorders.

Passion Related to Work and EMPOWER

I am extremely passionate about helping others, which is why I choose a career as a clinical social worker. I am so excited and honored to be a part of EMPOWER, because this quest enables me to take my passion to a whole new level. This organization consists of a crew of exceptionally talented, highly motivated and hard-working women, all sharing a common vision and coming together to make that vision a reality. Through fully realizing EMPOWER’s vision, we have the ability to create the most nurturing environment possible and implement optimal, multidisciplinary plans of care for those families we are honored and privileged to serve.

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Anne Bliss Niess, LPC

Brief Biographical Sketch

Anne Bliss Niess completed her Masters in Counseling from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California and her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Anne has been garnering clinical experiences from across the state and most recently, spent the past five years working full-time at Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO) as a Mental Health Clinician. She has enjoyed working with varied populations with different needs, honing her skills and accruing experiences in assessing and treating neuropsychological and developmental problems and behavioral issues, along with mood, eating and anxiety disorders. In addition to serving families at EMPOWER Centers, Anne continues to practice part-time at CHCO working with patients suffering from eating disorders. She also spent her last year of her graduate program interning at the Eating Disorder Center of Denver, helping adults recover from severe and chronic eating disorders. Anne’s primary areas of interest include high performance athlete counseling, young adult life transitions, and helping teens and young adults navigate the everyday challenges and social media pressures that are so prevalent in today’s culture.

Passion Related to Work and EMPOWER

In my experience, the notion of therapy or counseling is often perceived as threatening and stigmatizing. Therapy can seem like a scary and menacing prospect meant for only “those” types of people, or only meant for those recovering from traumatic experiences. Well, I’m here in this field because I believe that every single person can benefit from therapy, no matter where they are in life. I thoroughly enjoy working with teens and young adults as they navigate the often overwhelming and uncharted territories of entering college or moving on to the “real world.” As a parent, perhaps you’ve noticed that your once “Straight A” student, top athlete, gifted musician, is suddenly struggling: making poor choices, unable to keep up with grades, skipping practices, or appearing anxious and/or depressed. I can help work with your teen or young adult to help provide them tools to get back onto a successful, healthier, more sustainable track. I am passionate about helping your teen and/or young adult find a balance in life and consolidate a strong sense of self that extends beyond their achievements and accolades. I often find that this is the key to launching into the transition to young adulthood courageously and wholeheartedly.

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Rachel Garrett, LPC

Brief Biographical Sketch

Rachel Rentz is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She received her Undergraduate Degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Clemson University (Summa Cum Laude) and her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health from Denver Seminary. Prior to obtaining her Master’s Degree, Rachel worked as a Certified Child Life Specialist at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital in Columbia, SC for 5 years. There she provided medical play and psychosocial support to hospitalized children and their families. Rachel also has experience working with at-risk youth in a residential treatment center and a history of facilitating groups that teach psychosocial skills {including those covered in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)}, body image development and body-focused repetitive disorders. In addition to working with teens and young adults at EMPOWER, Rachel has been working with individuals in a Partial Hospitalization Treatment Program for Eating Disorders at EDCare, since 2014. Rachel primarily utilizes a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Strengths-Based approach, although she routinely adapts her therapy modality to best fit her clients’ needs. Rachel’s primary areas of interest include body image issues and eating disorders, grief and loss, anxiety and depression, addiction, body-focused repetitive disorders, and helping teens & young adults live in congruency with their authentic self.

Passion Related to Work and EMPOWER

I am passionate about helping individuals discover their unique identity apart from the presenting issue that might be bringing them into therapy. The culture we live in today tends to bombard us with messages that tell us who we “should be,” how we “should look,” and/or what we “should do.” My goal is to help individuals develop a stronger sense of self and experience the freedom and EMPOWERment that comes from living from that foundation. I offer a compassionate and safe approach, striving always to put my clients’ at ease and earn and maintain their trust. I highly value and routinely use humor in the counseling process. I look forward to helping individuals practice new ways of coping that will EMPOWER them to face life’s challenges with inner strength and grace.

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Barry McCoy, LCSW

Brief Biographical Sketch

Barry is a licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been providing care to children, adolescents and their families. His career started after he received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Knox College. He started by working with youth in residential treatment in Joliet, IL. He then worked with youth who were struggling with severe emotional and behavioral difficulties, in their homes. He attained his Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago with an emphasis on children and families. He continued to provide care when he moved to Minnesota through his position at Mayo Clinic for over 20 years, working in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatient Unit, seeing patients in the Emergency Room, working in intensive outpatient treatment and traditional outpatient psychotherapy. He has worked with youth of all ages and with many different diagnoses. He has particularly appreciated working with those struggling with behavior issues, mood issues and grief.

Passion Related to Work and EMPOWER

We all struggle at some time. It is a part of life. When our struggles overpower other aspects of our life, we get stuck. That is a sign that we alone may not be able to overcome this struggle. Help is needed. I am one form of help. I have helped kids, teens and families for many years explore, understand and overcome difficulties so they can achieve their fullest potential and move forward to higher levels of functioning. This has been and continues to be one of my life’s passions. It is accomplished first by me developing an honest relationship based upon genuine care and concern for the pain and difficulty involved. Then with skill building, principally focusing on recognizing patterns of thought mood and behavior, understanding their impacts and making the appropriate changes, healing begins. The application of particular skills can also help to avoid other struggles in the future. This is the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, one of the most widely researched and verified forms of psychotherapy. This therapy form is so effective I personally use these skills routinely. These are not just behavioral skills, thought skills or mood skills, these are life skills.

Apart from this work I love to be with my wife, our kids and grandkids. I love fishing, especially in northern Minnesota, hunting and hiking in the mountains and exploring Colorado.

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Saira Malhotra, MSW, NLC

Brief Biographical Sketch

Saira Malhotra, MSW, NLC, is a registered psychotherapist who received her graduate degree at the University of Denver with a concentration in mental health. She has worked in youth mental health for 8 years, beginning her career as a physician’s assistant for a child psychiatrist. She has since worked in the child program at Boston University’s renowned Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Boston University’s Honors College as a peer support counselor, and Colorado “I Have A Dream” Foundation’s clinical program with elementary aged youth. In each of these roles, Saira provided outpatient mental health support and crisis management to youth and families across demographics. She is passionate about helping those who are experiencing anxiety, mood difficulties, behavioral issues, or life transitions. Saira is trained in several modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Saira applies these techniques alongside the principles of trauma-informed care, cultural humility, and strengths-based practice to best meet each client’s unique needs.

Passion Related to Work and EMPOWER

I was drawn to the field of mental health by a fundamental belief in the power of transformation. All individuals have unique potential that can be difficult to fully realize when emotional pain feels overwhelming. My goal is to help patients harness these strengths to overcome and grow from life’s challenges. Whether you are seeking help for a child who struggles to manage big emotions or an emerging adult who needs guidance through a life transition, I am here to help. I am also experienced in supporting patients through mood challenges, identity development, and sociocultural pressure. My specialties related to sociocultural pressure include working with clients who identify as LGBTQ+, second-generation Americans, or people of color. There is courage in vulnerability and reaching out for help. I work hard to honor that courage by maintaining a therapeutic space that is collaborative, compassionate, and safe for patients of all ages and demographics. My office will always be a place for clients to explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors without judgment. I look forward to working with your child or young adult as they take their first steps towards healing!

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Heather Adams, DO

Brief Biographical Sketch

Brief Biosketch: Heather Adams, DO, is Board Certified as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Adult Psychiatrist and Pediatrician. She currently is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine with a faculty appointment at Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO). From 2012-2017 she served as an Attending Physician in the Inpatient Psychiatric and Partial Hospitalization Programs at CHCO. Her passion involves caring for children with co-occurring mental and medical illnesses. She is currently working with the Adolescent Medicine and Neurology Departments at CHCO. Dr. Adams is active in teaching medical students, nurse practitioners & resident physicians.

Dr. Adams received her Bachelors of Science at Washington State University in Genetics and Molecular Cell Biology and her Medical Degree at Midwestern University. She finished a five-year Triple Board Residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital during which she trained in Pediatrics, Adult & Child Psychiatry. She worked in clinics specializing in movement disorders (Tics, Tourette’s), Anxiety Disorders, OCD, Trichotillomania and Obesity.

Passion Related to Work and EMPOWER

Passion Statement: I am passionate about helping those kids who may feel beyond help or who other medical clinics have worried are too complicated. I believe that health, wellness and mental health are complexly intertwined, and the right path is often not the easy one. I am confident that through working together in a team approach with bright, flexible and talented folks, improvement is likely.

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Mary Nord Cook, MD

Brief Biographical Sketch

From 2005-2015, Mary Nord Cook, MD, held the rank of Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Colorado School of Medicine and served as the Medical Director of Outpatient Services for the Department of Psychiatry at the Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO). In July 2015, she left her prior positions, to assume new roles as the Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director for EMPOWER, a first of its kind, Non-Profit {501(3)(c)} Center of Excellence in Family Behavioral Health, she helped found. She has been extensively involved in the training of medical students, psychology and social work graduate students, along with psychiatry residents. She recently won a resident nominated award for teaching excellence and has also been recognized by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), as an Outstanding Mentor. She specializes in working with families presenting with youngsters who’ve been diagnosed with Disruptive Behavior and Mood Disorders.

Between 2005-2015, she spearheaded the development of a series of specialized Routine and Intensive Outpatient Psychiatry Programs (ROP, IOP) at CHCO. She authored and published two books detailing the evidence-based, standardized, skills building treatment protocols used for both the school-aged and adolescent patient populations, in both the CHCO ROP and IOP, titled Transforming Behavior: Training Parents & Kids Together and Transforming Teen Behavior: Parent-Teen Protocols for Psychosocial Skills Training. She also co-authored a peer reviewed journal article that described the positive clinical outcomes obtained in the IOP for school-aged children with disruptive behavior. She has authored books, chapters, review articles and contributed to the AACAP Practice Parameters on family interventions. She frequently performs presentations in the community for school, primary care and youth outreach programs. In addition, she routinely presents at regional and national, professional conferences, often on an invited basis. Her passions are developing and applying family and strengths-based approaches, pursuant of a goal to minimize medication, while optimizing parenting and psychosocial skills. Her mantra is “More Skills =’s Less Pills!”

Dr. Cook received her bachelor’s degree (Psychology) with Honors, from the University of Michigan and her doctoral degree (Medicine) from Wayne State University. She completed her General Psychiatry Residency at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego and her Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship training at the University of California, San Diego.

Passion Related to Work and EMPOWER

I have been overwhelmed and honored to have encountered and collaborated with the extraordinary group of women who first came together in October 2013 and have worked tirelessly since, volunteering thousands of hours, to make EMPOWER Centers a reality. The program development process in which they all actively engaged consistently emanated a palpable synergy and exuded an interpersonal warmth and positive energy. All the founding EMPOWER providers have a long track record of high caliber performance and bring strong academic backgrounds of attending top tier graduate schools and training programs. The women are bonded by their passion and commitment to the principles of integrity, excellence, collaboration and empowerment.

There are 3 fundamental principles which have long steered the course to which I have steadfastly adhered in my work:

One should always strive to do the greatest good for the greater number.
One should always strive to serve to the best of one’s ability.
One should always make the best use of whatever resources are at one’s disposal.

At every juncture, in every setting, serving any population, in any capacity, those guiding principles have compelled me to write and write and write. As I have faced numerous opportunities to participate in clinical program development, careful documentation of intervention protocols has served as the essential fulcrum, around which meaningful interventions pivot. Writing has been, in my experience, the most effective tool that can be harnessed in the pursuit of the following:

Distilling information and crystallizing thoughts.
Packaging information and thoughts in a way others can understand.
Generating a tool that can be used to disseminate information broadly.

Any time I have garnered useful information, uncovered or encountered effective methods, formulated helpful insights, or observed or experienced meaningful transactions, I have felt inspired and compelled to share them with others, to the degree possible, in an effort to spread and magnify the impact. If there is a mechanism more powerful than writing to reliably disseminate information, I don’t know it. As we fastidiously evolved a program for families that demonstrated robust and enduring positive outcomes, the knowledge, experience and wisdom collectively amassed by our teams, over 9 years, was carefully recorded for the sake of optimizing the chances to do the greatest good for the greatest number. The explicit and comprehensive documentation of the aforementioned programs culminated in the production of the following 2 books:

Transforming Teen Behavior: Parent-Teen Protocols for Psychosocial Skills Training (2015, Elsevier Publishing)
Transforming Behavior: Training Parents & Kids Together (2012, Brookes Publishing)

While serving as a child and adolescent psychiatrist in the Navy, including overseas in Japan from 2000-2003, stationed within the governmental school system, following the same philosophy, in an effort to create a tool for disseminating information and interventions, I wrote the following book:

Counseling Kids with Emotional and Behavioral Problems in the Schools, (2005, Love Publishing)

If I had to choose one value, that I most passionately embrace, with respect to my professional life, it would be empowerment. My underlying goal in participating in clinical program development is to EMPOWER the providers and trainees serving on the interdisciplinary teams delivering care to families. Likewise, my underlying goal in approaching any patient, together with their family and other key change agents around them in schools, communities and other healthcare settings, is to EMPOWER. The end goal in everything I do is to disseminate information and skills, to others (providers, students, families, school staff), such that they can be more empowered with tools to manage challenges they face independently, and be better equipped to maintain their own overall health and wellness.

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EMPOWER’s Providers

Provider Type Descriptions

“Good Isn’t Good Enough…Only EXCELLENCE Will Do!”

Kym Spring-Thompson, PsyD

Mariah Stuart, MSW, LCSW

Jaimelyn Roets, LCSW

Anne Bliss Niess, LPC

Rachel Garrett, LPC

Barry McCoy, LCSW

Saira Malhotra, MSW, NLC

Heather Adams, DO

Mary Nord Cook, MD

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