SERVICES

Medication Management

BPS Medication Management

Psychological testing is a very thorough and precise way to accurately diagnose a wide range of disorders. When there are concerns regarding learning, a psycho-educational evaluation can help determine if a student’s challenges are a function of ADHD, auditory and/or visual processing deficits, memory issues, sequential reasoning difficulties, and more. Psychological testing can also help clarify underlying emotional/behavioral disorders. Everyone gets anxious and feels depressed from time to time, but a thorough evaluation can pinpoint the severity of symptoms necessary to make an accurate diagnosis. Only when the underlying learning, emotional, and/or behavioral difficulties are accurately identified, can you move forward with an effective treatment plan to address these concerns.

BPS Prescribers That Provide Medication Management

Lis Collins, RN, MS, PMHNP-BS

Board-certified Child & Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Prescriber

I am a board-certified child and family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, trained at the University of California, San Francisco and licensed in Colorado and California. I diagnose psychiatric disorders and prescribe psychiatric medications to individuals of all ages. I began working in mental health in 2000 and have been practicing psychiatry since 2012. Before prescribing, I worked with adolescents in residential and wilderness programs, provided drug and alcohol counseling, and individual and group therapy to children and adults.

Contact information:
303-857-5260

Considering Medication for Your Child’s Psychological Issues

Q: Some parents I know seem in a rush to have their children go on medication for things like depression and hyperactivity. What should parents do before making the jump to medication? A: For psychological disorders, a thoughtful and accurate diagnosis is key to developing an effective treatment plan. What elementary child does not have occasional concentration problems in class? Does this mean...

Leading Teens to Counseling

By Dr. Jan Hittelman Q: How do I get my unwilling teenager to talk to someone, such as a therapist? Sign me, Concerned Mom A: The pivotal challenge in creating getting your teen to meet with a counselor is getting them to willingly attend the initial session. Who wouldn't be uncomfortable with the prospect of sharing personal information with a complete stranger? Particularly when you know...

ADHD: Effective Diagnosis and Treatment

By Jan Hittelman Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is estimated to affect 3-7% of school-age children. For many, these challenges continue into adulthood. There are three types of ADHD; “Predominantly Inattentive”, “Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive”, and a combination of the two (“Combined Type”). Over the years there have been valid concerns that many children are inaccurately...

Starting with a Good Assessment

By Jan Hittelman Last month’s column on teen depression highlighted the importance of a good initial assessment. Several readers questioned exactly what an assessment is, let alone a good one. You may be surprised to know that even within the mental health field there are a range of definitions regarding a psychological assessment. It is even more surprising that many mental health professionals...

Mental Health Diagnoses Demystified

By Jan Hittelman All licensed mental health professionals are trained in making psychiatric diagnoses. The diagnostic system is standardized, meaning that everyone uses the same criteria. The “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” or “DSM” is the accepted standard and is published and periodically revised by the American Psychiatric Association. Everything from disorders first...

Identifying Learning Problems Early

By Dr. Jan Hittelman We all learn differently and we all have strengths and weaknesses in terms of our learning processes. There are also many different explanations for why students do not achieve at a level that is expected. For some students it’s about motivation. For other students it can also be a function of difficulties with speech, language processing, auditory and visual processing,...

Language Development and School Success

By Dr. Jan Hittelman One of the most amazing experiences as a parent is witnessing language development in our young children. From no language, to first words (“no” usually being one of the first!), to sentences, all in a relatively short time, typically within the first three years of life. The onset and development of language is a complex combination of neurological development and...

Importance of Early Intervention

By Dr. Jan Hittelman We all know that long-term habits are hard to break. That’s why addressing our children’s learning, language, emotional, and behavioral challenges early on is so important. If your child is struggling at home, in school and/or with peers, it is important to first understand where these challenges are emanating from. And that’s not always so easy to do. A child who “is not...

Early Identification of Depression

By Dr. Jan Hittelman It is not well known, but one of the fastest growing age groups for suicide are children 10-14 years of age. Given that Colorado ranks first among all states for teen depression, it is important for parents of elementary-age youth to be more aware of the warning signs in order to identify these concerns as early as possible. Nationally suicide is the third leading cause of...

Understanding ADHD

By Dr. Jan Hittelman Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is estimated to affect 3-7% of school-age children. For many, these challenges continue into adulthood. There are three types of ADHD; “Predominantly Inattentive”, “Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive”, and a combination of the two (“Combined Type”). Over the years there have been valid concerns that many children are...