Meet the coaching for LIFE Team!
(For further information on Juli Alvarado click here)
Dr. Mary Braud, MD, Child Psychiatrist
Dr. Mary Braud provides comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and treatment
designed to meet the needs of the whole person and their family. After
graduating from Louisiana State University Medical Center of Shreveport, Dr.
Braud trained in pediatrics. She worked for two years as a pediatrician
then began a residency in adult psychiatry, followed by specialization in the
area of child and adolescent psychiatry. She is currently board certified in
child, adolescent and adult psychiatry. She has worked in hospital
settings serving children, adolescents and adults as well as in community mental
health settings. She has provided care to individuals with diverse
backgrounds including those with developmental disabilities.
Treating the whole person includes recognizing the impact of early life trauma
as a factor that can affect both children and adults. It also entails
addressing lifestyle factors and providing resources and strategies for coping
with stress. Perhaps most importantly, caring for the whole person
requires that overall health and potential imbalances in the body be addressed
in order to provide the opportunity for a return to health and wholeness.
This can include assessing for nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances and
digestive problems.
Dr. Braud has participated in post-graduate trainings that support her
understanding in these areas including the professional training program by the
Center for Mind-Body Medicine and the clinical training sponsored by the
Institute for Functional Medicine. In addition to her private practice in
the Denver Metro area and her role as a consultant with coaching for LIFE, Dr.
Braud consults for the Center for Improvement of Human Functioning International
in Wichita, KS, one of the nation’s oldest nutritional healing centers.
Dr. Sheryl Gonzalez Ziegler, Ph.D, LPC
Dr. Ziegler is the founder and managing director of The Child & Family Therapy Center at Lowry. She is a Counseling Psychologist and Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado.
Approaches to Treatment:
"I aim to strengthen families through the integration of the mind and body. Psychological treatment is centered around increasing attachment, bonding and affect regulation."
Dr. Ziegler believes first and foremost in a holistic approach to healing children and families. She addresses issues surrounding nutrition, exercise, prenatal history, early childhood history, physical and mental health family history, support systems, medications and more. Her approach is strength based and family centered meaning that all of the focus is not on what is going wrong but rather building upon what is going right. Her personal style is honest, dynamic and gets to the root of the challenges. Her techniques come from evidence-based practices from several health related fields including brain based research of development and trauma and the impact these life events have on all aspects of the life span. She also incorporates science and philosophy for achieving mind and body health through thoughts, insight, awareness, relaxation and wellness.
Her specific areas of expertise are in treating children and families with a high level of dysregulation. That often means children have been diagnosed as having Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Depressive Disorder, and Attention Deficit Disorder.
Dr. Ziegler spends approximately half her clinical time working with children and their families and the other half working with adults and couples. She sees individuals and couples on issues related to parenting, marital stress, family of origin issues and general life concerns. She also works with couples who are going through separation or divorce to provide co-parenting counseling. In-home therapy is also a specialized area of treatment that Dr. Ziegler provides to certain families when it appears that would be most effective. She is also an expert witness in the state of Colorado.
Dr. Ziegler is the current Consulting Psychologist of Namaqua Center, a residential treatment center for children ages 3-12 in the Denver metro area. In this capacity she oversees the therapy that the children receive and provides weekly consultation to the clinical, administrative and education teams. Namaqua Center is on the cutting edge of innovative treatments for children and their families. Dr. Ziegler provides clinical supervision, live observation, court testimony, co-family therapy, play therapy, psychological evaluations, interactional assessments, training and consultation. She has been working with high-needs children and families for over ten years. Dr. Ziegler divides her professional time between seeing clients, providing consultation and presenting clinical trainings to parents and professionals around the state. In August of 2008 she joined coaching for LIFE, a consultation group for families and professionals implementing regulatory work into their lives. Finally, Dr. Ziegler is an affiliate professor at The University of Northern Colorado. She has taught Child Play Therapy to doctoral-level students.
Jennifer Winkelmann, MA, LPC, NCC
Jennifer Winkelmann, MA, LPC, NCC is the Founder and Clinical Director of Inward Bound, LLC. As a psychotherapist for individuals, couples and families, Jen’s primary clinical focus is adoption and foster care issues, including the impact of early trauma and the spectrum of relationship difficulties that result from disrupted attachments. In addition to her private practice, Jen serves as the consulting clinician for Catholic Charities child welfare programs and frequently partners with coaching for LIFE and the National Institute for Trauma Informed Care. While Jen specializes in working with children who have suffered attachment trauma, she also offers services for couples addressing marital issues and for adult individuals seeking help with depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, stress, and grief/loss.
Jennifer's approach is family centered, using a combination of psycho-education and regulatory therapy. She comes to you with 11 years of experience working with children from high-risk populations and their families. She completed her graduate studies in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Couple and Family Therapy at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Her clinical experience includes:
- Therapy, consultation, and coaching for families with attachment-challenged children (both international and domestic adoptions)
- Intensive attachment and regulatory therapy
- Clinician, treatment foster care programs
- Training for parents, educators, and mental health professionals on facilitating healing for wounded children
- Counseling for Couples and Adult Individuals
- Residential and day treatment facilities for high-risk youth
- Clinical Supervision and Consultation Services for other mental health professionals