We’re excited to bring you the fourth edition of the Colorado Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness newsletter, a publication from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Our goal remains the same as when we launched: to strengthen collaboration, share clinical updates, and provider resources to support you and your patients
If you’re new to our community or missed our earlier editions we’d like to (re)introduce ourselves.
Our dedicated team within the Depar tment of Psychiatry is committed to advancing mental health care for women. We have 32 faculty members suppor ted by 4 research staff, 2 care coordinators, 4 administrative staff and 10 trainees. Together, we provide comprehensive, collaborative care through licensed clinical social workers, psychologists, advanced practice providers and psychiatrists
Our services address a wide range of women’s mental health needs, including perinatal and postpar tum care, gynecologic health, and menopause-related concerns. We offer individual therapy, group sessions, and medication management –tailored to meet women where they are, whether in-person or vir tually At the hear t of our work is a shared mission: providing compassionate, evidence-based care that suppor ts women’s mental health across every stage of life.
In this issue, you’ ll find program updates, local highlights, and resources for providers We hope it continues to serve as a valuable bridge between our team and yours
Thank you for your continued par tnership. We look forward to growing together!
Warmly,
Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Team
How to Refer
A quick refresher on how to refer to our service:
Internal providers:
Place EPIC Referral to our service
Instructions on how to do so are on our website or click here.
External Providers:
For providers who are not in the UC Health EPIC system, referrals to Colorado Women's Behavioral Health and Wellness can be made by:
Phone: Call us directly at 303-724-1646 to discuss the referral. Form: Fill out our referral form here.
Any questions regarding your referral or to connect with our care coordination team please reach out to wbhw@cuanschutz edu or call at 303 724 1646
E XC I T I N G N E W S !
WBHW is now part of the Department of Psychiatry’s new section:
What is PRE?
MISSION
Perinatal, Reproductive, and Early Childhood is a new section with the Department of Psychiatry that aims to improve the women’s health outcomes across the lifespan.
By providing innovative, evidence-based and integrated behavioral health services, PRE supports women with reproductive health issues, pregnancy, early parenting, during unexpected diagnoses and throughout the aging process.
As an academic section, PRE also trains tomorrow's workforce, ensuring that women are supported now and into the future.
VISION
PRE is a national leader in programs, services and care.
FY26 Just Wrapped!
We want to extend our heartfelt thank you to all our referring providers for your ongoing partnership and support. From July 2025 to June 2026, we’ve served over 2,592 unique patients. Our team has provided 11,681 psychotherapy and medication management visits, reaching patients across 44 counties in Colorado.
In FY26, we received referrals from 284 unique providers in our community.
Your referrals and confidence in our care make a lasting impact. Together, we’re expanding access to high quality- mental health services for women across Colorado, and we’re proud to grow alongside you.
Patient Stories: Voices of Healing
We are continually inspired by the strength and resilience of the individuals and families we serve. Their stories underscore the importance of compassionate, accessible mental health care during life’s most vulnerable transitions.
From postpartum depression and high-risk pregnancies to grief, loss, and the journey through menopause, our patients consistently describe our mental health services as transformative:
“I have spent half my life looking for a team of medical professionals who truly listen to me and validate the complexities that come with a PMOS diagnosis. This is the first time I feel surrounded by people who understand the difficulties in this experience. ”
Our patient satisfaction surveys reflect this commitment: 94% of patients surveyed indicated they found the overall clinical effectiveness of their care very effective or effective.
For more patient experiences, please visit our new webpage here. Their voices highlight the healing process and offer encouragement to others navigating similar paths.
FEATURED SERVICES
In August 2025, we renamed our Healthy Expectations Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Program to PIPER – short for Parent Infant Program for Emotional Resilience –and launched a virtual version.
Healthy Expectations PIPER team
PIPER offers structured, multidisciplinary, evidence-based support for individuals who may need more intensive care than traditional outpatient treatment. PIPER is the first and only perinatal specific program based in Colorado. It is designed to help individuals who are pregnant or up to one year postpartum who are experiencing anxiety, depression, and mood challenges. This program has demonstrated meaningful improvements in their mental health, reflected by overall decreases in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores.
If you are unsure if a patient is appropriate, don’t hesitate to refer. Our clinicians will determine if this program is right and work with the care coordinators to find a treatment option that fits their needs.
Patient reflections:
“I have no words, this program literally saved my life. It was the best thing I ever did for myself and I am beyond grateful. I wish every mom could take this course.”
“[PIPER] was life-changing. The therapists are very knowledgeable, and the playroom was a huge help for a mom with severe OCD ”
Clinical Services Spotlight
We are committed to meeting women and families where they are, offering all our services in both in-person and virtual formats to ensure accessibility of care
Integrated Behavioral Health Services
We provide consultation and treatment within women’s healthcare settings, collaborating directly with your team to deliver same-day, integrated behavioral health care. Sessions are typically brief (6-8 visits) and are designed to support patients efficiently while complementing ongoing medical care.
Menopause Journey Workshop
Since April 2025, we have provided our comprehensive Menopause Journey Workshop, led by our experts! This four-week series is designed to support women as they navigate the physical, emotional, and mental changes that come with perimenopause and menopause Participants gain valuable knowledge, practical strategies, and a sense of community as they move through this important life transition. The Menopause Journey Workshop is offered virtually every other month on Tuesdays from 12:00 to 1:00 pm The $100 fee covers all four sessions in the series
The next session is September 2026!
Women’s Behavioral Health & Wellness
Mood
Weight
Body
Cognitive
Christina New, PhD
Kait Ross, PhD Noy Phimphason-Brady, PhD
Dana Beall Brown, PhD
Pelvic Pain Group Facilitator
Clinical Services Spotlight
The Connections Program for High-Risk Infants and Families provides family-centered behavioral health services from conception through kindergarten for infants born with medical complications and their families. While our services focus on promoting the best outcomes for the child, they are designed to support the mental health and well-being of the whole family.
Services include individual therapy for parents, group therapy for women during high-risk pregnancies, mothers with babies in the NICU and after NICU discharge, and support for those who have experienced pregnancy (second or third trimester) or neonatal loss
Our CHILD Connections Clinic also provides developmental assessments for children up to 5 years old who are at increased risk for developmental-behavioral disorders due to prematurity or complex medical conditions, along with therapy or parenting support if needed.
PROVIDER SPOTLIGHT
Karen Longenecker, LCSW, PMH-C, IMH-E was recently promoted to Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine She is a clinical social worker specializing in perinatal, infant, and early childhood mental health (PIECMH) and serves as the Director of the PIPER Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), which provides specialized treatment for pregnant and postpartum individuals experiencing moderate to severe perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) and other perinatal mental health conditions while supporting the parent–child relationship
Karen Longenecker, LCSW, PMH-C,IMH-E
In addition to leading the PIPER IOP, Karen provides integrated behavioral health services within CU Medicine clinics, offering psychotherapy and consultation to individuals and families across the perinatal period She has extensive experience developing clinical programs that expand access to evidence-based perinatal and early childhood mental health care and improve collaboration across medical and behavioral health settings. Karen is an educator and presenter for the Harris Program in Child Development and Infant Mental Health and various other professional audiences. Her areas of expertise include perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, perinatal substance use, integrated behavioral health, infant and early childhood mental health, and the Facilitating Attuned Interactions (FAN) model She is trained and rostered in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), an evidence-based trauma treatment for young children and caregivers, is endorsed in infant mental health (IMH-E), and provides care in both English and Spanish
WBHW in the News
Dr. Christina Metcalf was featured on the "How on Earth" podcast to discuss how hormones such as estrogen and cortisol affect brain health; on how experiencing stress during childhood can intensify perimenopause symptoms; and on what women can do to reduce risks as well as to take part in research. Listen on the podcast website here or on Apple podcasts with this link.
Dr. Neill Epperson & Dr. Andrew Novick are featured in a Mother Jones article titled: “Me, Myself, and IUDs” on the mental health effects of contraceptives
Dr. Jessalyn Kelleher, along with Dr. Danielle Cooke and Dr. Allison Dempsey, recently published a quality improvement article in the Journal of Perinatology focused on enhancing family engagement through telehealth in a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Their manuscript highlights key implementation strategies and demonstrates the potential to improve family involvement and satisfaction Read the full article here
Dr. Sarah Nagle-Yang led the project "Research Agenda to Advance Maternal Suicide Prevention Research Priorities, " supported by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The project convened 63 stakeholders, including 21 individuals with lived experience, and guided them through a structured, multi-phase process to develop a patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (PC/CER) agenda Read the Patient-Centered Roadmap and the Executive Summary
A
Special
Welcome
to Our New Reproductive Psychiatry Fellow: Dr. Bronwyn Marques, MD
Clinical Interests
I care for patients across the reproductive lifespan through pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. I am interested in the full breadth of reproductive psychiatric care, from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders to PMOS, PMDD, and the emotional weight of infertility and hormonal transitions.
Care Philosophy
Reproductive psychiatry gives me the privilege of working across generations and family systems, meeting patients and their families at key developmental transitions to support change that lasts.
Thank You for Your Partnership!
We appreciate your continued collaboration in providing the best care for our patients. If you have any feedback or suggestions for future newsletter topics, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
