#PowerTo Thrive
As the President & CEO of the Mental Health Center of Denver, I work to inspire a culture of well-being among our staff, the people we serve and the greater Denver community. We work to deliver strengths-based, person-centered, culturally-proficient services and we are proud to foster a culture of innovation. The Mental Health Center of Denver has recently been named a finalist for a 2018 World Changing Idea Award from Fast Company Magazine, and recently won the 2018 Excellence in Behavioral Healthcare Management Award from the National Council for Behavioral Health. We are also proud to be a Denver Post Top Work Place for 6 years running.
Part of what led me to work in mental health came from difficulties within my own family. My father was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was a child and this experience shaped my decision to eventually go to medical school and become a psychiatrist. I am still a practicing psychiatrist and see patients every Tuesday morning at our Recovery Center. My early experience with my dad’s bipolar disorder sparked a life-long commitment to helping people with mental illness regain their lives, dreams, and aspirations. I believe people with mental illness can and do recover, and Caring 4 Denver will help make sure everyone has access to the care they need to live a fulfilling life.
Over the years, I have become passionate about positive psychology and our ability to achieve well-being by celebrating the power of gratitude in our lives and focusing on what goes right with the brain. I am passionate about the research that has been done over the last 20 years in the field of positive psychology, see here for my invitation to take a new course offered by Dr. Laurie Santos at Yale University online for free. It’s called The Science of Well-Being and you can find it here on Coursera.org.
I envision a future in which every person in Denver has access to the mental health services they need to live a full life. I’m proud to support Caring 4 Denver as an important step toward ensuring everyone has the care they deserve. The need for high-quality mental health and substance use services in Denver is growing every day. The Caring 4 Denver ballot initiative will move our community forward and I am proud to support it.
Photo credit; Caleb Alvarado