Meet Elizabeth Culnan of Mindful Health Psychology

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Culnan.

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I began my journey to becoming a clinical psychologist at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where I discovered my passion in a research lab studying sleep and women’s health. What struck me was how little attention sleep disorders received, and how many aspects of women’s health remained understudied and overlooked. This sparked my interest in training clinically in behavioral sleep medicine, which is the behavioral and psychological treatment of sleep disorders like insomnia, alongside my interest in supporting women through reproductive health challenges.

After earning my doctorate, I worked for several years as an Assistant Professor with the Reproductive Health Psychology Service within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and with the Sleep Disorders Service and Research Center within the Department of Internal Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. I also served as the Associate Director of Behavioral Sleep Medicine Services, which was fantastic as it allowed me to be involved in training the next generation of psychologists and sleep medicine physicians.

At Rush, I was surrounded by incredible colleagues and was doing meaningful work, but eventually felt called to make the leap into private practice. I created my practice, Mindful Health Psychology, to bring the specialized services of behavioral sleep medicine, reproductive health psychology, and perinatal mental health directly into the community where people could access them more easily. Working with my clients has been both an honor and a privilege. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to resolve sleep issues, work through perinatal anxiety or depression, or address something as terrifying as birth trauma.

My passion for these specialties deepened after becoming a parent myself. Experiencing firsthand the sleep deprivation that comes with caring for a baby gave me an entirely new perspective on what my clients go through. The exhaustion, the way sleep loss affects every aspect of daily functioning, and the unique challenges that mothers face in prioritizing their own rest and mental health while caring for others. This personal experience has truly informed my clinical practice in ways I didn’t realize possible.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road to where I am today has been shaped by working through the COVID-19 pandemic and giving birth to and parenting a child during the COVID-19 pandemic. I don’t think anyone had it easy during the pandemic, and it was a particularly challenging time to be a psychologist providing therapy to others while also trying to balance parenting responsibilities. Although it was a struggle, I believe these experiences helped me to make the decision to move forward with my private practice and also gave me an even stronger drive to support others during their family building journeys, pregnancy, postpartum, and the chaos that parenting can bring.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Mindful Health Psychology is a private practice providing niche services in the areas of behavioral sleep medicine, reproductive health psychology, and perinatal mental health. More specifically, the practice serves adults experiencing difficulty sleeping, people that may be struggling to build their family due to infertility or recurrent miscarriage, people who have experienced birth trauma, and people experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (e.g., postpartum depression). This blend of services is what makes my practice unique –I’m the only provider in the Denver area who is a Diplomate in Behavioral Sleep Medicine (representing the highest level of specialized training in behavioral sleep medicine) who also provides services for women going through different reproductive and perinatal challenges. This is crucial, as so many women going through fertility treatments, who are pregnant, or who are postpartum will tell you that they are having trouble sleeping. If you have a sleeping problem like insomnia and this isn’t addressed, we know that you are more likely to experience future depressive episodes and anxiety. We also know that typically just treating anxiety or depression will not resolve your sleeping problem – you need specialized treatment for your sleep as well. People deserve holistic, evidence-based treatment that can not only resolve current problems, but also can prevent future challenges. I’m proud to be able to offer this well-rounded set of services at my practice.

The practice is based in Denver, and I have availability to see in-person clients in my office in the Speer neighborhood. I am also a part of PSYPACT, which allows me to see patients via telehealth in the state of Colorado along with 40+ additional states. I practice using evidence-based psychotherapies, meaning therapies that have been backed by science. These include treatments like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and Narrative Exposure Therapy. Treatment is always tailored to the person I’m meeting with, and I strive to always make sure we’re working towards what is most important to each client.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Over the years I’ve had many mentors who have played a role in the clinician I’ve become. Throughout undergraduate and graduate school, my biggest mentor and advocate was my advisor Dr. Jacqueline Kloss. She invited me to be a member of her lab, which is where I learned the importance of scientific inquiry and how to integrate clinical research with clinical practice. She was also one of my first clinical supervisors. She provided me with the foundational training I needed to build my confidence as a clinician. Her support has truly meant the world to me! I’ve also had many other mentors, along with friends and family who have provided support along the way. I wouldn’t be where I am today and certainly would not have taken the leap to create Mindful Health Psychology without this support.

Pricing:

• $200/50-minute session

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mindfulhealthpsychology.com