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ABOUT SARAH LUKENS
I grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, and then moved to Colorado for college. I received an undergraduate degree from Colorado College, where I majored in Psychology and had a minor in Psychoanalysis.
While in college, I fell in love with Colorado, and stayed there after graduation. I began working with youth and families in residential treatment centers, including at a wilderness therapy program for families and at-risk youth. I also worked as a therapeutic staff member for adults who had been hospitalized for psychiatric reasons, and spent almost two years as a case manager within a community mental health center.
Graduate Education and Training
GAD, hoarding, and body-focused repetitive disorder (e.g. trichotillomania, excoriation), therapy for severe and persistent mental illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorders), providing therapy and assessment at a college counseling center, and animal-assisted therapy.
Throughout graduate school, I was a bit of a theory-nerd (and still am). Rathan than ascribing to one "camp" within psychology, I was mentored by professors who specialized in psychodynamic, behavioral, and cognitive theories, and was fascinated by the similarities between these philosophies and how integrating wisdom from each of them helped me become more flexible and nuanced in my thinking. I also worked as a graduate teaching assistant for classes on behaviorism, clinical neuropsychology, and statistics.
I completed an APA-accredited internship at the University of Denver Consortium, in the University Health and Counseling Center. After receiving my degree, I completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at Rocky Mountain Psychology, where I received advanced training in evaluations related to parental capacity, forensic assessment and expert testimony, neuropsychological assessment, and the practice of psychotherapy.
I attended graduate school at the University of Denver, earning a master’s and then a doctorate degree (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology.
My training included advanced practica related to school counseling, psychological assessment, consultation within child welfare, exposure therapy for anxiety disorders, OCD,
Colorado: Beginning My Psychology Practice
I began my private practice in Denver, Colorado in 2018. In my practice, I provided therapy for teens, adults, and couples, and conducted various types of psychodiagnostics evaluations related to ADHD, learning disabilities, and most major mental illnesses. I also conducted forensic evaluations, including working with 12 counties across the state of Colorado providing evaluations, consultation, and testimony related to issues of parenting and parental capacity for dependency and neglect cases and custody cases. I also conduced capacity to stand trail evaluations, and evaluations for probation departments.
In addition to working as therapist and evaluator, I taught psychology to graduate students at the University of Denver in the International Disaster Psychology Program, Doctoral Clinical Psychology Program, and Graduate Counseling Psychology Program, and taught undergraduate students at Regis University. I also supervised graduate students at the doctoral, master's, and postdoctoral level.
Current Practice
In 2024, my husband and I moved back to my hometown of Amherst Massachusetts, where I continue to provide therapy and psychological evaluations in private practice. I hope that you will explore this website to learn more about my current practice.