Request Information
Ready to find out what MSU Denver can do for you? We’ve got you covered.
Have Questions? We have answers.
Contact UsMeet our Counseling Center Staff
Executive Director & Staff Psychologist
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Dr. Boldt is the Director and a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado with 30 years of experience in both community mental health and college counseling. He has also taught for 10 years as an adjunct professor of a psychology doctoral program. His professional interests include feminism and Relational Cultural Theory, the creative arts in transformation, men’s issues and responsibilities in society, healing responses for trauma, interpersonal process and systemic approaches to change, leadership models, and the training of future professionals. Dr. Boldt likes to paint with acrylics on canvas for fun and finds parallels between the creative process and the counseling process. “Despite our fear, the act of committing paint to an empty canvas is like going for our dreams in life. This may be both scary and liberating, as we become artists of our own futures and once again can find hope.”
Associate Director & Staff Psychologist
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Dr. Burkhart is an Associate Director and Staff Psychologist and has been a part of the staff at the Counseling Center since 2016. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in 1995 from Kent State University, and she is a licensed psychologist in the state of Colorado.
Dr. Burkhart has worked at several university Counseling Centers, including Minnesota State University-Mankato (formerly Mankato State University), Baldwin-Wallace College, and Iowa State University. She was the director of a LGBTQI+ Center in Minnesota. She was in private practice for twelve years, and her agency primarily served a diverse, low-income population. Throughout her career she has sought out opportunities to work on issues of diversity, inclusion and equity.
Dr. Burkhart works with clients from multiple perspectives including cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal process, and psychodynamic. She is a generalist therapist who works with most issues, including depression and anxiety. Specialization areas include LGBTQI+ issues, supervision, diversity issues, women’s issues and interpersonal violence/trauma.
Associate Director & Staff Psychologist
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Dr. Sia (he/him/his) is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado and joined the Counseling Center in 2023. He earned his Ph.D. in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2010 and has worked in several university Counseling Centers, including those at UCSB, Northwestern University, and most recently, the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he served as a Staff Psychologist and Assistant Director of Paraprofessional Training.
Dr. Sia works from a collaborative, strength-based, and integrative approach to therapy, which is grounded in existential and humanistic tenets, and informed by a lens of multiculturalism and social justice. He aims to co-create a warm, non-judgmental, authentic, and affirming space to empower clients’ efforts to grow and seek support. He is a generalist therapist who works with a variety of issues relevant to the university community and specializes in career and vocational development, family and relationship concerns, APIDA mental health, men’s issues, addiction treatment, and supervision.
Outreach Coordinator & Bilingual Staff Psychologist
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Dr. Gonzalez (she/her/ella) earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University Bloomington. She completed her doctoral psychology internship at Colorado State University and her post-doctoral residency at the University of Denver Health & Counseling Center. She also served as Assistant Director of the Center of Human Growth at Indiana University Bloomington, where she supervised counselors-in-training and supported students experiencing crises. Throughout the course of her training, Dr. Gonzalez was a part of a Spanish-speaking team of counselors who provided community workshops, outreach, and individual services to Latinx/e/@-identified students and community members. As a member of this team, she especially valued her role in working with undocumented Spanish-speaking adults with alcohol use concerns.
As a bilingual Latina Psychologist and child of immigrants, Dr. Gonzalez views counseling and daily life through an intersectional feminist and multicultural lens. She also integrates other perspectives into her counseling approach, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and an Interpersonal Processing Approach. She enjoys working with folx on concerns related to identity exploration, alcohol use, intergenerational trauma, oppression and resistance, and adjustment difficulties. She especially loves working with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students, Spanish/Spanglish-speakers, undocumented and DACA students, international students, first-generation students, children of immigrants, members of the LGBTQIA community, and members of fandom communities (e.g. Harry Potter, anime, K-pop, book series, etc.). She values getting to know her clients’ salient identities, passions, hobbies, and background to be able to integrate them into their counseling experience.
Staff Psychologist
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Dr. Malmon (he/him/his) is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado and joined the MSU Denver Counseling Center in 2012. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, in 1990, and has spent his entire post-license career in college and university mental health work. Prior to coming to MSU, he worked as Assistant Director of Counseling at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and as Coordinator of Counseling at the College of Wooster in Ohio. He also has served as advisor and chair for psychologist continuing education for the American College Health Association since 2004.
Dr. Malmon works from a relational, strength-based, approach to therapy, which includes aspects of psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and positive psychologies. He is a generalist therapist who is comfortable working with all issues relevant to the university community, but has particular areas of interest/specialization that include depression, anxiety, group therapy, dream interpretation, and ethical non-monogamy. He is known as the extravert on the staff, and very much enjoys getting out on campus to do all manner of outreach programming.
Staff Psychologist
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Dr. Boyum received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1994 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado. She has worked part-time with the MSU Denver Counseling Center since 2020, and full-time since January 2023.
Dr. Boyum was a pediatric staff psychologist at National Jewish Health, and instructor and assistant professor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, from 1992 – 2003. She was an adjunct instructor at the University of Denver from 2015– 2019, teaching graduate courses in Lifespan Development. She had a full-time private practice from 2003-2023.
Dr. Boyum has worked with children, adolescents and adults with a variety of clinical needs including mood disorders (depression, bipolar), anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic, OCD, phobias), PTSD, acute and chronic medical conditions, Asperger’s Disorder, grief and loss, developmental disabilities and young- adult transitions. She is also interested in the areas of artistic performance and expression, developing and maintaining adult friendships, spirituality, family influences, stress management and self-compassion.
Dr. Boyum follows a relationship-based approach to psychotherapy, with interventions built on evidence-supported techniques. Her approach is supported by foundational work in lifespan developmental psychology.
Staff Psychologist
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Dr. Kavanaugh (she/they) is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado and received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Oklahoma State University in 2021. Dr. Kavanaugh completed their pre-doctoral internship at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and served the roles of Post-Doctoral Fellow and Primary Therapist at an eating disorder treatment center.
Dr. Kavanaugh’s therapeutic approach is person-centered, integrative, and empowerment-oriented. She often works with clients who may struggle with managing expectations from others while working to discover their authentic selves. Dr. Kavanaugh is passionate about providing LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent-affirming therapy and encourages curiosity, creativity, and self-compassion in sessions. They consider themselves to be a “professional nerd” and often utilizes narratives and themes from media, popular culture, and fandom in therapy. Areas of specialization include anxiety, LGBTQIA+ mental health, body image, disordered eating, ADHD and ASD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder, respectively), and trauma.
Staff Psychologist
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Dr. Schwartz (she/her) is a Staff Psychologist and Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado. She earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology in 2010. She completed her doctoral internship at the Hamm Memorial Psychiatric Clinic and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, where she also completed training through Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Schwartz has worked on interdisciplinary teams in community settings focusing on marginalized and underserved communities. She has supervised trainees at both practicum and internship levels in APA-accredited sites and taught as an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at MSU Denver since in 2024.
Dr. Schwartz works from an integrative, short-term, goal-focused approach that draws from psychodynamic, person-centered, CBT-informed, and interpersonal process perspectives. Her work is grounded in trauma-informed and strengths-based care and emphasizes collaboration. Her background informs a holistic understanding of developmental context, systemic factors, and the unique identities and experiences students bring to therapy. She is a generalist practitioner who works with a wide range of concerns that students commonly experience during college and particularly enjoys working with neurodivergent students, survivors of trauma, first-generation and non-traditional students, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and creative thinkers. She aims to create a supportive and non-judgmental space where students can explore challenges, build insight, and move toward meaningful change. Outside of work, Dr. Schwartz enjoys creating and appreciating art, hiking and paddleboarding in Colorado, practicing yoga, experimenting in the kitchen, traveling to new places, and spending time with her puppy who is training to become a future therapy dog. She is grateful to be part of the MSU Denver Roadrunner community and values contributing to the wellbeing and growth of students.
Staff Psychotherapist
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio:Dr. Maria Marquez (ella/she) completed her PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University in 2024, with a specialization in child and family services. She is a Queer, bilingual (Spanish-English), Latina with ancestral roots in Aguascalientes & Zacatecas, Mexico. Maria’s clinical and training background is in trauma-informed care for BIPOC communities, and she has worked in various settings in the Chicago & Denver area, with primarily underserved communities.
Dr. Marquez is committed to creating spaces where students, from all walks of life, feel seen, respected, valued, and supported in their full humanity. Her approach to counseling is human centered and integrative, drawing from different frameworks based on the client’s goals and life experiences. She believes the best therapeutic work is done when therapy is authentic, collaborative, responsive, and grounded. Maria is deeply aware of the systemic barriers that can make access to higher education, and mental health care, feel challenging. Because of this, she approaches counseling with college students with an awareness of cultural context, the roles of identity factors, and the broader socio-political forces that impact wellbeing. Dr. Marquez strives to provide therapy that is not just focused on coping, but that makes space for a person’s full story. She particularly enjoys working with the following themes in counseling: holistic mind-body-spirit wellness, women’s health, parenting roles, immigrant identities, queer identity and exploration, relationship and interpersonal dynamics, trauma-informed care, and life transitions.
In the day to day, Maria grounds by connecting with the Earth, so she enjoys hiking under the sun, reading under a tree, playing the hand drum by a river, birdwatching, gardening, and cooking. She also loves listening to music that is good for the soul.
Doctoral Psychology Intern
Position Role:
Full-Time Intern
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Sophia (she/her/ella) is a Doctoral Intern enrolled in her fifth year of study in the Counseling Psychology PhD program at New Mexico State University. She completed her undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Spanish & Hispanic Studies at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. She identifies as a queer woman and developing (Spanish-English) bilingual who was raised alongside the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. She is passionate about making therapy services more accessible for those who speak a language other than English. Her development as a clinician has been shaped by living and training in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. She resonates strongly with the symbology that borders bring, helping us examine issues of belonging, culture, identity, and politics both within and outside of ourselves as we encounter liminal (in-between) spaces.
In her work with clients, she values collaboration to determine what will feel most authentic and helpful to an individual’s presenting concerns. She strives to help individuals embrace their experiences, identities, emotions, and concerns with greater understanding and empathy. She also emphasizes increasing capacity to build meaningful relationships with others, as she believes that healing occurs through relationship. She recognizes the powerful role that oppressive systems can play in causing mental health distress and works to actively address this throughout therapy. She draws upon a mind-body-spirit approach to understand how individuals’ experiences are interconnected and holistic.
Her professional interests include conducting therapy with bilingual clients in Spanglish, addressing women’s and LGBTQIA+ concerns, helping clients navigate anxiety and OCD, as well as guiding others to feel more grounded in the present moment and in their bodies.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her anxious pup, Colby, as well as watching 90’s sitcoms and reading (particularly mysteries, romance, speculative/dystopian fiction, fantasy, and mental health/psychology books). You can count on her for a book rec whether you’re looking for something to read for fun or to connect more deeply with your lived experiences!
Doctoral Psychology Intern
Position Role:
Full-Time Intern
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Erin Murray (she/her) is a Doctoral Intern in her fifth year of study at The University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology, where she is working towards completing her doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has earned her master’s degree through her current graduate program.
Erin takes an insight-oriented, relational approach to therapy, helping clients explore how their unique life experiences, relationships, and identities have influenced the way they navigate their lives today. At the core of her work is the belief that healing begins with compassion and self-understanding. She believes therapy can be a meaningful space to slow down, better understand ourselves, and create lasting change. Erin prioritizes collaboration with her clients in working through difficult emotions, processing painful experiences, identifying unmet needs, and developing healthier patterns in their relationships with themselves and others.
She enjoys working with individuals navigating anxiety, self-criticism, emotional distress, relationship challenges, and the lasting impact of difficult or traumatic experiences. She has a particular interest in supporting clients who feel caught between their own needs and the expectations of family, culture, religion, or community. Erin strives to create a space where clients can engage meaningfully in the work, with the goal of helping individuals build greater self-understanding, feel empowered in their decisions, and create lives that feel authentic to who they are. Her clients would describe her as warm, compassionate, and non-judgmental.
Advanced Practicum Student
Position Role:
Part-Time Advanced Practicum Student
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Coming soon!
Advanced Practicum Student
Position Role:
Part-Time Advanced Practicum Student
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Coming soon!
Advanced Practicum Student
Position Role:
Part-Time Advanced Practicum Student
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Coming soon!
Advanced Practicum Student
Position Role:
Part-Time Advanced Practicum Student
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Emma is a third-year doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Denver. She has received her clinical training thus far in outpatient community mental health, private practice, and college counseling settings, where she has worked with individuals and families of diverse backgrounds across the lifespan. Additionally, she has a background in sport and performance psychology and has worked with children, adolescents, and young adults in competitive sports, the performing arts, high-risk occupations, and academic settings. Emma is particularly passionate about the experiences of BIPOC individuals navigating higher education and high-performance environments and how identity is shaped and developed.
Emma strives to create a compassionate, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel safe showing up exactly as they are. Her approach to therapy is holistic and collaborative, recognizing that every client’s experiences, needs, and goals are unique. Emma has a deep awareness of how systems can impact mental health care and success in high-performance spaces, and she views the therapeutic relationship as a powerful catalyst for change, believing that the most meaningful growth happens when clients feel seen, understood, and empowered. She utilizes an integrative approach, combining humanistic and behavioral therapies (e.g., schema therapy, ACT, DBT) to support clients in learning more about themselves and their patterns, developing skills to navigate the challenges they face, and finding ways to engage more meaningfully in life.
When Emma is not working, she enjoys paddleboarding, taking long walks with her dog, finding the best coffee shops in Denver, and seeing plays or musicals.
Office Manager
Position Role:
Full-Time Staff
Office Location:
Tivoli 651
Bio: Bri W. Brannigan (she/her) has over seven years of administrative experience in museums, healthcare, and higher education. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Spanish from the University of Denver in 2015.
From first-hand experience, Bri understands the importance of mental health and wellbeing while pursuing a degree. She is passionate about connecting MSU Denver students with mental health resources to help them reach their academic and personal goals.
Bri is always eager to learn something new, so feel free to share a fun fact with her at the front desk!