Meet The Team
Laura Thompson, Ph.D., LPC
Dr. Laura Thompson is a Licensed Professional Counselor based in Boulder, Colorado.
Since 1994, she has worked with the emerging adult population within university settings, both nationally and internationally. Laura is a Co-Founder of P3 Mental Health Advisors and one of the creators of Emotional First AidTM. For over seven years, she has served as a mental health consultant and conducted trainings for a wide range of programs and organizations including study abroad, secondary and higher education, outdoor and experiential education, gap year, volunteer and service learning, and camps. Laura also teaches graduate courses in counseling for New York University.
In her role as a counselor, Laura is passionate about supporting individuals as they navigate a wide range of mental health challenges and life transitions. As an educator and consultant, she loves sharing her knowledge and experience with others so that they can strengthen their abilities in both identifying and responding to the mental health challenges of the individuals and program participants with whom they work.
Laura holds a Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education from Syracuse University. At Syracuse, she also earned a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Addiction Studies. Additionally, she holds a M.A. in Counseling and Educational Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Laura considers herself to be a global citizen. As a student, she participated in study programs in both Mexico and Spain. She also worked in Europe for 7 ½ years. She has served as a staff member on three Semester at Sea voyages (most recently as a Counselor on the Spring 2019 voyage) and has visited over 50 countries in the world. In addition to traveling, she loves staying active in the great outdoors and spending time with friends and her dog Ruby.
Judy Taub, LCSW
Judy Taub is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked with the young adult, college age population for over 30 years.
Judy currently works as the Associate Director of Clinical Services at Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS). In this role Judy oversees all of the clinical programs at CAPS, including individual/group therapy, crisis/triage services, integrated care and embedded clinic services and the training programs. She sits on the Student of Concern/threat assessment team providing mental health consultation, assessment and recommendation regarding students who are referred to the team due to threats to self and/or others, and provides mental health trainings and consultation to campus partners.
Additionally, Judy provides individual and group therapy to students in need of mental health support. During her tenure at CU, Boulder she has partnered with the university police department to develop a mental health co-responder program, has developed and provided care in a variety of alcohol and other programs, and has been a primary and secondary supervisor to therapists in training.
Judy started her career in Wilderness therapy as an instructor/counselor for an Outward Bound program working specifically with adolescents struggling with substance use disorders.
As a social worker, Judy is passionate about her clinical work. She is a strength-based therapist who draws from her broad and eclectic training in DBT, psychodynamic therapy, substance abuse treatment, and trauma work to provide skills, support and a greater self-understanding to support the growth and development of individuals.
Judy received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY and her Master’s of Social Work at the Smith College School for Social Work in Northampton, MA. In her spare time Judy loves to spend time with her family, preferably in the mountains skiing, biking or hiking or traveling the world.
Nahed Barakat, Psy.D.
Dr. Nahed Barakat is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who earned a master’s degree from Pepperdine University and a doctoral degree from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology.
She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and since then has worked in various university settings with the emerging adult population around issues of identity development, adjusting to life changes, relationships, and various presenting issues. Along with therapy, Nahed focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues within the student population and combined her value of advocacy with DEI work to ensure the student experience in therapy and on campus was holistic, meaningful, and equitable. Nahed was an international student from Egypt when she moved to the United States to pursue her degrees, and continues to feel passionate about advocating for international students and helping them adjust to new environments and cultures. She currently holds a position as a senior clinician at Denver DBT & Psychotherapy where she works with college students and adults of all ages, as well as runs two DBT groups. Nahed is an avid traveler and spends most of her free time researching new places to visit, learning new languages, snowboarding, rock climbing, riding her bike, and dog-sitting for her friends.
Gary Robinson, Ed.D., LMHC
Dr. Gary Robinson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and has dedicated himself for over 30 years to helping high school and college-aged students to maximize their potential and overcome barriers to learning.
Gary is a Co-Founder of P3 Mental Health Advisors, a creator of Emotional First AidTM . For over 10 years, Gary has served as a mental health consultant to a wide range of programs and organizations including study abroad, secondary and higher education, outdoor and experiential education, gap year, volunteer and service learning, and camps.
Gary’s clinical specialties include stress management, mood and anxiety disorders and life coaching/mentoring. He was on the first disaster mental health team in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and since has coached many organizations in the principles/ practices of critical incident stress de-briefing. He has served in a variety of clinical counseling roles in university and college settings. For many years, he served as the Director of Counseling at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. He is the Co-Author of The Daily Brew: A 365-Day Guided Journal (Outskirts Press, 2018).
Gary graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. After completing his graduate work in Counseling Psychology at the State University of New York at Albany, Gary was hired to work for the Semester at Sea program, mentoring students as they visited eleven countries on this around-the-world shipboard voyage of discovery. For Gary, Semester at Sea cemented his interest in intercultural learning and he found applications for this interest in his subsequent positions including a stint as a Foreign Student Advisor at Keystone College in Pennsylvania. In his free time, Gary enjoys spending time at his camp in the Catskill mountains.
Kevin Cowperthwaite, M.D. – Consulting Psychiatrist
Dr. Cowperthwaite is a board-certified psychiatrist with 26 years of experience treating adults and adolescents in hospital and office settings.
He currently has a full-time practice that includes psychotherapy and psychiatric medication work. Two days per week, he sees undergraduate and graduate students at the Denver University Health and Counseling Center.
After graduating from Harvard University with a B.A. in history, he worked as a high-school teacher for two years, and then proceeded with medical and psychiatric training at the University of Colorado. During his entire career, Dr. Cowperthwaite has had a lot of fun and satisfaction working with young adults and supervising treatment programs for them. His non-professional interests include reading, mountain sports, history, good food and relaxation with my wife and three sons.
Dr. Jeff Whittall, MD, FAAP, FHM
Adult and pediatric hospitalist in Tacoma, WA.
He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado, Medical School at the University of Oklahoma and residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Michigan State University in Grand Rapids. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Dr. Whittall began his medical career providing primary care in a rural community in southern Ohio. He has volunteered extensively overseas, including Afghanistan and South Sudan, teaching newbornresuscitation to obstetricians and nurse midwives. As the ship physician for Semester at sea, hecircumnavigated the globe in 2015 and 2016 with 700 college students as well as faculty and theirfamilies. He has continued to be involved in study abroad programs as a medical consultant for theInstitute for Shipboard Education and more recently with the School for International Training. He currently practices as an adult and pediatric hospitalist, having served as the Medical Director for a large hospitalist group.
Catrina Funk, M.D., MBA, F.A.C.O.G.
Dr. Catrina Funk is an OB/GYN with a diverse work experience in clinical, administrative & commercial healthcare settings.
She completed her undergraduate studies at Colorado State University, Medical School at the University of Oklahoma, residency training in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Michigan State University in Grand Rapids and Physician Executive MBA with the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Funk has dedicated her career to improving the health care delivery process. She provided obstetrical care at a Federally Qualified Health Clinic in rural Ohio before moving to the west coast to establish the first OB Hospitalist program in the south Puget Sound area. Transitioning to population health, she partnered with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to lead a community-wide effort to reduce avoidable re-hospitalization and improve transitions of care by enhancing coordination for patients and their caregivers amongst a multitude of healthcare partners. For six years, Dr. Funk served as the Chief Medical Officer at Stanson Health, a Premier clinical decision support company focused on revolutionizing how clinicians use technology to deliver evidence-based care.
Dr. Funk’s passion for international studies began as a college student circumnavigating the globe with Semester at Sea. She has participated in multiple medical missions abroad including teaching obstetrical care in Afghanistan and South Sudan as well as providing disaster relief in Haiti. As a medical consultant with the Institute of Shipboard Education & currently with the School for International Training she oversees and administers the participant health review process, including the development, collection, and evaluation of physical and mental health information.
