Faculty & Researcher Network

Dr. Adrian is a clinical child psychologist focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying risk for self-injurious behaviors. She is particularly interested in augmenting adolescents’ emotion regulation competencies in service of preventing mental health problems generally, and self-injurious behaviors specifically. Dr. Adrian’s school-based research includes adapting dialectical behavior therapy skills components to be incorporated into 9th grade health classes, and improving school based screening for student safety by aggregating student-generated social media data, applying machine learning strategies to predict risk for acute safety events.  Her current work is supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Seattle Children’s Guild Foundation, and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Kate Comtois, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a psychiatrist. Dr. Comtois directs the dialectical behavior therapy program at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, which serves patients who have a pattern of self-harming or suicidal behavior, borderline personality disorder and other complex and extreme problems of emotion regulation.She also conducts research evaluating mental health services and the implementation of evidence-based practices in large health systems, and clinical trials to improve services to suicidal individuals and individuals with borderline personality disorder.

Dr. Comtois’ clinical and interests include depressive disorders, dissociative disorders, personality disorders, suicide, trauma, PTSD, disasters, evidence-based medicine, health services research, social and community psychiatry, and technology and mental health.

Dr. Comtois is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Caley Cook is a journalist, filmmaker and multimedia producer with feature and investigative bylines in publications such as Crosscut, The Evergrey, The Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, Elko Daily Free Press, San Diego CityBeat, CBS Sports and others. She received the 2013 Nevada Press Association Outstanding Journalist of the Year award, was a runner-up for the 2017 Boston Globe Spotlight Investigative Journalism Fellowship, was awarded a 2011 Demmler Award for journalism education innovation, and received a 2001 San Diego Society of Professional Journalists Award for her coverage of Sept. 11. Her bylines vary across topics, including crime, courts, sports, music, theatre, and culture. She served as a visiting assistant professor of journalism at Allegheny College and as an instructor at University of San Diego, Metro State College Denver and University of Colorado Boulder where she taught courses in multiplatform journalism, community journalism, investigative journalism, sports journalism and media law. She has contributed to multiple books and is a regular speaker at media and journalism conferences across the country.

Amanda joined the Comtois Lab team in 2004, just before graduating from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She continued to work on Dr. Comtois’ studies and for the Center for Healthcare Improvement for Addictions, Mental Illness, and Medically Vulnerable Populations (CHAMMP) while attending the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at the University of Washington. Her clinical training was in treatment of chemical dependency and in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. She received her MSW degree in 2008. While working toward licensure, she led an effort to restructure a Suboxone treatment program for opioid-dependent individuals to provide a higher quality and intensity of services. In 2011, she had the opportunity to return to research, supporting Dr. Kate Comtois’ clinical trials of interventions to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors among military personnel. Working with Service Members and Veterans at risk for suicide has been the highlight of her career and she looks forward to extending this rewarding work.

Taryn Lindhorst, PhD, LCSW, is the Carol LaMare Associate Professor of Social Work. Prior to receiving her doctorate in 2001, Dr. Lindhorst spent 15 years providing social work services in public health settings in New Orleans, Louisiana. She worked as an in-patient social worker, hospice social worker, bereavement counselor and volunteer manager; and as a manager of social work services in the HIV Outpatient Program at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. This work led her to focus broadly on issues of social justice and inequality, health care systems, violence against women and end-of-life care.

Dr. Lindhorst uses both quantitative and qualitative methods in her work as a mixed methods scholar. Her research has been honored with three national awards, and has been funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Justice. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.

Elizabeth McCauley, PhD, ABPP, is Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington (UW), with adjunct appointments in Psychology and Pediatrics, and Interim Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Her clinical and research work focuses on the development and treatment of depression and suicidality in young people. She has developed and tested a number of prevention and intervention strategies, including leading a project funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health to test the efficacy of behavioral activation (BA) as a treatment for adolescent depression. Dr. McCauley is a past president of the Society for Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Paul is a clinical psychologist involved in the development and dissemination of suicide prevention trainings as the founder and CEO of the QPR Institute. He authored Suicide: the Forever Decision, which he made available for free to the public online, and is a member emeritus of Forefront’s Advisory Board.

Anna Ratzliff, MD, PhD is a national expert on collaborative care and specifically, on training teams to implement and deliver mental health treatment in primary care settings. Her passion for translating complex research ideas into practical real-world applications began when she received her MD and PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology as part of the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of California at Irvine. Dr. Ratzliff is currently is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences  at the University of Washington where she has developed expertise in suicide prevention training, mental health workforce development, adult learning best practices, and mentorship. She is the Director of the AIMS Center, the Director of the UW Integrated Care Training Program  for residents and fellows, and leads a national collaborative care training program for the American Psychiatric Association’s Transforming Clinical Practices Initiative  grant.

Dr. Elaine Walsh is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington in the Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing department. Elaine has provided mental health and suicide risk assessment, intervention, and training in inpatient and community settings. She has been involved in oversight of several federally funded clinical trials addressing adolescent depression, suicide risk and related risk behaviors. Elaine is also a Nurse Scientist at Seattle Children’s and has conducted research and training related to nurse resilience. At Seattle Children’s, she mentors nurses at all levels in conducting research and practice inquiry. She received her Master of Nursing degree from UCLA and a PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Washington. Elaine has been ANCC certified as a Child/Adolescent Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist since 1991. As a faculty member at the UW since 2004, she has taught undergraduate and graduate students. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and is an executive board member of the Lois Price Spratlen Foundation. Prior to coming to Seattle, she held staff nurse and leadership positions in inpatient psychiatry at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital.