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Dr. Lila Kimel is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who is the owner of Kimel Psychological Services, LLC. Dr. Kimel provides assessment and treatment for individuals (with a focus on children and adolescents) with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, and their families. She also provides assessments of learning disabilities, ADHD, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders for children and young adults.
Dr. Kimel received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and her Master’s and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver. Dr. Kimel completed her Internship in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and completed a 2-year Fellowship in Developmental Disabilities at JFK Partners at the University of Colorado, Denver School of Medicine. Prior to starting her private practice Dr. Kimel was a Clinical Instructor at the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic at JFK Partners, within the University of Colorado School of Medicine and worked as a clinical psychologist for Developmental FX, a nonprofit practice, specializing in developmental disabilities. Dr. Kimel has worked with children with autism and other developmental disabilities since 1999, while in her undergraduate program at UCSD. Her clinical experiences also include working with children with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, comorbid diagnoses of autism and anxiety disorders, and AD/HD. Dr. Kimel has training in behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, parent training, and couples counseling. Dr. Kimel has led several social skills and anxiety treatment groups for individuals with developmental disabilities in the community. She currently supervises Ph.D. and Psy.D. psychology graduate students who help her co-lead various social skills groups for individuals with ASD. In addition to private practice work, Dr. Kimel has worked for the last three years providing psycho-legal consultation in cases related to individuals with developmental disabilities involved in the legal system. Dr. Kimel has also consulted with several schools regarding how to interpret psychological evaluation reports and how to apply them to the individual needs of a child within the school context. Dr. Kimel has presented on a wide range of topics related to developmental disabilities. Dr. Kimel is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Colorado Psychological Association, the Colorado Neuropsychological Society, the Colorado Assessment Society, and the Developmental Psychobiology Research Group of the University of Colorado, Denver School of Medicine. She also recently co-founded an early career psychologist consultation group for professionals treating and assessing children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Kimel is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is fluent in Spanish. Dr. Kimel’s research studies have involved understanding face recognition in children with autism, neuropsychological profiles of family members of children with autism, and anxiety disorders in children with autism. Dr. Kimel currently runs her practice four days a week. When not in the office, Dr. Kimel enjoys spending time with her husband, her three children, and her dog. |
Ms. Dana Gau, M.A. is a first year PsyD student at the University of Denver’s Clinical Psychology doctoral program at the Graduate School of Professional Psychology. She is currently completing a year-long externship under the supervision of Dr. Lila Kimel, assisting with neurodevelopmental evaluations. In June of 2017, she graduated with her Master’s in Forensic Psychology from the University of Denver. Throughout her master’s training, Dana worked in death investigation for the city of Denver and wrote forensic offense specific evaluations for LM & Associates. Regarding her undergraduate work, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Denver in 2015. It is during this time she worked in the Social Perceptions and Attitudes lab working with children and young adults in social prospection. Throughout her education and work Dana has found a passion for evaluations, and is hoping to broaden her understanding of assessment work while collaborating with individuals in the community. In her free time, Dana enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, and exploring Colorado’s beautiful mountains.
Mimiko Watanabe, M.A., received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver. She is currently working towards earning her Doctorate of Psychology with a Latino Psychology specialty and is completing a year-long externship under the supervision of Dr. Kimel. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Hunter College at the City University of New York, graduating summa cum laude. While an undergraduate student, she worked as a substitute teacher at a therapeutic preschool for children with autism, developmental delays, and emotional issues. She has worked as a therapist in various clinics and community mental health organizations over the past several years, treating both children and adults with a wide variety of presenting problems. Her other specialty areas include trauma-focused therapy, severe and persistent mental illness, and health psychology. She approaches treatment by considering the whole person, including their own values, cultural identity, family and social supports, and their role in the wider community. In her free time she enjoys biking, cooking, listening to music, and growing plants on her balcony.
Mimiko Watanabe, M.A., received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver. She is currently working towards earning her Doctorate of Psychology with a Latino Psychology specialty and is completing a year-long externship under the supervision of Dr. Kimel. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Hunter College at the City University of New York, graduating summa cum laude. While an undergraduate student, she worked as a substitute teacher at a therapeutic preschool for children with autism, developmental delays, and emotional issues. She has worked as a therapist in various clinics and community mental health organizations over the past several years, treating both children and adults with a wide variety of presenting problems. Her other specialty areas include trauma-focused therapy, severe and persistent mental illness, and health psychology. She approaches treatment by considering the whole person, including their own values, cultural identity, family and social supports, and their role in the wider community. In her free time she enjoys biking, cooking, listening to music, and growing plants on her balcony.
Maria Canyon is a second year Doctoral Student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Denver. She is currently completing a year-long externship co-leading social skills groups and assisting with neurodevelopmental evaluations under the supervision of Dr. Lila Kimel. Maria has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Human Services with a Minor in Psychology from Fort Lewis College, and worked in both elementary and middle schools as a Special Education Teacher before beginning her graduate work. It is during this time that Maria deepened her passion for improving young people’s quality of life by collaborating with them one-on-one to identify their unique strengths and needs. In addition to education, Maria has experience working in medical settings providing individual therapy to youth and their families. In her free time Maria enjoys creating art and spending time outdoors.