We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lila Kimel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lila below.

Lila, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

I started my practice in 2013, when my daughter was born. I had been working at JFK Partners at the University of Colorado, School of Medicine, and at Childen’s Hospital Colorado. After having a baby, I decided that I wanted to have more control over my schedule and have more time to spend with my baby. I read a bunch of books on starting a private practice, met with many colleagues who had successful private practices to ask questions, and created a task list to get things going. I met some colleagues that were willing to sublease part of their office suite, and in exchange we shared our joint testing materials. This helped to save on costs. I started working part time from the rented suite space, and part time from an office that is detached from my home. I eventually started supervising graduate students and got a post-doctoral student. These trainees helped me slowly expand my practice. Then, in 7/2022, our lease was up on the space I rented with my colleague and we decided to split ways. I found a five office suite with a conference room and kitchen that was 3 blocks from my house and rented it. There have been many challenges along the way, including having to let certain employees go because they were not fulfilling the mission of our practice. We also had challenges when we moved into the new space, as the building was not ready for us on time and we had to sublease elsewhere temporarily. The best two things I did in growing my practice were getting a full time office manager and having a business coach to guide me through aspects of running a business that I would not know otherwise.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I provide assessment and treatment for individuals (with a focus on children and adolescents) with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. I also conduct assessments of learning disabilities, ADHD, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders for children and young adults. Furthermore, I can provide psycho-legal consultation in cases related to individuals with developmental disabilities involved in the legal system. I consult 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. I have presented on a wide range of topics related to developmental disabilities.

I received my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and my Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver. I completed my Internship in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and a 2-year Fellowship in Developmental Disabilities at JFK Partners at the University of Colorado, Denver School of Medicine.

Prior to starting my private practice, I was a Clinical Instructor at the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic at JFK Partners, within the University of Colorado School of Medicine. I also worked as a clinical psychologist for Developmental FX, a nonprofit practice, specializing in developmental disabilities. My 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.

I have worked with children with autism and other developmental disabilities since 1999, while in my undergraduate program at UCSD. My clinical experiences also include working with children with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, comorbid diagnoses of autism and anxiety disorders, and ADHD. I have training in behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, parent training, and couples counseling. I have led several social skills and anxiety treatment groups for individuals with developmental disabilities in the community. I currently supervise Ph.D. and Psy.D. psychology graduate students who provide individual psychotherapy and help co-lead various social skills groups for individuals with ASD.

I am 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. I also co-founded an early career psychologist consultation group for professionals treating and assessing children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

I am originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and am fluent in Spanish. I currently run my practice five days a week. When not in the office, I enjoy spending time exploring the outdoors with my husband and three children. All three of my children are neurodiverse and therefore I am very familiar with the struggles that parents go through.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I think that in addition to training and knowledge, the most important thing to succeed as a psychologist is empathy and warmth. You have to find the good in everyone you work with and find the motivation to help them. I have worked with young adults in the criminal justice system as an expert witness and I have always found a reason that despite the most horrendous alleged crime, there is always something good about that person. This has helped me to connect with adults and children alike.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I am an immigrant from Buenos Aires Argentina. I immigrated from Argentina at the age of 4. My family struggled over the years to pursue the American Dream. I am the first in my family to achieve a doctorate. I developed fluency in English as a child and often translated things for my parents until they developed fluency.
Due to my challenges, I have a passion for helping LatinX and underserved families. This is why I take Medicaid in my practice.

On 7/1/2023 Colorado Medicaid rates for evaluations were slashed by about 30% in some CPT codes. Since my practice consists of 70 percent Medicaid clients, this slash in already-low rates placed my practice at risk for going under.

Instead of giving in, I worked hard to advocate for the folks I serve and for the clinicians that work in my practice by talking to Governor Polis’s office and other decision-makers. I (along with a small group of like-minded practice owners) were able to get two of the 5 codes we bill for, increased to the prior amounts. This was a small victory but there will be a long road ahead for getting law-makers to recognize the work that we do at Kimel Psychological Services as valuable and worthy of a decent reimbursement rate. I am hanging in there for now, as I do not want to stop seeing the folks I work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kimelpsych.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimel_psych_services/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KPSPractice
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/15481324/admin/feed/posts/
• Other: Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/lila-kimel-denver-co/210534

Image Credits
Shutterstock. Note that I will send you more pictures tomorrow and get rid of this one. I have them on my computer at work.