+ Kristin B. Powell, PhD, ABPP-CN
Since completing her doctoral degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Dr. Kristin Powell has served the Colorado front range in private practice for over 20 years. She is board certified by the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology, and conducts psychological and neuropsychological evaluations with children, adolescents and adults. Dr. Powell’s practice focuses on the assessment of individuals with brain related conditions, be they developmental (learning disabilities, ADHD, autistic spectrum disorders, psychiatric disorders), medical (seizures, brain tumors, genetic conditions) or acquired (brain injuries or psychological trauma). Her services range from brief consultations for treatment planning through comprehensive, integrative batteries and reports. She also provides therapy and “coaching” for older adolescents, adults and families.
Dr. Powell completed her undergraduate degree at Haverford College. There she participated in research on early language development and models of preschool education, with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. After college, at Educational Testing Service, she contributed to research on educational policy, sex differences in cognition and arts education in public schools. This included participation in the Arts PROPEL program directed by Dr. Howard Gardner. Before beginning graduate school, she worked as a psychometrician at the University of Pennsylvania, completing neuropsychological testing with schizophrenia, epilepsy and dementia patients. At CU, Dr. Powell’s graduate training with Dr. David Miklowitz focused on bipolar disorder, including its treatment via family therapy, and the neuropsychology of this complex condition. She completed her clinical psychology internship, and postdoctoral fellowship in child neuropsychology, at the Cambridge Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School. She has taught undergraduate courses in neuropsychology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and at Regis University, as an adjunct instructor. In 2007, she served as president of the Colorado Neuropsychological Society.
From 2003 to 2020, Dr. Powell worked collaboratively with the Western Institute for Neurodevelopmental Studies and Interventions (WINSI), directed by developmental behavioral neurologist Kytja Voeller, MD. Working in proximity to WINSi enabled her to see up close the benefits of multidisciplinary, empirically-based interventions for children with learning differences. Her own philosophy of practice is also inspired by the Therapeutic Assessment model developed by Dr. Stephen Finn. This model seeks to utilize the assessment process as an opportunity for learning, change and growth. Dr. Powell takes great pleasure in translating diagnostic assessment into treatment plans and next steps. Consultations and evaluations aim to provide road maps for healthy development, including resources, referrals and recommendations.
+ Jill Gitten Aloia, PhD, ABPP-CN
Dr. Jill Gitten Aloia is a licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado practicing in the Boulder Valley. She is Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.
Dr. Aloia conducts neuropsychological evaluations of children, adolescents, and young adults through college age. Her practice focuses on the assessment of individuals with brain-related conditions, including those considered developmental (learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders), medical (seizures, Tourette’s Disorder, and genetic conditions), and acquired (traumatic brain injury). She has subspecialties in working with twice exceptional students (children identified as gifted, with learning disabilities) and internationally adopted children who present with language, behavioral, or emotional regulation difficulties. Additionally, Dr. Aloia offers educational evaluations, and brief consultations for families seeking integration of information from other professionals. She also provides therapy for families seeking support with parenting, especially as it relates to their child’s diagnoses.
In private practice, Dr. Aloia pairs her training in general clinical psychology and family systems work with her expertise in pediatric neuropsychology, to provide truly comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. With a focus on the whole child, these evaluations are designed to help families (and children) understand strengths and weaknesses, and outline a pathway forward.
From 2006 through 2019, Dr. Aloia served as the Associate Director of a multidisciplinary neurodevelopmental center. The center provided diagnostic and intensive treatment services to children and adolescents with severe learning disabilities, language disorders, attention and executive dysfunction, and related behavioral or emotional disorders. Dr. Aloia supervised a multidisciplinary team of therapists who treated students using research-based, intensive, and individualized interventions programs. She also worked with parents of children in the program to ensure that together the intervention and changes to the home environment maximized a child’s potential.
Prior to leading the team at the neurodevelopmental center, Dr. Aloia was a Research Associate in the Department of Psychology at Brown University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral training in life-span neuropsychology through the Brown Clinical Psychology Training Consortium, in the Brown Medical School. Dr. Aloia earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a specialty in Pediatric Neuropsychology at one of the premier neuropsychology training programs - the University of Florida. There she received training in pediatric and adult neuropsychology, as well as individual and family therapy. Dr. Aloia co-taught neuropsychology classes at the University of Florida and Brown.
More recently, Dr. Aloia has taught graduate courses in child assessment at the University of Massachusetts, as an adjunct instructor. She continues to supervise post-baccalaureate students who are embarking on careers in psychology, speech and language pathology, and special education.
Dr. Aloia has published scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Child Neurology and Child Neuropsychology. Her research has focused on three primary areas: neurodevelopmental disorders, attention, and developmental dyslexia. Dr. Aloia presents at local, national, and international conferences and is nationally known for her work with children who have language difficulties. She has also contributed her time to the field by serving as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Colorado Neuropsychological Society and on serving on the Board of Directors for the Untapped Potential Project.
+ Zachary Sussman, PhD
Dr. Zachary Sussman entered private practice as a pediatric neuropsychologist after completing a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospital Colorado. He conducts psychological and neuropsychological consultations, brief assessments, and comprehensive evaluations with toddlers, children, adolescents, and young adults. He has experience working with developmental, psychiatric, rehabilitation, and neurologic populations. This includes children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning Disorders, Language Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Genetic Disorders, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Acquired Brain Injury. He also has expertise in evaluation and clinical management of youth with concussion, as well as diagnostic evaluation of autism using “gold standard” instruments such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2).
Dr. Sussman completed a doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Iowa, with diverse clinical training at settings such as the Belin-Blank Assessment and Counseling Center and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and the Center for Disabilities and Development). As a doctoral student, he maintained a commitment to research including attainment of a M.A. in Educational Measurement and Statistics, as well as authorship on numerous grants, professional presentations, and scientific publications. As a resident at Alexian Brothers Women and Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL, he provided neuropsychological evaluations to youth with neurodevelopmental and medical conditions. Additionally, his residency included formal training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). He then completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology within the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Division of Neurology at Children’s Hospital Colorado. As a fellow, Dr. Sussman conducted brief and comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations, as well as contributed to multi-disciplinary clinics for complex concussion, international adoption, non-accidental brain injury, epilepsy surgery, stroke, and neuro-oncology.
Dr. Sussman has specific interest in adapting a multicultural-relevant, client-centered approach to neuropsychology which focuses on an appreciation for individual differences. While maintaining clinical objectivity, he is committed to both empowerment and advocacy for his patients and their families. Dr. Sussman’s approach to evaluation is to promote a holistic understanding of the self that recognizes both strengths and areas of difficulty or growth, and uses the assessment process as an intervention itself. He serves as a resource for families both during and after the evaluation process, to support their journeys towards wellness, joy, and success.
+ Emily C. Maxwell, PhD
Dr. Maxwell’s practice focuses on conducting comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations with children and adolescents who experience cognitive, learning, or emotional challenges. She has particular expertise in working with children and adolescents with math learning disabilities, attention and executive functioning difficulties, medical diagnoses, and perinatal complications. She also has specific interest in performing more abbreviated evaluations for toddlers and preschoolers to assist with their development and school readiness. Dr. Maxwell strives to help families understand their child’s strengths and areas of growth and to provide them with the most appropriate supports, resources, and interventions for their child.
Dr. Maxwell earned her B.A. in Psychology from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Prior to attending graduate school, she served as a research assistant in the Developmental Brain Imaging Lab at Oregon Health & Science University. She then received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston, specializing in Neuropsychology. Dr. Maxwell went on to complete her pre-doctoral internship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She then completed a three-year post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. Throughout her training, she worked with a wide range of neurological conditions, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, anoxia/hypoxia, encephalitis, congenital heart disease, cerebral palsy, genetic disorders leukemia, brain tumors, and epilepsy. As part of her fellowship, Dr. Maxwell conducted research on pediatric stroke through a large multi-center grant funded by the American Heart Association and the Bugher Foundation. This unique opportunity fostered her passion and commitment to help children who have suffered from all forms of stroke (arterial ischemic, hemorrhagic, cerebral sinovenous thrombosis, perinatal) and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Maxwell has extensive research experience focusing on the cognitive, academic, and psychological outcomes in children who have sustained acquired brain injuries, specifically stroke and moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. Her research endeavors have resulted in numerous oral and poster presentations at national conferences such as the International Neuropsychological Society meeting and the International Stroke Conference, as well as local organizations such as the University of Colorado Brain Injury Research Group. She has also participated in several publications found in various peer-reviewed journals, including Cortex, Brain and Cognition, Cerebral Cortex, Stroke, and Blood Cells, Molecules and Diseases. Additionally, Dr. Maxwell recently co-authored a chapter on learning disabilities in the upcoming second edition of the Clinical Neuropsychology Study Guide and Board Review. She has also been asked to present for parent groups to discuss the role of neuropsychology and the process for obtaining school services.
Taken together, Dr. Maxwell’s training, clinical experiences, and research have helped to solidify her enthusiasm for supporting patients and their families. She is dedicated to helping children achieve their optimal level of success in the school, home, and community settings.
+ Rebekah Tozier, MA, Clinical Data Manager
Rebekah earned her Master of Arts in Linguistics from the University of Colorado in Boulder. During her graduate studies, she gained extensive experience in various levels of linguistic analysis (phonetics, phonology, semantics, and syntax), as well as completed research in the multidisciplinary field of cognitive science. She assisted in conducting experiment sessions and collecting and analyzing data for the Language, Development, and Cognition (LDC) Lab while completing her master’s. Additionally, she learned how to investigate language through statistical and computational methods, including corporal linguistics and machine learning. Her studies have led her to learn and examine various languages, including: Russian, Farsi, Japanese, Mongolian, and Hindi.
Instructing learners at both the individual and classroom level, Rebekah has taught in a variety of environments. During the academic year 2021-2022, she was a Teaching Assistant at CU Boulder. She has also worked with neurodiverse learners for the past seven years, providing treatment and instruction to students with language disorders and learning disabilities. Throughout this period, she has received training in the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing (LiPS) program, and has provided support that has focused on literacy, grammar, reading comprehension, math, and organizational skills. As the clinical data manager at New Peaks, Rebekah applies her skills in linguistics, cognition, and neurodevelopment in order to collect, organize, and systematically manage clinical data. Her role includes the administration and scoring of selected tests, maintenance of testing materials, as well as communication with patients and other administrative support.
+ Katy Bei, BA, Operations Manager
Katy graduated with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Linguistics from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. She loved investigating how the two fields of study work together as people perceive and engage the world around them. Katy volunteered in schools with small classrooms of kids who were hard of hearing or neurodiverse. Additionally, for over a decade, she has volunteered and interned in various settings to mentor teenagers.
In 2017, Katy moved to Colorado. Soon after, she became a therapeutic instructor in a multidisciplinary intensive clinic for kids with various learning and behavior challenges. Working with children and adolescents ages seven to seventeen, she provided one-on-one intervention to enhance reading, writing, communication, and executive functions, such as organization. Following her position in that clinic, she became a Senior Administrative Assistant at another large clinic in Boulder, where her management and relational skills made her the go-to person in the office for patients, therapists, and other members of the administrative team.
At New Peaks Neuropsychology, Katy combines the various aspects of her educational and professional experiences to help ensure an optimal experience for individuals and families undergoing neuropsychological evaluation. Her understanding of working with children and adolescents with learning and behavioral differences, paired with her knowledge of helping to run a large practice, combine to ensure the individuals and families that come to New Peaks feel warm-welcomed and well-informed.