Valeria interviews Dr. Lisa Billings — She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Virginia.
While there, her research focused on how traumatic childhood experiences affect individuals' developmental trajectories. Specifically, Lisa focused on the long-term and insidious effects of inter-parental conflict, divorce, and family violence on well-being, as well as how divorce mediation can enhance post-divorce family functioning. Dr. Billings has published several journal articles in these areas, and did a post-doctoral fellowship, thinking she would go into academia like everyone else in her family. Her father was a professor for over 50 years at University of Chicago, her stepmother was in academic medicine at Northwestern, one of her brothers is a physics professor at Boston University and the other brother is a neuroscience professor at Washington University in St Louis.
Once Lisa began having children, however, she understood a few things more deeply: 1) Being a good mom to her children was one of her primary reasons for being on this earth, and 2) Being a guide and a healer to others was her other primary purpose. Lisa strongly believes that the loss and trauma she experienced in childhood have given her special powers of empathy and insight.
After spending eight more years at Children’s Hospital and having four children, Lisa started her private practice in Central Denver just over 15 years ago. In her private practice, she specializes in the transition to adulthood, anxiety, depression, complex childhood trauma, divorce, and other difficult life transitions. In addition to traditional talk therapy, she has also been trained in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and currently provides ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) in her office. There is now a strong body of peer-reviewed literature that demonstrates both the neuro-scientific benefits of ketamine on the brain (decreases depression/suicidality and increases neuroplasticity), as well as the enhanced benefits of using ketamine as a catalyst to therapy, especially with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, and trauma (e.g, the rigid thinking disorders). Lisa has seen the incredible benefits of KAP with her own eyes with clients in her practice.
In addition to her private practice, Dr. Billings recently joined Noma Therapy, a start-up KAP company, which will provide a specially curated 14-week KAP program to those diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or trauma-related disorders. Noma Therapy is already contracted with Colorado Medicaid as well as most major insurance companies, so the benefits of KAP will be more accessible to a broader range of clientele.
