Christopher Perez is an experienced CRNA, Clinical Director and Cofounder of Axis Integrated Mental Health. He spent many years caring for kids as a pediatric CRNA in Colorado, in Peru during annual medical mission trips. He worked in a community access hospital ICU before entering the anesthesia profession.
Chris’ passion for helping others drove him to cofound Axis Integrated Mental Health with his wife, Liesl Perez, to help increase the availability of mental health services in Colorado. With Chris’ leadership, Axis has grown to over 20 employees, 3 locations, has treated thousands of patients, underwritten over $100K in free mental health care for the communities it serves, and become a center of excellence for the most difficult-to-treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, bipolar, and other mental health conditions.
You can read about Chris' own journey with mental health in his blog post "Therapy is For Everyone - Except me', And Other Lies I've Told Myself".
Liesl Perez spent over 20 years in corporate marketing, launching one of the first generative AI prototypes, SDL Content Assistant, and leading corporate marketing teams at Mapbox, Hubilo, TTEC, and SDL. Her passion for unlocking human potential, diversity, and inclusivity led her to cofound Axis Integrated Mental Health in 2020 with her husband, Chris Perez. Over the last three years, Axis has grown to over 20 employees, 3 locations, and underwritten over $100K in free mental health care for the communities it serves. In addition to being a co-founder, Liesl is TMS certified and enjoys treating patients with this innovative new technology and the power of storytelling. When not working with patients at her clinic, she also serves as a fractional CMO, working with a diverse roster of companies worldwide.
Liesl believes strongly in destigmatizing mental illness and she shares her own depression and anxiety journey regularly as a guest speaker on podcasts and with her husband in this interview. You may sometimes see her at the front desk, answering questions on social media or picking up the phone when people call-in, treating patients with TMS and storytelling, or even holding your hand during particularly rough treatments.
Dr. Roderick O’Brien has provided psychiatric services to the Denver area for over a decade. Before that, he served in the United States Air Force (USAF), practicing Neurology.
Dr. O’Brien completed his residency training in both Neurology and Psychiatry. He also carries board certification in Addiction Medication.
He has extensive experience in neurostimulation treatment options, including Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
Dr. O'Brien is trained to provide Ketamine infusions and Sparvato treatments to his patients. He is also certified to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine (Suboxone) for individuals with opioid dependence disorders.
Dr. Jamie Teunis is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner. She provides her patients with psychiatric diagnostic evaluations and ongoing psychiatric care.
Dr. Teunis specializes in a holistic approach to patient care, with treatment plans tailored to each patient’s individual needs. She is an expert at providing integrated psychiatric care to a wide range of different patient populations.
Dr. Bryce Thacker began his career as an advanced practice nurse in family medicine. He then identified his passion for mental health and worked as a primary mental health provider for six years.
Dr. Thacker then returned to school to gain an even deeper knowledge of psychiatric care. Axis Integrated Mental Health is happy to have Dr. Thacker and his years of experience as part of our team.
Elizabeth McDaniel is a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner and also a Forensic Nurse Examiner. She comes to health care from a very humanistic approach, having been a middle and high school teacher previously. She enjoys working with patients in the Spravato treatment program, and watching their transformations and the positive outcomes they report.
Elizabeth lives with her husband and Goldendoodle Remy and enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and being active.
Sarah Paston is a dedicated and compassionate board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. She has a deep-rooted commitment to improving the lives of individuals struggling with mental health challenges by clinical expertise, empathy, and a patient-centered approach. Sarah has developed particular expertise in treatment-resistant depression, women’s care, and using modern depression treatments like Ketamine, Spravato, TMS. She enjoys working with adults 18-65.
Ashley Howell is a board-certified family psychiatric nurse practitioner with over a decade of experience in mental health and critical care. Ashley is an Armed Service veteran, which gives her unique insight and understanding into the mental health concerns of fellow veterans.
Ashley is passionate about working with patients who are going through a transition phase in life, such as high school students, college students, military members, and postpartum women. She is an LGBTQ+ provider.
Courtney is a licensed professional counselor who utilizes a variety of treatment modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and trauma therapy, to assist her patients.
She believes in using a strengths-based, patient-centered, and empowerment-focused approach to treating patients. Courtney is honored to be a part of her patient’s journey toward healing and wellness.
Ashleigh is truly a valued member of the Axis Integrated Mental Health team. Her extensive experience in mental health affords her a unique perspective on patient-centered service that demonstrates Axis Integrated Mental Health's commitment to our patients.
Mackenzie Gray is responsible for client success, ensuring that every patient who enters the Spravato treatment program is supported every step of their journey. Whether it's to schedule patient follow-up visits, answer any questions about clinic operations, or connect patients to our social prescribing program, Mackenzie is focused on listening to patients and providing them with the support they need to maximize healing.
A proud military veteran, Mackenzie began her career at Axis Integrated Mental Health as a Spravato technician. With the success of the Spravato program, Mackenzie's role has evolved to focus on the patient experience and to ensure that every patient at Axis has the best chance of recovery.
