Scholarly Expertise: Settings

Connor Gallik

Dr. Connor Gallik, PhD, is the attending psychologist for the Adolescent Program on the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Acting Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at University of Washington.

Prior to joining the staff and faculty at Seattle Children’s/UW, Dr. Gallik completed his graduate education at the University of Connecticut with an emphasis in child and adolescent clinical psychology. He completed his clinical internship at Pacific University’s Psychology and Comprehensive Health Clinic and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at Seattle Children’s Hospital with an emphasis in DBT and inpatient care.

His research focuses on understanding factors related to the mental health and wellbeing of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) TGD youth and evidence-based practice on inpatient units. Clinically, he is interested in working with children, adolescents, and their families, with a focus on TGD youth. Dr. Gallik also provides training in TGD affirming care for mental health and medical professionals and speaks to community audiences about supporting transgender youth.

Tessa Frohe

I am a trained Behavioral Scientist with a PhD in Health & Human Performance. The main goal of my work is to reduce substance-related harms and improve quality of life for people experiencing problems related to their substance use. I work closely with community members who use drugs to inform my line of research and address key needs identified. My primary appointment is at the Harm Reduction Research and Treatment (HaRRT) Center within the UW School of Medicine and hold an Affiliate Faculty appointment within the School of Public Health.​ My aim is to adapt, refine, and disseminate harm reduction programs through digital health interventions to empower individuals and ameliorate substance-related harms.

Michelle Wiese

I am an Acting Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. I received my MD, MPH from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and completed my adult residency at the University of Washington where I was chief resident. I then went on to complete a fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at the University of Washington. I am currently on faculty at Harborview Medical Center on the inpatient psychiatry unit and inpatient psychiatry consult service. I have a longstanding interest in the intersection between medicine and psychiatry and in working with people who suffer from serious mental illness and treatment-resistant conditions. I have clinical interests in ECT, psychopharmacology, co-morbid medical conditions, and adjunctive psychotherapies. I value caring for the whole person through thorough and accurate diagnosis, treating co-morbid medical conditions, and minimizing medications when possible. I have teaching interests in reducing stigma surrounding serious mental illness and educating residents and medical students about psychiatric care.

Christina N. Clayton

Christina has been in the behavioral health field since 1993, primarily serving adults who live with severe mental health issues, substance use, experience chronic homelessness, suffer from poor physical health, trauma and any number of co-occurring issues.

Prior to joining UW in 2018, she spent 25 years working in and managing numerous clinical programs including: HIV/AIDS housing and health care, school-based mental health, substance use outreach and treatment, homeless mental health outreach, intensive case management, assertive community treatment, crisis respite, integrated care, housing first and other evidence-based practices.  She has provided licensure supervision, training and consultation, and has worked on multi-disciplinary teams in a number of settings.  She highly values her years of clinical direct service and program management experience.

She has also been involved with the UW School of Social Work since getting her MSW, working with dozens of graduate and undergraduate students, teaching courses and workshops, presenting on panels.  She has served as a Practicum Instructor, the Interim Assistant Dean and Director of Field Education, and is currently a Clinical Associate Professor and teaches in the MSW program.

Starting in fall 2024, Christina became one of the Co-Directors of the Pacific West HUB for Mental Health Implementation Support (CMHIS), led by Stanford’s Center for Dissemination and Implementation (CDI). The CMHIS project builds the capacity to select and implement evidence-supported practices and programs, sharing pragmatic, accessible guidance.

Since 2023, she served as Co-Chair of the PBSCI Department’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Staff Committee, also having been a member since its inception in 2021.  She is currently Co-Chair of the Department’s EDI Council.

From 2018-2024, Christina was the Co-Director of the Northwest MHTTC, a SAMHSA-funded regional training & TA center.  Christina co-directed the team and helped plan and oversee training for the mental health workforce in HHS Region 10 (AK/ID/OR/WA).  Activities include live webinars, research/practice briefs, online self-paced courses, learning communities and intensive cohort-based training. Most of this training was conducted virtually in collaboration with numerous faculty, instructional designers and presenters.

She is grateful to all the staff and faculty who choose to work in this field, as it is their collective energy, passion, dedication and commitment to social justice that supports the people we serve and brings real change to our communities.  Most importantly, she is honored to work with people who every day, live their experience and share their journey through advocacy as they strive for a world where behavioral health is adequately supported and everyone can thrive equitably.

A National Snapshot of Training and Technical Assistance Needs Within the Mental Health Workforce – PubMed

HIV Testing and Prevention Services in Behavioral Health Organizations: A Multi-method Study Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research – PubMed

Bill O’Connell

As part of my faculty appointment, I am Director of the Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS) Workforce Development Project.  My responsibilities include oversight of curriculum development, practicum guidelines, development of community partnerships, and advocacy for employment integration.

Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS) Workforce Development Project

A BHSS is a state certified bachelor-level mental and behavioral health provider working under the supervision of a person licensed to assess, diagnose, and treat mental and behavioral health conditions. As part of task sharing, the BHSS delivers brief, culturally responsive, evidence-based interventions for common mental and behavioral health conditions in a team-based setting. Crisis services, integrated care and specialty behavioral healthcare are examples of work environments that may benefit from BHSS services. A project goal is to support higher educational programs across the state implement the BHSS clinical training program, including practicum. To date, five higher education institutions in Washington state have been approved by the Department of Health to offer BHSS clinical training, while five more have applied for approval. By continuing to develop innovative models of education, training, and supervision, this project strives to improve access to care through bachelor-level workforce expansion.

Scholarship

My current scholarship focuses on behavioral health workforce development and best practices in teaching and training bachelor level intervention specialists for behavioral health settings. Past experience includes principal investigator for a philanthropic gift from Robert Craves to expand access to school counseling services at Bailey Gatzert Elementary School in the Yesler Terrace neighborhood of Seattle. I also engaged in community-based research with Village Spirit Center for Community Change and Healing located in the Central District to produce a mental health needs assessment for residents who had experienced homelessness prior to obtaining secure housing. Previous peer reviewed publications focused on counselor preparation for employment in behavioral health agencies, best practices in counselor preparation and ethical dilemmas in counselor practice.

Certification and Licensure

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the State of Washington and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Colorado.  Additionally, I am a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) through the National Board of Certified Counselors and the Center for Credentialing and Education.

Career Roles

  • Associate Professor (WOT), Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (2022-Present)
  • Regional Director of Behavioral Health and Primary Care Behavioral Health Consultant for One Medical Seniors, Washington and Colorado Markets (2018-2021)
  • Founding Chair, Department of Leadership and Professional Studies, Seattle University, Seattle, Washington (2014-2017)
  • Associate Professor with Tenure of Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling,  Seattle University, Seattle, Washington (2010-2019)
  • Associate Professor with Tenure of Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling at Xavier University in Ohio (2006-2010)
  • Assistant Professor, Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio (2001-2006)
  • Past President of the Ohio Counseling Association (2006-2009)
  • Continuous Adjunct Instructor, Community and School Counseling at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio (1994-2001)
  • Founding Assistant Clinical Director for Talbert House Inc. (1998-2001)
  • *Private Practice Therapist and Consultant, Cincinnati, Ohio (1997-2010)
  • Adjunct Instructor, University of Cincinnati College of Evening and Continuing Education (1997-2000)
  • Adult Therapist, Clermont Counseling Center in Milford, Ohio (1994-1997)
  • Crisis Intervention Specialist for Talbert House Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio (1990-1993)
  • Adult Therapist, Care Unit Chemical Dependency Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio (1988-1990)
  • Clinical Pastoral Education Intern, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio (1988)

*I owned a private practice in the Greater Cincinnati Area for twelve years providing behavioral medicine consultation in an integrated pain management practice, clinical consultation to behavioral health organizations, and training and education on ethical and professional issues for mental health providers.  Additionally, I provided individual, couple and family counseling in a group psychology practice with a special focus on serving the LGBTQI+ community and persons with trauma history.

Koriann Cox

Koriann Cox, Ph.D. graduated from Northeastern University and is licensed in the state of Washington. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in co-occurring addiction and mental health and has a range of clinical experience with a variety of concerns including depression, anxiety, trauma, reproductive mental health, and substance and behavioral addictions.  Dr. Cox’s strengths-focused approach emphasizes the mutual development of goals for therapy and ongoing collaboration between herself, the patient, and the care team. Dr. Cox uses a number of therapeutic modalities including but not limited to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Cognitive Processing Therapy.

Alissa Hemke

I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist with interests in medical education, infant and early childhood mental health, and psychotherapy. I direct psychotherapy training for child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) fellows, co-lead the CAP fellows’ didactic curriculum, and coordinate the CAP training experiences of general psychiatry residents.

My clinical work includes treatment in the outpatient setting for young children through adolescents, working closely with their families. I am passionate about psychiatrists supporting families comprehensively. I seek to use not only medications (if appropriate) but also behavioral/psychotherapeutic approaches.

I have done research on expanding behavioral treatments for young children by involving peer supports—caregivers who have previously participated in the programs for their own children—as members of the care team.