Meet the INSPIRE Training Program Team

Kate Hardy is a California Licensed Psychologist who has specialized in working with individuals with psychosis for over 15 years in both research and clinical settings. Dr. Hardy received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom. She has worked in specialist early psychosis services in both the UK and the US, including UCSF’s Prodrome Assessment Research and Treatment (PART) program, where she completed her post-doctoral fellowship, and as Clinical Director for the Prevention and Recovery from Early Psychosis (PREP) program. Dr. Hardy has significant experience in providing CBTp to individuals with early psychosis, and those at risk of developing psychosis, in both individual and group settings and integration of this clinical intervention to broader systems and staff teams. She has led multiple trainings and workshops in CBTp to a wide variety of audiences including community clinicians, psychiatrists, and families, and provides ongoing supervision and consultation in this approach. Dr. Hardy is also involved in the implementation of national strategies to increase dissemination of early psychosis models with the aim of bringing these cutting edge treatments to a broader population.

Dr. Sripriya (Priya) Chari is a CA Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor working with the INSPIRE Clinic at Stanford. Dr. Chari's clinical interests lie in early identification of the psychosis risk syndrome and providing evidence based psychotherapeutic interventions from a recovery oriented perspective. Prior to the INSPIRE Clinic, Dr. Chari was a clinical assessor for the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study, aimed at studying the predictors for conversion to psychosis of youth at clinical high risk for psychosis. She also worked for Santa Clara County Department of Mental Health, in inpatient, outpatient, and forensic settings providing psychotherapy and assessment services.

Dr. Eisen is a Clinical Associate Professor and CA Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. She works with the INSPIRE clinic at Stanford and is the Inpatient Director of Psychological Services for the acute inpatient psychiatric units at Stanford Hospital. Her research and clinical interest center on therapeutic interventions that support recovery for individuals living with serious mental illness, in particular for individuals experiencing psychosis. Dr. Eisen received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, and her PhD from the University of Connecticut, and completed postdoctoral training at Stanford University. She is trained in CBT for psychosis (CBTp) and provides training and consultation in CBTp and CBTp informed skills to community-based clinicians, graduate students, medical students and residents, to support the use of recovery-oriented psychosocial interventions with individuals experiencing psychosis.

Dr. Nichole Olson is a Clinical Assistant Professor and licensed psychologist in the INSPIRE Clinic and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program at Stanford. Dr. Olson completed her masters and doctorate degrees at Northwestern University in Chicago and finished her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Olson specializes in evidence-based, recovery-oriented care for individuals with psychosis, providing both individual and group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp) to adults within the INSPIRE Clinic. In addition, Dr. Olson leads trainings and ongoing consultation for providers learning to implement CBTp. As a clinician and Assistant Director of Stanford’s DBT program, Dr. Olson also provides individual DBT treatment for those with emotion regulation difficulties.

Dr. Jenae Richardson is a Clinical Assistant Professor and a CA Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the INSPIRE Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. She also works in the acute psychiatric inpatient units at Stanford Hospital. She specializes in utilizing evidence-based treatments (EBTs) to treat individuals with psychosis and has worked with this population across inpatient and outpatient settings. She is passionate about improving the dissemination and implementation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp), and at the INSPIRE Clinic, she leads CBTp trainings for mental health professionals and provides CBTp to individuals with psychosis. Dr. Richardson completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Arizona’s Early Psychosis Intervention Center and her postdoctoral fellowship at Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. She obtained her doctorate in clinical psychology from Long Island University Post and conducted research exploring barriers to implementing CBTp in the United States.

Grace Lee, Ph.D. is a Clinical Assistant Professor and a CA Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Lee specializes in evidence-based, trauma-informed, and compassion-focused care for individuals presenting with psychosis. She is currently providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp), Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Prolonged Exposure Therapy within the INSPIRE Clinic and PTSD Clinic. She also leads trainings in CBTp to providers supporting individuals with psychosis.

Dr. Connor Adams (she/they) is a Clinical Assistant Professor who received her doctorate in psychology from the George Washington University and completed her internship training at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance. Her clinical and research interests center on therapeutic interventions that support recovery for individuals living with serious mental illness. Dr. Adams grounds her work in a psychodynamic perspective, assisting individuals in understanding why they think, feel, and behave the way they do, in order to increase agency and choice. Dr. Adams has specialized training in comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy and provides treatment for individuals with emotion regulation difficulties. She also has specialized training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp). Additionally, Dr. Adams provides individual and group psychotherapy within the psychiatric inpatient treatment setting. She is broadly interested in increasing access to person-centered and recovery-oriented care.

Melanie Lean, Clin.Psych.D. is a Californian licensed clinical psychologist, Clinical Assistant Professor, and assistant director of research in the INSPIRE early psychosis clinic, Stanford University School of Medicine. She provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) within the recovery oriented and trauma informed framework of the INSPIRE clinic. Dr Lean received her doctorate from University College London, UK and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. She is a mixed methods researcher, with over 15 years’ experience in mental health research, working across a range of settings with a focus on severe and enduring mental illness and ways to improve service provision for this population. She has specialized knowledge in self-management and peer support interventions for people with psychosis and has experience working alongside service user researchers in the evaluation and delivery of study interventions. Dr Lean is also trained in psychedelic assisted therapy and works on a range of clinical trials investigating psilocybin for treatment resistant depression.

Dr. Altamirano is a Clinical Psychologist at Stanford University’s INSPIRE Training Program, specializing in CBT for Psychosis (CBTp). She works in outpatient and inpatient settings and her primary clinical appointments are in the INSPIRE Clinic and La Clínica Latina, where she blends her expertise in psychotic-spectrum disorders and clinical presentations influenced by Latinx/a/o culture (she is a native Spanish-speaker). Her main research/clinical interests lie in cultural adaptations to psychosocial treatments for psychotic spectrum disorders (e.g., Culturally Informed Therapy For Schizophrenia: A Family-Focused, Cognitive Behavioral Approach). She is involved in EPI-CAL, an initiative aimed broadly at creating a network of early psychosis programs across the state of California. Dr. Altamirano additionally co-teaches the undergraduate "Destigmatizing Psychosis... I thought I heard my name" course, and advises graduate students in the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium.

I have worked with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences since April 2009, starting as an Administrative Associate supporting faculty in the Division of ​Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences. In my new role I am supporting the department’s goal in developing a dedicated, self-sustaining educational and training program akin to clinical and research finance units. As one of my first charges in this role, I am learning what members in the department are currently doing to build upon their successes and create a pathway for other colleagues to do the same.

Aline joined Stanford in January 2023 to assist Dr. Kate Hardy and the INSPIRE Team’s training initiatives, part of her role is to support the coordination of workshops such as the Master Clinician Series, CBTp, CMT, EPI Plus, and other intensive seminars. Prior to taking this role, she worked in training and development for Google and Genentech. Before transitioning to training, she held several positions in Staffing and Recruiting at Google and TIBCO Software. Born and raised in Brazil, she came to California to improve her English and never left. She enjoys spending time with her son, running with friends, and baking Brazilian desserts in her spare time.

Vanessa joined the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences as Program Administrator in February 2024. In this role, she is lead on a multi-site project across California titled EPI-CAL, to support the implementation of Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) for early psychosis. Before joining Stanford University, she worked at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) for over four years, primarily managing health professions education programs as a Program Administrator. Before her tenure at UCSF, Vanessa worked in operations at several Oncology Medical Centers across the Bay Area, where she offered valuable support to patients. Vanessa was born in the Bay Area and earned her BS in Health Services Administration from California State University, Chico. This program is a fully certified undergraduate member of the Association of University Programs in Health Care Administration (AUPHA). Outside of work, Vanessa enjoys baking, hiking, long walks, and exploring the best foodie spots. 

Nybelle Caruso has been working as a peer support specialist and advocating in mental health spaces since 2015. Currently, Nybelle holds a position as Peer Program Manager at ColumbiaCare services in Oregon. Nybelle strives to elevate the voices of lived experience at all levels of the mental health system. Nybelle is an experienced presenter and public speaker on peer support and mental health topics and has been a trainer in Intentional Peer Support since 2018. Following her lived experience with altered states, intimate partner violence, generational trauma, and navigating ADHD, Nybelle aspires to share her experiences with others so they know they are not alone. In addition to her peer work, she enjoys playing piano, video games, and creating galaxy paintings.

Naomi Jones is a psychology student at Mills College at Northeastern and someone with lived experience. Their hope is to one day provide a safe space for other people with lived experience to explore what those experiences mean to them. In the meantime, they are interested in using their lived experience to help change the narrative around psychosis. In their free-time, Naomi enjoys collecting taxidermy and taking walks with their service dog, Juno.

Timothy Kelly is a professional counselor and program manager for evidence-based practices at a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) in Michigan. Timothy has an MA from Lewis and Clark College and completed additional doctoral training in counselor education and anthropology at the University of Iowa. He has published both peer reviewed and intermedia art projects on psychosis. Timothy has lived experience of psychosis and that informs all of his work.

Carlos A. Larrauri, MSN, serves on the National Alliance on Mental Illness Board of Directors. Diagnosed with schizophrenia at 23 years of age, access to affordable health care, community-based treatments, and early intervention afforded him the best opportunity for recovery. 

Mr. Larrauri is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and formerly lectured at the University of Miami and Miami Dade College.

Mr. Larrauri is pursuing a JD/MPA at the University of Michigan Law School and Harvard Kennedy School, where he is a Zuckerman Fellow at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership. He aspires to interface clinical practice, health policy, and research to reduce health inequities for people living with mental illness

Shannon Pagdon (she/they) is a joint MSW/doctoral student with the University of Pittsburgh. Shannon is a nationally certified peer specialist and an individual living with psychosis. Shannon is the co-creator of the Outside the Box project and was recently elected as IEPA's vice president of lived experience research. Outside of work, Shannon enjoys baking, reading, hiking, playing video games, and spending time with their dog, Scout!