OPEN MINDS Consultants & Advisors

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Cyril A. 'Skip' Barber, Ph.D.,
Advisory Board Member and Senior Consultant, OPEN MINDS

Cyril A. 'Skip' Barber, Ph.D., Advisory Board Member and Senior Consultant, obtained a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. After completing graduate school he accepted a position at the Colorado State Hospital as a staff Psychologist for the Child and Adolescent Treatment Center. He eventually became the Chief Psychologist of the children's division. Skip relocated to Denver and became the Executive Director of the Denver Children's Home, which was the original Denver Orphan's Home founded in 1876 and served in this capacity for 17 years. After leaving the Denver Children's Home he became the Executive Director of a limited liability partnership (jointly owned by the Griffith Centers for Children, the Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, and Jefferson Hills) that he helped to create, Colorado Care Management.

In 2005 when the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) decided to disallow Colorado's continued use of Medicaid funding to the pay the bulk of residential treatment services for children and adolescents, Skip became the advocate/Lobbyist for a dozen accredited residential treatment agencies representing and advocating for them during the system redesign.

He has taught graduate counseling courses for the University of Phoenix, including Lifespan Development, Advanced Psychopathology, Individual Counseling, Child Therapy, Family Therapy, Group Counseling, and Practicum supervision. Prior to teaching at the University of Phoenix, teaching experience included being an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Colorado and being a field supervisor for graduate psychology students from several Denver universities.

Skip has served on several national Boards including the National Association of Homes and Services (where he held various Board positions including Board President) and the Alliance for Children and Families.