Dr. Bri Makofske Owner
Dr. Briana Makofske is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado (License # 4062). She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Colorado College and her Doctorate in School Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Makofske has worked in schools for over a decade, specializing in supporting students with neurodevelopmental disorders through assessment, developing collaborative goals and interventions, and providing direct and consultative services. She is the author of The SEL Toolbox, a tool created for educators and therapists to help children generalize learned skills to real-life situations.
Dr. Makofske’s professional experience includes administering a wide range of assessment batteries, consulting with families and educators to develop both personal and academic related goals and skills, and providing direct service, consultation, and interventions for children and young adults with diverse needs.
Dr. Makofske identifies individual strengths and needs in order to develop supports and interventions that will help each child gain skills to become independent and successful. She works with parents and educators to help ensure interventions and supports meet the needs of each child and can be realistically implemented over time.
Dr. Rachel Toplis is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado (License # 4059). Dr. Toplis earned her PhD in Psychology from the University of East London, UK in 1997 before immigrating to the USA. She completed her Educational Specialist Degree in School Psychology through the University of Northern Colorado in 2004.
For over 30 years Dr. Toplis has worked with children and young people in a variety of settings from residential treatment facilities to K – 12 schools and university. As a School Psychologist and Clinical Child Psychologist Dr. Toplis has many years’ experience administering a wide variety of assessments addressing diverse concerns, including Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, Learning disabilities (e.g., Dyslexia) and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Dr. Toplis’ neuro-education evaluations are designed to identify your child’s strengths as well as barriers to your child’s learning and progress. Dr. Toplis believes an important piece of a neuro-educational evaluation is the strategies, interventions, supports and resources that she is able to outline for your child based on your child’s specific needs.
Dr. Toplis’ training and practice within the educational setting, her knowledge of special education laws and processes, and section 504 classroom accommodations etc. means your child’s evaluation will translate easily into the educational setting to support their learning. Dr. Toplis can help you navigate the legal requirements in schools to provide necessary supports and promote individual independence and success in the future.
In 2017 Dr. Toplis was awarded School Psychologist of the Year by the Colorado Society of School Psychologist.
Dr. Jenna Ward
Dr. Jenna Ward is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado (License # 5525). She earned her Doctorate in School Psychology through the University of Minnesota in 2016. She is passionate about authentic assessment and intervention for all students. She has spent the past several years working with children across school and clinical settings, identifying their strengths and needs, providing academic and mental health services, and empowering parent and teacher skills. She has expertise in navigating multi-level school systems, creating home-school collaboration, and supporting neurodivergent children.
Dr. Ward specializes in early childhood development and is a member of the 2023 – 2024 Irving Harris Community Fellowship for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. She was awarded Academy School District 20’s Early Childhood Educator of the Year in 2018. She is a certified facilitator in the Colorado state model of early childhood assessment. Dr. Ward is an author of journal articles focusing on a variety of topics including assessment of students with disabilities, inclusion of diverse learners, and early literacy and numeracy development.
Dr. Ward is a native of Colorado Springs who spends her time with her husband and three sons. Both as a mother and a professional, she is passionate about supporting exceptional children to reach their unique potential.
Audra Koning is a licensed speech language pathologist in the state of Colorado. She earned her bachelor of science degree in Communication Disorders from Northeast Missouri State University and a master of arts degree in Communication Disorders from Truman State University.
Mrs. Koning has worked as a speech language pathologist for 27 years in public schools, private therapies, and clinical settings covering the age range of early childhood to high school age. Her experience in these various settings has led to creative development of resources and interventions to support individuals in their acquisition of skills.
Mrs. Koning’s areas of special interest include early childhood diagnostic evaluations and intervention, differential diagnosis in the area of Autism, analysis of executive functioning skills and solutions, as well as consultative support in collaboration with parents and special education teams.