Michelle West, PhD

Professional Titles

• Assistant Professor
• Director, Program for Early Assessment, Care, & Study (PEACS)

Research Interests

Dr. West has experience working with psychosis spectrum symptoms in clinical, research, and forensic contexts, at all stages of development of these symptoms. Her research has investigated stigma and self-stigma of mental illness. Her current projects focus on understanding and treatment of clinical high risk for psychosis, including outcomes assessment for a coordinated specialty care treatment, developing a school/work treatment, and developing a treatment for co-occurring risk for self-harm. Her clinical and research interests include diagnosis and treatment with complex clinical presentations, cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBT-p), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and assessment/collaborative management of suicide risk.

Publications

• West, M. L., Green, J., Barber, M. E., Sharif, S., Lisowski, V., & Friedman-Yakoobian, M. (2024). Overlap of obsessive compulsive and psychosis risk symptoms in a specialized clinic. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13596
• Pfluger, J., (co-first author A), Green, J.B. (co-first author B), Qi, W., Goods, C., Rodriguez, J., West, M.L., Keshavan, M., & Friedman-Yakoobian, M. (2024). Prevalence and clinical correlates of suicidality in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13633
• West ML, Sharif S. Cannabis and Psychosis. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2023 Dec;46(4):703-717. PubMed PMID: 37879833
• Herrera SN, Larsen EM, Deluca JS, Crump FM, Grivel M, Blasco D, Bryant C, Shapiro DI, Downing D, Girgis RR, Brucato G, Huang D, Kufert Y, Verdi M, West ML, Seidman LJ, Link BG, McFarlane WR, Woodberry KA, Yang LH, Corcoran CM. The association between mental health stigma and face emotion recognition in individuals at risk for psychosis. Stigma Health. 2023 Feb;8(1):31-39. PubMed PMID: 36968262
• West ML, Sharif S. Cannabis and Psychosis. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2023 Jan;32(1):69-83. PubMed PMID: 36410907
• West ML, Guest RM, Carmel A, Madigan R, Yen S. Borderline personality features among individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P): A brief report. Early Interv Psychiatry. 2023 Feb;17(2):223-228. PubMed PMID: 35959808
• Herrera, S. N., Larsen, E. M., DeLuca, J. S., Crump, F., Grivel, M. M., Blasco, D., Bryant, C., Shapiro, D. I., Downing, D., Girgis, R. R., Brucato, G., Huang, D., Kufert, Y., Verdi, M., West, M. L., Seidman, L., Link, B. G., McFarlane, W. R., Woodberry, K. A., Yang, L. H., & Corcoran, C. M. (2022). The association between mental health stigma and face emotion recognition in individuals at risk for psychosis. Stigma and Health. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000379
• West, M.L., Guest., R.M., Carmel, A., Madigan, R., & Yen, S. (2022). Borderline personality features among individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P): A brief report. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13336
• Ceccolini, C. J., Friedman-Yakoobian, M. S., Yen, S., & West, M. L. (2022). Safety planning in context: A case study integrating DBT techniques and ACT for overlapping suicide and psychosis risk. Clinical Case Studies, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/15346501221139916
• Woodberry KA, Powers KS, Bryant C, Downing D, Verdi MB, Elacqua KM, Reuman ARL, Kennedy L, Shapiro DI, West ML, Huang D, Crump FM, Grivel MM, Blasco D, Herrera SN, Corcoran CM, Seidman LJ, Link BG, McFarlane WR, Yang LH. Emotional and stigma-related experiences relative to being told one is at risk for psychosis. Schizophr Res. 2021 Dec;238:44-51. PubMed PMID: 34598105
• Millman ZB, West ML, Thibeau H, Sanders AS, Guyer M, Keshavan M, Lilly M, Friedman-Yakoobian M, Woodberry KA, Johnson KA, Kline ER. Changes in community providers' screening behaviours, referral practices, and clinical confidence following participation in an early psychosis educational campaign. Early Interv Psychiatry. 2021 Sep 16. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34532946
• West ML, Parrish EM, Green J, Howland C, Friedman-Yakoobian M. Individualized vocational and educational support and training for youth at clinical high risk for psychosis. Early Interv Psychiatry. 2021 Jul 26. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34309187
• West ML, Parrish EM, Friedman-Yakoobian M. Treatment outcomes for young people at clinical high risk for psychosis: Data from a specialized clinic. Early Interv Psychiatry. 2021 Jul 26. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34309198
• West ML, Guest RM, Carmel A. Comorbid early psychosis and borderline personality disorder: Conceptualizing clinical overlap, etiology, and treatment. Personal Ment Health. 2021 Aug;15(3):208-222. PubMed PMID: 33955194
• Yanos PT, Lysaker PH, Silverstein SM, Vayshenker B, Gonzales L, West ML, Roe D. A randomized-controlled trial of treatment for self-stigma among persons diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2019 Nov;54(11):1363-1378. PubMed PMID: 30937510
• Dugré JR, West ML. Disentangling compliance with command hallucinations: Heterogeneity of voice intents and their clinical correlates. Schizophr Res. 2019 Oct;212:33-39. PubMed PMID: 31451299
• Friedman-Yakoobian MS, West ML, Woodberry KA, O'Donovan KE, Zimmet SV, Gnong-Granato A, Giuliano AJ, Guyer ME, Rodenhiser-Hill J, Keshavan MS, Seidman LJ. Development of a Boston Treatment Program for Youth at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis: Center for Early Detection, Assessment, and Response to Risk (CEDAR). Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2018 Sep Oct;26(5):274-286. PubMed PMID: 30188339
• West ML. Clinical insights: Addressing command hallucinations. Schizophr Res. 2018 Jul;197:63-64. PubMed PMID: 29129506
• West, M.L., Mulay, A.L., DeLuca, J.S., O’Donovan, K., & Yanos, P. (2018). Forensic psychiatric experiences, stigma, and self-concept: A mixed-methods study. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, 29(4), 574-596. https://doi.org/10.1080/14789949.2018.1425473
• Mulay, A.L., West, M. L., Samstag, L. W., & Diamond, E. (2017). Negative body attitudes as a risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury among college students. Suicidology Online, 8, 1-9.
• Mulay, A.L., Vayshenker, B., West, M.L., Kelly, E. (2016). Crisis intervention training and implicit stigma toward mental illness: Reducing bias among criminal justice personnel. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 15(4), 369-381. https://doi.org/10.1080/14999013.2016.1208308
• Vayshenker B, Mulay AL, Gonzales L, West ML, Brown I, Yanos PT. Participation in peer support services and outcomes related to recovery. Psychiatr Rehabil J. 2016 Sep;39(3):274-81. PubMed PMID: 26882529
• West ML, Vayshenker B, Rotter M, Yanos PT. The influence of mental illness and criminality self-stigmas and racial self-concept on outcomes in a forensic psychiatric sample. Psychiatr Rehabil J. 2015 Jun;38(2):150-157. PubMed PMID: 25938621
• West, M.L., Lawson, V.Z, & Grose-Fifer, J. (2014). The effect of electrophysiological neuroscientific deception detection evidence on juror judgments in a criminal trial. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 36(2), 133-144. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2014.881288
• West, M.L., Yanos, P.T., & Mulay, A.L. (2014). Triple stigma of forensic psychiatric patients: Mental illness, race, and criminal history. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 13(1), 75-90. https://doi.org/10.1080/14999013.2014.885471
• Yanos PT, Roe D, West ML, Smith SM, Lysaker PH. Group-based treatment for internalized stigma among persons with severe mental illness: findings from a randomized controlled trial. Psychol Serv. 2012 Aug;9(3):248-258. PubMed PMID: 22545821
• Yanos PT, West ML, Gonzales L, Smith SM, Roe D, Lysaker PH. Change in internalized stigma and social functioning among persons diagnosed with severe mental illness. Psychiatry Res. 2012 Dec 30;200(2-3):1032-4. PubMed PMID: 22763091
• West ML, Yanos PT, Smith SM, Roe D, Lysaker PH. Prevalence of Internalized Stigma among Persons with Severe Mental Illness. Stigma Res Action. 2011 Jan 1;1(1):3-10. PubMed PMID: 21804951
• Yanos PT, West ML, Smith SM. Coping, productive time use, and negative mood among adults with severe mental illness: a daily diary study. Schizophr Res. 2010 Dec;124(1-3):54-9. PubMed PMID: 20817412
• Giljen, M., Healey, L. Bridgwater, M., Ceccolini, CJ., Friedman-Yakoobian, M., Horton, L., Lichvar, E., Mayanil, T. Mittal, V., Petti, E, West, M.L., Schiffman, J., (accepted). Clinical high-risk for psychosis in sexual and gender minority populations: Research and clinical considerations. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
• West M.L. & Sharif S. (2023). Cannabis and Psychosis. Child Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 32(1), 69-83. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2022.07.004. Epub 2022 Oct 22. Review. PubMed PMID: 36410907

Professional Memberships

• American Psychological Association (APA), Member
• International Early Psychosis Association (IEPA), Member

Practice Locations

CU Medicine Psychiatry - Program for Early Assessment, Care and Study (PEACS)
1890 N Revere Ct
Anschutz Health Sciences Bldg, Suite 5240
Aurora, CO 80045
303-724-3300

Specialty Information

Specialties

• Psychology
• Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS), Certified Assessor, Specialized Training (2014)

Conditions & Treatments

• Mental Health and Behavior
• Mental Health and Behavior - Anxiety
• Mental Health and Behavior - Bipolar Disorder
• Mental Health and Behavior - Depression
• Mental Health and Behavior - Stress
• Mental Health and Behavior - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Mental Health and Behavior - Psychotic disorders
• Mental Health and Behavior - Mood and Anxiety
• Mental Health and Behavior - Mental Health and Behavior