Barbara Ford, Marriage and Family Therapist and Addictions Counselor
After graduating from American University, with a degree in International Relations, Barbara Ford planned to join the Peace Corps. Instead of leaving the country, Ford volunteered with a community organization to help rebuild a part of Washington DC destroyed following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. She has worked in the United States in health and human services ever since.
While serving as a program consultant with the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, she received a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado. As Deputy Director of the Colorado Medicaid Program, she played an instrumental role in refinancing Colorado's mental health system. She has served as executive director of several non-profits and as the administrator of the Denver School-Based Health Center Program. Additionally, she has conducted studies on San Diego and Los Angeles Counties' delivery of service to the chronically mentally ill.
Now in private practice, Ford earned an MA in Counseling from the University of Northern Colorado. With licenses as a marriage and family therapist and a professional counselor, her next goal is to receive her license as addiction counselor. Her clients include immigrant families, overweight, school-aged children, families, and those with dual diagnosis. Ford has been a member of the Mental Health Center of Denver board of directors since 2004. She was elected chair in 2007. She and husband Chuck have two sons, Seth and Zack. She gardens, does Jazzercise, and studies Spanish.