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Comfort Ability Program

The Comfort Ability Program (CAP) is a brief psychological intervention for chronic pain education and symptom management for adolescents with chronic pain and their parents. 

CAP is a group-based, interactive intervention helping adolescents and their parents or caregivers learn how to manage chronic pain. We provide up-to-date neuroscience pain education, evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy strategies, parent training skills, and social support to families who have an adolescent (ages 10-17) with persistent pain.

You and your child will learn skills and strategies to improve all types of pain, including headaches, abdominal, neuropathic, or musculoskeletal pain. Additionally, CAP has been expanded to treat other functional disorders like chronic nausea, non-epileptic seizures, and postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

The intervention can be delivered in person or virtually.

Contact your child's primary care provider or medical specialist for a referral to the Comfort Ability Program.

Providers

  • Emily A. Ballantyne, LMSW

    Behavioral Health

    Biography

    Emma Ballantyne, LMSW has worked in community mental health and in advocacy work for caregivers, and has a special interest in working with families and individuals with chronic disease, working to improve the mental health of both the individual and the systems supporting them. Additionally, she has a special interest in trauma work, relational counseling and advocacy work. She is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, motivational interviewing, and strengths-based perspectives.

    Emma earned her bachelor's degree in communications and her master's degree in social work both from Boise State University.

    Emma’s interests include aerial arts, gardening, yoga, and enjoying the outdoors that living in the Treasure Valley allows.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     

  • Eric R. Kafka, LCPC

    Pediatric Behavioral Health

    Biography

    Eric Kafka, LCPC specializes in working with children, teens, and their surrounding systems to navigate presenting concerns, identify strengths, and provide compassionate care. He collaborates with each patient to find the best approach for their needs. 

    Eric has training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, and narrative therapy. He enjoys working with diverse individuals and families and has experience addressing a range of concerns from everyday stressors to chronic mental health issues.

    Eric earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. He enjoys spending time with his family and participating in outdoor activities such as running, biking, skiing and fishing.

    Eric primarily works as a school-based provider affiliated with our Boise office.

  • Kelsy A. Newton, PsyD

    Pediatric Behavioral Health

    Biography

    Kelsy Newton, PsyD is a pediatric psychologist who provides psychological intervention for children and adolescents with chronic health conditions. She is passionate about helping children and families learn skills to improve functioning, reengage in life and decrease the impact of chronic disease.   

    Dr. Newton works with your child’s medical providers as a member of the treatment team, sharing in treatment plans and helping improve health outcomes. She works with a variety of medical conditions and has a particular passion for working with children with a variety of gastrointestinal complaints and chronic pain. Dr. Newton assists with pain management, medical adherence, adjustment/coping with major medical diagnoses, and end-of-life concerns. Additionally, she is a member of the St. Luke's Essence Clinic working with children with differences in sexual development (DSD) and/or gender dysphoria. 

    Dr. Newton earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Boise State University and her doctorate in psychology with an emphasis in child and adolescent psychology at Pacific University. She completed a pre-doctoral internship at MetroHealth Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship at Children's Medical Center of Dallas.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     

  • Mikaela K. Sebree, PHD

    Pediatric Neuropsychology

    Biography

    Mikaela Sebree, PhD is director of neuro- and behavioral psychology at St. Luke's Children's. She provides neuropsychological evaluation and consultation for infants, toddlers, children, and adolescents with neurocognitive and medical conditions. Her goal is to promote development, competence, and overall well-being for her patients as they mature into adulthood. 

    Dr. Sebree performs clinical assessments and pre-surgical evaluations to assist in diagnosis and intervention planning. She works with a broad range of neurological, genetic, and other congenital and acquired medical conditions including epilepsy, brain tumors, leukemia, neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, stroke, and extreme prematurity. She also specializes in the assessment and management of concussion in children and adolescents.

    Dr. Sebree is particularly passionate about supporting pediatric patients with epilepsy and serves as a board member for the Epilepsy Foundation of Idaho. She also supports research studies through the Children's Oncology Group, performing neurocognitive assessments for pediatric oncology research at St. Luke's Children's Cancer Institute.

    Dr. Sebree earned her graduate degree at the University of Texas, and completed her internship at Children's Hospital Colorado. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Boston Children's Hospital in association with Harvard Medical School.

    In her free time, Dr. Sebree likes running, Pilates, snowboarding, hiking, and spending time with her beloved dogs and family.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Emma T. Wade, LCSW

    Emma T. Wade, LCSW

    Pediatric Behavioral Health

    Biography

    Emma Wade, LCSW is a mental health therapist working with children, adolescents and their families. She enjoys partnering with individuals and families to navigate life’s stressors and create lasting positive change. Emma specializes in working with a range of concerns including mood disorders, behavioral problems, anxiety, and chronic illness. She utilizes cognitive behavioral, acceptance and commitment, solution-focused and mindfulness-based therapy techniques.

    Emma earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Colorado College and her master’s degree in social work from the University of Montana. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking, traveling, crafting and reading mystery novels.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     

  • Melissa N. Wells, LCPC

    Pediatric Behavioral Health

    Biography

    Melissa Wells, LCPC is a mental health therapist working with children, adolescents and their families. She is experienced in working with a range of concerns including anxiety, mood disorders, and trauma. Melissa is certified in Trauma Focused CBT and has specialized training in early childhood mental health. Melissa uses a person-centered and strength based approach. With this, she uses a variety of interventions, including dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy, solution focused, and mindfulness based therapy techniques. 

    Melissa earned her bachelor's degree in psychology at Boise State University and her master’s degree in mental health counseling from Walden University. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and dog, camping, and visiting local spots of interest in the community, like the zoo and Discovery Center.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
The Comfort Ability Program was developed at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School to increase access to evidence-based psychological intervention for pediatric chronic pain.
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