Meet Equip's Dr. Megan Hellner, San Diego Eating Disorder Dietitian and Head of Nutrition and Physical Activity Research

I’m so excited for you all to meet my good friend Dr. Megan Hellner, who is an AMAZING eating disorder dietitian in San Diego. She has been working with Equip, the online eating disorder treatment program startup that is taking the country by storm! I’ve collaborated with Megan on countless cases, and she loves helping people recover and really knows eating disorders inside and out. She’s especially gifted in working with eating disorders in San Diego athletes. Enjoy learning more about her (and her dry sense of humor—love it) and what she does at Equip!

How long have you been working with eating disorders in San Diego? 

Twenty years, which I can’t believe! My first work experience in the field was with Sharp Mesa Vista’s program, and I worked with a number of programs after that prior to landing in private practice, where I ‘lived’ for the subsequent 13 years.

While living in San Diego, what initially interested you in eating disorders?

I moved to San Diego from Central California to attend San Diego State University (SDSU), and it was interesting to me how the manipulation of food and exercise were being leveraged in order to change weight/shape, or achieve a certain aesthetic. This is not to say this wasn’t also happening in other areas, such as where I was coming from, but it was so ‘in your face’ here in Southern California, and it caught me off guard.  

Disordered eating behaviors (especially dieting and compensatory exercise) were not only socially acceptable, and often celebrated, but the behaviors served another purpose, in that they were a way for my peers to connect or bond with one another over shared interests. I could certainly relate to using exercise a tool for coping and managing on many levels.

After I got into the meat (no pun intended) of the undergraduate nutrition courses, it struck me that I was much more interested in eating behavior vs the nuts and bolts of nutrition and principles related to food science. It felt like something that was poorly understood yet was so important to unpack given that our relationship with food and eating behaviors have so much relevance when we think about effectiveness and sustainability of various nutrition interventions. More simply put, we know that just telling someone what to eat does not ‘work’. 

How long have you been working for Equip?  How does Equip helps families with eating disorders?

I’ve been working with Equip since January of 2020. Equip is a virtual eating disorder treatment program that helps families using an augmented FBT (family-based treatment) approach. That is, the conventional treatment team has been bolstered by the addition of providers with lived experience (family mentor and peer mentor). Each family received a dedicated five-person care team (therapist, dietitian, family mentor, peer mentor, medical provider) who remains with them throughout their treatment journey.

You were Equip’s first clinical hire. What was your initial role and how has it evolved?

Initially, I was brought on as Nutrition Director, and my job was to build out (hire, train, supervise) the RD team and to help develop the program and treatment approach as they pertained to nutrition (and physical activity, to some degree). At that point, the company was small, so we were all working cross-functionally at that time (wearing a number of ‘hats’, as they say). As of this year, I’ve moved over to research, and I’m now serving as Head of Nutrition and Physical Activity Research for Equip.

What is unique about Equip, compared to traditional, brick-and-morter eating disorder treatment centers?

Several things. First, as you mentioned, the program is fully virtual, as was always intended (even prior to the pandemic!). That also means we’re able to reach families across the nation who may live in ‘treatment deserts’ who may not have had access to evidence-based treatment in their area.  Equip is also working diligently to partner/establish contracts with numerous insurance payors in hopes that treatment will be within reach for all families who need it.

In addition to addressing geographical and financial barriers to accessing support, the approach itself is unique, in that we incorporate lived experience. Our mentors are valuable members of our provider team, and they provide support, hope and inspiration to families when they are feeling most vulnerable and overwhelmed. What I personally love most about Equip is balance that’s been struck between use of tried and true approaches that are grounded in evidence and the commitment to trying/testing new interventions with the goal of improving patient outcomes.

If you could let families know anything about eating disorder recovery, what would it be?

What comes to mind here is more pertinent to the treatment journey, I think. And it is something that I think about often, but rarely share with families in the moment: If you’re just starting out in your search for support, I’d recommend using any resources at your disposal (online support groups, parent groups, ED-savvy clinicians) to carefully vett the program, providers and the approach/framework prior to starting.

After you’re feeling confident that you have a strong team in place who is using evidence-based practices, do your best to lean in and trust them while always asking questions and maintaining open and honest communication, of course (and I say this as a very HSP…..Highly Skeptical Person). You know your kid best, and your team knows eating disorders.  

The team will be asking you to do hard things, and many of the asks we have of families are counterintuitive….they may not make sense in the moment, and it’s hard to see the forest through the trees. We know you trust your kid, and we hope you trust your care team….and none of us, including your kid, can trust your kid’s eating disorder.

How can people learn more about EQUIP and contact them?

The best place to start is the website: https://equip.health/  

I’ll close with a sincere ‘thank you’ to my good friend Marianne, and I thank you for taking the time to learn about Equip! Love you!

 (from Marianne)—Love you too!!! :)

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Hey everyone, I really appreciate you reading my blog!  Have a wonderful day. :)  

Marianne 

If you are struggling to find online eating disorder treatment with help with bulimia, binge eating or other eating disorders in San Diego, schedule a free, 15-minute phone consultation using the online scheduler (just click on the orange button), and I will help you get where you need to be! 

COMING SUMMER 2022: My virtual, 5-week class called Freedom From Binge Eating! Registration deadline is July 5th, and it begins Tuesday, July 12th. Spots are limited so sign up today!

You can find more information about me on Instagram @drmariannemiller or on my Facebook page.