DR MARIANNE MILLER
CARING EATING DISORDER TREATMENT IN SAN DIEGO AND THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, AND WASHINGTON D.C. FOR ADULTS & TEENS
Navigating Higher Levels of Care for Eating Disorder Treatment: Pros and Cons
When living in places like Austin, Washington D.C., and San Diego, dealing with eating disorders like binge eating, ARFID, anorexia, and bulimia, the severity of the condition often dictates the type of treatment required. For many, standard outpatient care may not be sufficient, and a higher level of care becomes necessary. Higher levels of care, including partial hospitalization programs (PHP), intensive outpatient programs (IOP), and residential treatment, offer more structured and intensive treatment options. Each comes, however, with its own set of advantages and challenges. In this blog post, we’ll explore the pros and cons of these higher levels of care to help you make informed decisions about eating disorder treatment options in California, Texas, New York, and elsewhere.
Social Justice in Eating Disorder Treatment--The Renfrew Center's Paula Edwards-Gayfield, LPC
Today’s blog highlights how eating disorder treatment centers can integrate social justice. Whether in San Diego or elsewhere, it’s vital to acknowledge how racism, homophobia, transphobia, ablism, sexism, fat phobia, etc., intersect to make eating disorder recovery more difficult. I’ve interviewed Paula Edwards-Gayfield, LPC, who is in charge of the The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders in Los Angeles. She also is the co-chair for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce. I’m excited for you to get to know her and what Renfrew offers with eating disorder treatment.
Food in Eating Disorder Treatment: Meet Alsana's Director of Culinary Services Jennifer Batchelor
Food is a big part of eating disorder treatment. Whether you receive eating disorder care in San Diego or elsewhere, it is important to work with people and programs that have an intentional nutrition philosophy that integrates with their overarching approach to eating disorder treatment. I had the great experience of interviewing Alsana’s National Director of Culinary Services Jennifer Batchelor. She described how Alsana, an eating disorder treatment program, provides diverse eating experiences that help people recover from eating disorders.
Interview with San Diego Eating Disorder Intervention and Treatment Consultant Jennifer Tarzia
Happy Thanksgiving week, everyone! I want to introduce you to Jennifer Tarzia, who is an amazing eating disorder professional in San Diego who is incredibly passionate about intervening with and supporting families with help when their loved one is struggling with an eating disorder. Jennifer’s company, Doyen Consulting Groups (formerly CBI Healthcare), works with individuals and families in finding the best fit for eating disorder treatment and care. She works virtually as well. Jennifer really has a heart for helping people, and she’s a wonderful person to boot!
Seeking Teen Eating Disorder Treatment? Meet UCSD Adolescent Admissions Clinician Andi Fessler
Is your teen suffering from an eating disorder? Seen pediatrician after pediatrician and not gotten a straight answer on what your child needs? It can be so heart-wrenching to watch your teen struggle and not know how to help them. In San Diego, you just want your kid to be having fun with friends, going to the beach, sitting around bonfires, and living a happy life. One wonderful resource we have is the University of San Diego Eating Disorders Center (UCSDEDC). They have an amazing adolescent program that uses the gold standard of evidence-based treatment for teens—Family Based Treatment (FBT). Andi Fessler is the adolescent admissions clinician for this program. I’ve known Andi for a few years (she actually used to work with one of my former doctoral students!). She is a compassionate, caring person who really empathizes with the challenges families face when a teen has an eating disorder. In this blog, she provides key information about the first steps families will take when they call UCSDEDC for help.
Confused About Eating Disorder Treatment? Two San Diego Eating Disorder Therapists Explain
Considering eating disorder treatment and not sure where to turn? Confused as to what type of treatment you need? Not sure what Residential/PHP/IOP/Outpatient levels of treatment all mean? Well, I HAVE THE ANSWERS FOR YOU! :) I’ve asked two San Diego eating disorder therapists to detail all the options of eating disorder treatment, explain how you progress through each level, and discuss how treatment can help you recover. Eating disorder therapist Edie Stark, LCSW, and eating disorder psychologist Dr. Jennie Wang-Hall are outpatient providers in private practice in Bankers Hill and Oceanside, respectively. Both of these amazing women have worked in multiple levels of eating disorder treatment, and so they have provided excellent explanations so you can make an informed decision. I’m so excited for you to read what these amazing women have to offer!
Sick of Body Shame and Diet Culture? Meet San Diego Eating Disorder Dietitian Amy Ornelas, RDN, CEDRD
Struggling with accepting your body size? You want to be healthy, but you’ve tried so many diets over and over and nothing works. You’re sick of the assumptions people make about you because you don’t fit the “norm” of what bodies should look like. Plus, you are just OVER what friends, family, co-workers, and even medical professionals say about your body and what you should and shouldn’t eat. It’s so challenging to navigate the messages we receive about our bodies and the food we eat. Especially in San Diego, where there’s such a focus on health, wellness, and appearance that it sometimes feels impossible to take a different perspective. Well, I have a WONDERFUL resource in San Diego Eating Disorder Dietitian Amy Ornelas, RDN, Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian (CEDRD). She wholeheartedly embraces the Health at Every Size (HAES) and intuitive eating approaches, and she loves working with people struggling with body shame and fighting diet culture that’s so pervasive in San Diego and elsewhere. Enjoy getting to know her!
Five Tips for Managing Overwhelming Emotions in Eating Disorder Recovery
Have you ever felt so filled with emotion that it was almost unbearable? Do your mind and body feel flooded with feelings such as fear, anger, disgust, frustration, irritability, anxiety, or sadness—to the point at which you feel almost paralyzed? Having an eating disorder in San Diego and elsewhere is so hard. Sometimes the overwhelming emotions can be triggered by things such as discomfort with food and with your body, negative interactions with others, and work and family stress. At such times, it seems like the emotions take over both your brain and your body, and you would do anything thing in the world to make them stop. It is so so hard. Thankfully, there are a few coping strategies that can help you navigate such situations. These coping skills come from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which is an approach I integrate in my work with people struggling with eating disorders in San Diego.
Let's Talk About Sex and Body Image! Meet Sex Therapist Dr. Nicole Van Ness, LMFT
Have you been struggling with your body image so much that it has been affecting your sex life? Is your partner complaining that you don’t want to have sex that frequently, and you feel hesitant to share that it’s because you feel uncomfortable in your own skin? Whether you live in San Diego or elsewhere, you likely know that having a regular and fulfilling sex life is important for intimate relationships. The reality is that A LOT of people struggle with sexual intimacy, and when you have an eating disorder and feel negatively about your body, it becomes a drain on your life and relationships.
Needing answers? I have brought top expert, as well as friend and former top doctoral student of mine, Dr. Nicole Van Ness. Nicole went to school and learned her trade as a sex therapist in San Diego, and in recent years she has moved to Texas, where she has a private practice and is adjunct faculty at Southern Methodist University. Nicole has maintained her California license as a marriage and family therapist, and she provides videoconference services for individuals and couples in San Diego and other parts of California.