I am the Site Director at the Cleveland outpatient site. Prior to accepting this role in October of 2018, I was the Program Coordinator for our Adolescent Intensive Programming for about 9 years. I will always have a special place in my heart for adolescent treatment and the family-based treatment model. I started at The Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders as a student in 2009 and have enjoyed watching our organization grow tremendously since that time.
TEP: Tell us about yourself!
Caitlin: I started working at the Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders in 2012 as an Eating Disorder Technician in the Adult Standard Program (ASPM). We (the CCED) became a part of The Emily Program in 2014 and I continued working within the program where I completed my internship from 2015-2016 as a counselor trainee. I became the program assistant in early 2017 after graduating with my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I’m excited to be transitioning roles later this year with the addition of a new ASPM program here at Cleveland outpatient, where I will be the program coordinator. You can most often find me running groups and facilitating therapeutic meals with clients within the current ASAM program.
Outside of work, I’m learning how difficult it is to be a homeowner. However, I am becoming increasingly good at fixing and decorating with a few YouTube videos and several trips to the hardware store! I have a cat, Dahlia, and an ever-growing collection of house plants at home. Aside from that, I started a monthly book club about a year ago that is still going strong, I spend a lot of time dog sitting, and I love live music and going to shows. I would not have the job I have or live in the city I live in if I didn’t want to be closer to the venues I grew up going to as a teenager and continue to go to today.
We’re excited to share that our Cleveland Outpatient services will move to a new building beginning Monday, May 13th. The new space was thoughtfully designed with all the amenities necessary to offer the best care for our clients. The Emily Program – Cleveland will continue to offer all the same services, just in a newly updated space.
On Tuesday, we hosted an open house event to celebrate the move and welcome community members, local professionals, and Emily Program team members into the space. Staff offered site tours and talked to guests about the services offered in the new location. (If you missed the open house but would still like a tour, visit the Schedule a Tour page of our website and select “Ohio-Cleveland.”)
In the fall of 2014, Mandy Gross joined The Emily Program as an intern. Soon after Cleveland Residential opened in 2015, she accepted a full-time position as an eating disorder technician at the house.
“I knew long before working for TEP that I wanted to become a therapist and work with people suffering from eating disorders,” she said. “So, I was very hopeful that my internship would lead to my dream job and lucky for me, it did.”
We opened a new Partial Plus Lodging location in Cleveland, Ohio today! The Vue, our lodging accommodation in Cleveland, has a new apartment for clients participating in our Intensive Day Programs.
This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.
by Sara Stein, a former Emily Program client. Sara is a therapist and musician from Cleveland, OH.
How It Began
The word “diet” had infiltrated my being at a pre-teen age. For whatever reason, THIS was my Achilles heel in life – this was the thing that was going to reel me in again and again and unfurl all sorts of chaos, havoc, and heartache.
To keep it short and simple, I spent years and decades trying to manage and control my food intake and construct my body to look and be a certain way. There was always this gnawing, annoying thing in the back of my head telling me I wasn’t enough, that I ate the wrong thing, that something bad was going to happen, and that I needed to work harder and do better.
