Posts Tagged ‘Staff Spotlight’

Tell us about yourself!

Hi! I’m Jenna Schuder and I am a dietitian at The Emily Program’s St. Louis Park location in Minnesota. I am the program RD for the adult intensive outpatient program (IOP), I see clients in outpatient (OP), and I recently became Clinical Manager. I was first a dietetic intern through the University of MN-TEP internship and have now been employed at TEP for five years.

Describe the path that led you to The Emily Program. 

The path leading me to The Emily Program has been an adventurous one! My undergraduate degree is in social work and housing studies. After college, I joined AmeriCorps for two years before deciding to go back to school for nutrition and public health. I pursued an undergraduate degree in nutrition and a graduate degree in public health. It was during my dietetic internship that my passion for eating disorders was sparked. I’ve always been drawn to relationship building and helping professions, so when I did a rotation at TEP it felt like I had finally found the career that encompassed all my passions.

Tell us about yourself!

Hello! My name is Caitlyn Starcher, but everyone calls me Cait. I have been at The Emily Program’s Columbus location for almost three years and have been involved in pretty much every one of our programs at one point. My current position is half outpatient therapist and half intake clinician. Since our location is growing, my position will be changing soon and I will become half outpatient therapist and half outpatient FBT (family-based treatment) therapist. I received my Master of Social Work from The Ohio State University.

Tell us about yourself!

Hiyee! I’m Courtney. I’m the Site Director for our Seattle residential location. I started this role in December 2020, but have been with The Emily Program at our Seattle outpatient site since June 2016. I was the Clinical Manager for the Seattle outpatient nutrition team and the majority of my client experience was as a dietitian, primarily with our DBT PHP/IOP program. Prior to that, I worked at another ED residential program in multiple roles (milieu therapist/EDT, diet tech, individual therapist, dietitian). I’m both a therapist and dietitian, and it has been really fun to bring both of those lenses to my new role as Site Director.

What do you like most about your job?

I selfishly love this work because it’s forced me to take a good hard look at myself and my life and really ensure that I’m walking the walk and talking the talk. You cannot pour from an empty cup. To do this work, YOU have to be your top priority. Knowing your limits, holding boundaries, doing your own therapeutic work, doing what you need to do so you can be your very best you – that is how to have a positive impact and how to have a sustainable career. I’ve been incredibly lucky at The Emily Program to be surrounded by both clinical and executive teams who wholeheartedly support this and hold me to following my own advice.

Tell us about yourself!

Hi! I’m Alison Paniccia! I am an outpatient therapist in our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania office. I have been with The Emily Program for just over two years now, doing intakes and outpatient therapy with children, adolescents, and adults. In this role, I have specialized particularly in providing FBT/Maudsley treatment for adolescents with a variety of eating disorders as well as providing CBT-E for both adults and adolescents. I particularly enjoy working with adolescents and their families.

Describe the path that led you to The Emily Program.

The path to the Emily Program for me has been particularly diverse! With a bachelor’s degree in biology from Boston College, I initially worked in a laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts that specialized in compatibility testing for organ transplants. While this work was important and very meaningful, I eventually really missed having direct contact with clients.  As a lifelong musician, I was also seeking a way to combine my musical skills with caring for others. 

I completed my master’s in mental health counseling and music therapy in 2013 at Lesley University. Since then, I have worked in a variety of clinical settings, all of which have brought me greater clarity and insight into my particular skills and professional goals. The bulk of my clinical experience prior to TEP was in residential settings with adolescents and young adults with significant mental health concerns and high-risk behaviors. Over the last two years, I have enjoyed learning how to adapt all of my previous training in the treatment of eating disorders. I feel as if I have really found my niche in that!

Tell us about yourself!

Hi! I’m Lucy Chermak, Site Director at our Toogood site for adolescents and young adults in St. Paul, Minnesota. I’ve been at The Emily Program since 2011.

What do you like most about your job?

I love the people I work with. We have such kind, empathetic staff who are just FUN! Working with adolescents definitely draws in a certain personality type which makes every day a blast…not to mention that working with teenagers keeps me spry.

Tell us about yourself!

My name is Antoinette Johnson, and I have been the Office Manager at The Emily Program – Cleveland Outpatient site since 2015. My husband Curtis and I have been together for 32 years and have two wonderful sons—CJ, 29, and Alex, 21. We have a sweet beagle, Hailey—she’s 6 years young!

What do you like most about your job?

It is rewarding to be a part of a group of staff that truly believes in working as a team to help clients in their individual recovery journeys. We have such a wonderful group of clinicians and administrative staff that collaborates seamlessly in the coordination of client care. To oversee these efforts and assist in ensuring everyone knows they play an essential role in the organization as a whole is just as important as the care we provide to our client base. I look forward to returning to all of the onsite activities that I coordinate for our site, which is a really worthwhile way for everyone to connect and decompress from daily stressors.