Posts Tagged ‘Staff Spotlight’

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.

TEP: Tell us about yourself!

Alison: 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.

TEP: Describe the path that led you to The Emily Program.

Alison: 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!

TEP: Tell us about yourself!

Lucy: 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.

TEP: What do you like most about your job?

Lucy: 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.

TEP: Tell us about yourself!

Antoinette: 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!

TEP: What do you like most about your job?

Antoinette: 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.

TEP: Tell us about yourself!

Lindsey: My name is Lindsey Waite and I’ve worn a few hats during my time at The Emily Program. I started as a Program Coordinator, and I currently hold the position of Outpatient Therapist and Director of Trauma Services. I live in Olympia, Washington, and work from the South Sound site. I have been with TEP for just over four years.

TEP: Why did you choose to work for The Emily Program?

Lindsey: I’ve joked that my path to TEP was nothing more than destiny! After several years in private practice, I was seeking something new and team-oriented. I had already established relationships with TEP staff and received positive feedback from our community. The fateful day arrived while I was feeling especially exhausted by insurance contracts and billing issues. I called up South Sound’s site director, Stacy Schilter-Pisano, and asked if there might be a place for me at TEP (thank goodness there was). After a day of shadowing South Sound’s team, I knew it was where I belonged. I’m so grateful to be a member of this incredible team and know that it was the best career decision I could have made.

TEP: Tell us about yourself, Liz!

Liz: Hello! I’m Liz McCabe, and I’m the new Chief Clinical Officer at The Emily Program. I have been at TEP since 2015 and started my TEP career as the Pittsburgh Site Director. I remember spending two very chilly February weeks in Minneapolis learning about TEP and thinking to myself, “yes, I have found my people” (i.e., people who understood eating disorders). And, almost 6 years later, I still think that. I’ve also concluded that there isn’t another eating disorders organization that has the expertise, passion, drive, and potential that we do. So, it is with no small measure of both humility and pride that I step into the Chief Clinical Officer role to guide our clinical path forward. 

In this role, I work with the sites, the support teams, and our executive team to bring effective clinical treatments to the many clients who entrust us with their care. A primary aspect of my work is to support the clinicians who deliver treatment by providing them with varied and ongoing opportunities for continued professional growth and development, whether it be in the form of specific training opportunities or by ensuring a structure exists in which clinicians regularly receive feedback and encouragement they need to be successful. Central to our ability to provide effective treatments is maintaining a work environment that encourages intellectual curiosity and teamwork and is experienced by all as a safe place to grow and learn. Make no mistake, the work we do is hard; it’s hard for clients and it’s also hard for us. To do our best work, we must be equipped with not only the technical knowledge and skills for treating eating disorders but also a belief that we must care for each other so that we can effectively care for our clients.