Eating and Appetite Disorders Masterclass

Dr Carolyn Coker Ross MD, MPH, CEDS is an internationally known author, speaker, expert and pioneer in the use of Integrative Medicine for the treatment of eating disorders and addictions. She is a graduate of Andrew Weil’s Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine.

Dr Ross is the CEO of The Anchor Program, an online coaching program for binge eating disorder, emotional eating and food addiction. She is the former head of the eating disorder program at internationally renowned Sierra Tucson and has served as medical director at two other programs.

Dr Ross is a consultant for treatment centres around the US who want to include her unique integrative medicine approach to help clients recovering from eating disorders and addictions. She is the author of three books, the most recent of which is The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook.

Leslie Binch is a full-time private practice therapist in Nashville, Tennesee. Prior to this, she worked as a Primary Therapist at the Recovery Ranch and at Integrative Life Center where she specialized in treating eating disorders, addiction and trauma.

Leslie has studied and completed advanced training in Comprehensive Resource Model therapy, Level I, and II Brainspotting, as well as training in DBT, CBT, and in Neuro-Affective Relational Model therapy – all helpful in treating trauma. She went back to graduate school to become a therapist after seeing first-hand what an experience committing to therapy with a skilled therapist did for her own life.

Courtney Phifer MS, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian who provides individual nutrition counselling and education to adults and adolescents for a variety of issues, including eating disorders, disordered eating patterns, emotional eating, medical diagnoses, weight management, meal planning, etc. She helps clients develop a healthy relationship with food by practising a non-diet approach of balance and moderation, teaching permission vs. restriction.

She prides herself on being a nutrition myth-buster. Courtney has worked in behavioural health for over ten years, specializing in eating disorders and addictions. She uses a small-step goal-oriented client-driven approach incorporating body-positive, mindfulness, connection to body cues practices and more.

Michelle Lelwica is Professor of Religion at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where she teaches courses on the intersection of religion, gender, culture, and the body. She did her graduate work at Harvard Divinity School, where she received a Masters of Theological Studies in Christianity and Culture (1989) and a Doctorate of Theology in Religion Gender and Culture (1996).

She is the author of Shameful Bodies: Religion and the Culture of Physical Improvement (Bloomsbury, 2017), The Religion of Thinness: Satisfying the Spiritual Hungers Behind Women’s Obsession with Food and Weight (Gürze Press, 2009), and Starving for Salvation: The Spiritual Dimensions of Eating Problems among American Girls and Women (Oxford University Press, 1999), as well as scholarly articles and popular blogs that explore women’s conflicted relationships with their bodies.

She has also published articles and taught courses that focus on mindfulness practice and social justice. She has two teenage boys whose endless activities and strong spirits challenge her to continue growing as a whole person.

Kate Martin M.Ed., LPC-MHSP is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Mental Health Service Provider in the State of Tennessee. She has a Masters degree in Counseling from Vanderbilt University and have worked extensively in inpatient treatment settings, outpatient clinics, school settings, and private practice settings.

Kate began her counseling career as the primary girls’ therapist at a residential school for youth in state custody before transitioning into the role of primary therapist for the Eating Disorders program at a residential treatment center. She then worked with children and families struggling with mood disorders, psych disorders, eating disorders, and trauma in an outpatient clinic.

She has had training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing,) TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,) DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy,) Experiential Therapy, and Art Therapy. Kate is a member of the Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselors Association, the American Counseling Association, and the National Board for Certified Counselors. She has a special interest in working with addictions, eating disorders, trauma, GLBT issues, and women’s issues.

Julie Duffy Dillon is a Registered Dietitian, Eating Disorder Specialist, and Food Behavior Expert specializing in PCOS.

She is trained as a mental health counsellor and supervises dietitians and other health professionals to use weight inclusive and attuned eating strategies to promote health and recover from disordered eating.

Julie has seen clients since 2005 in her Greensboro NC private practice and the voice behind the weekly podcast, Love Food.