About Us
Mid/Peninsula
Eating Disorder Clinic
At MPEDC we are grounded in our clinical expertise of eating disorder treatment and driven by the compassion and respect we feel for our clients’ bravery in pursuit of recovery. In order to address local needs, our organization aims to cultivate a stronger community of support and activism around eating disorders and disordered eating. We embody integrity through consistent evaluation and improvement of our program’s structure and remain informed on up-to-date research within our industry. We honor and acknowledge those who feel or have felt marginalized by traditional ED treatment in terms of gender, sexual identity, body-type, SES, race or cultural identification by celebrating differences while holding to the core of what knits us together as humans.
Our mission
we empower you to
find your voice, accept your present
and embrace your future
with the support of community
Our Philosophy
In addition to our belief in the healing capacity of community, our clinical philosophy is grounded in meeting each client where they are. While learning who our clients are holistically, we incorporate evidenced-based eating disorder treatment approaches tailored for each client’s needs. Rather than attempting one therapeutic method for every client, we employ a collaborative approach with various evidenced-based treatments such as: DBT/CBT, RO-DBT, ACT, EFFT, IPT, Seeking Safety, Harm Reduction and Motivational Interviewing.
Our Team
MPEDC is facilitated by our incredible team of professionals that aim to create a positive impact on our greater community. What started as a passion project has since evolved as a result of the collective support and commitment our team members share in helping our clients find recovery through community.
Vikas Duvvuri, MD, PhD
Partner & Psychiatrist
Dr. Vikas Duvvuri received his PhD in Neurosciences from Stanford, and went on to receive his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He is a Caltech and Stanford-trained neuroscientist with expertise in the neurochemistry of eating disorders. Dr. Duvvuri has helped start several eating disorder programs, including as founding Medical Director of Adolescent Services at UC San Diego.
Jamie Lopez
Director of operations
Jamie has worn many hats during her 13 years of working in the eating disorder field. She’s experienced in billing, contracting, client interactions, scheduling, networking, program development, operations and then some. Her favorite part of the job is knowing everyday holds something different. Jamie is currently working on obtaining her IAEDP Associate certification. In her down time, she enjoys hanging with her husband, daughter and doggie or catching an SF Giants game.
IOP & PHP Team
Diane Patton Gaither LMFT, CEDS
Psychotherapist
Diane Patton Gaither, LMFT has worked in the field of eating disorder treatment since 2010 and
holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Diane is a Certified Eating
Disorder Specialist, Hypnotherapist and Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy Provider.
In the past, Diane has worked as Clinical Director at another intensive outpatient eating disorder
treatment center for over 10 years and has a diverse background of experience which
includes therapeutic, group work, family support, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, training
and supervision within the field.
Sarah Jurgens RD
Registered Dietitian
Sarah grew up in San Francisco and has never ventured very far away, completing her undergraduate program in clinical nutrition at UC Davis and dietetic internship at SFSU. She started her journey of becoming an anti-diet dietitian because of her own history with disordered eating, and she's passionate about supporting clients in their own path to healing their relationship with food, body, and movement through a Health At Every Size lense. Sarah has been in the eating disorder field for over 4 years, and always takes an individualized approach for each client, understanding that everyone's recovery looks a little different.
Sarah is also available for outpatient sessions.
Lindsay McHugh aMFT, apcc
associate therapist
Lindsay is completed her Masters in Clinical Psychology from Notre Dame de Namur University currently practicing as a California Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Associate Professional Counselor serving MPEDC’s PHP, IOP, and VIOP levels of care. Lindsay's breadth of clinical experience within eating disorder treatment ranges from residential to partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient levels of care providing individual and group therapy to adults, teens and families. Lindsay highly values providing support and education to the family or support system as a whole, understanding the challenges not just for her clients but also for their loved ones. Lindsay is committed to providing high quality and comprehensive evidenced based treatment to children, teens, adults and families that honors the complex psychology and underlying neurobiology of eating disorders with a warm, accepting, genuine, and skills focused Health At Every Size approach, integrating empirically supported socio-culturally trauma informed modalities to support individuals and their families regain a sense of hope, health, healing, and holistic well-being.
*supervised by Diane Gaither, MFT #51325
Kathy James
Program manager
Kathy James comes to Mid Peninsula Eating Disorder Clinic as Program Manager with 11 years of experience managing partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient levels of care for eating disorders.
Kathy combines her 40 years of business management experience, her 11 years of eating disorder management experience, her dedicated passion & compassion for our clients, and her personal love of nature, wildlife, and volunteering in her community to create a welcome environment and manage the day to day operations of the program.
Virtual IOP Team
Madison Steele AMFT
psychotherapist
Madison Steele is a first-generation college graduate and a second-generation Xicana Specializing in Eating Disorders and other co-occurring diagnoses. Utilizing an integrative, culturally competent, person centered approach to eating disorders she strives to meet her client's wherever they may be in their recovery journey and in their life.
"I am an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist in the State of California and a Trained Mindfulness Based Eating Practitioner. I Graduated Summa cum laude from Palo Alto University in 2020 with an MA in Counseling degree with an emphasis in Marriage, Family & Children. Since graduating, I've worked exclusively with eating disorders at various levels of care ranging from Inpatient Hospitalization to outpatient."
Heather Hohl RD
Registered dietitian
Heather Hohl is a registered dietitian who supports adults and adolescents heal from eating disorders through nutrition counseling, dietary assignments and support system inclusion. Her experience spans across levels of care which include managing an inpatient ED program, ED PHP/IOP programs as a program director, and caring for patients at residential, outpatient and virtual ED programs as their dietitian. Heather recognizes that even the smallest steps lead to great success, and every step is worth celebrating.
Outpatient Services Team
Shelly Bar MD
OUTPATIENT services
Locations in the bay area and los angeles
To schedule an appt with Dr Bar, please call (650) 800 9509 or extension 111 when calling the main number.
Dr. Bar was previously a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Stanford University Medical School. She carries a subspeciality degree in Adolescent Medicine from Stanford. Dr. Bar completed her Eating Disorder and Young Adult Specialty at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Hospital and gained experience on the eating disorder unit at El Camino Hospital. Dr. Bar developed protocol at Facebook Wellness Center for young adults managing the medical effects of their eating disorders and supported her patients in treating depression and anxiety. Dr. Bar’s passion is in supporting her patients to effectively address the medical complications of eating disorders and disordered eating. Dr. Bar is skillful in providing medication management for her patients who are also addressing co-morbid depression and anxiety. She enjoys the collaboration of partnering with her patients, their family and their team to support their choice for recovery. In addition to continuing to support her patients in Northern California, Dr. Bar recently opened offices in Los Angeles where is also seeing patients for the medical management of their eating disorder concerns.
Jennifer Medina LPCC
Primary therapist- OUTPATIENT & IOP
Jennifer Medina, born and raised in the Bay Area, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), as well as a former professional soccer coach and athlete. As a scholarship student athlete, she obtained a B.A. in American Studies from UC Berkeley (’03), and a M.A. in Mental Health & Wellness Counseling from New York University (class of ’10). Jennifer coached collegiate soccer before graduate school where she specialized in trauma and substance abuse, and has since worked as a clinician in both the eating disorder and substance abuse fields. Jennifer has experience treating outpatient clients as individuals and in groups and has worked in a nationally recognized residential program, has served as the Clinical Director for an adolescent program, and volunteered as a long-term group facilitator for the Eating Disorder Resource Center. She draws particular satisfaction from helping adolescents, adults and families hone their ability to devise new ways in overcoming life’s struggles.
When not in the office, you can find Jennifer catching up with friends, playing with her brother's dog, or catching a new show on Netflix. Jennifer's favorite thing about the Mid-Peninsula is the nature and amazing weather that surrounds it, making it incredibly easy to find places to hike, bike or just simply be.
Jessica Solari LMFT
primary therapist- outpatient
Jessica was born and raised in the peninsula, and spent several years in Sonoma county, where she earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology. Upon returning to the Bay Area, Jessica trained to become a Registered Behavior Technician, providing therapy to children and adolescents on the Autism Spectrum. She went on to direct an Autism support team for four years, while earning her Master’s degree in clinical psychology from Notre Dame de Namur. As a result of the RBT work, Jessica has a deep understanding of how to support her clients in implementing behavioral change.
Jessica’s most recent clinical experience has been with a community mental health agency, providing individual and group therapy to children and families, as well as adults. Jessica highly values providing support and education to the family system as a whole understanding the challenges not just for her clients but also for their loved ones. Jessica’s work in the disordered eating space has been driven by her personal experience supporting loved ones through the recovery process.
In her free time, she can be found hiking local Bay Area trails, spending time with family or reading a good book.
Emily Caruthers, LMFT, CEDS-S
outpatient Therapist
Emily is a marital and family therapist, certified eating disorder specialist supervisor, and trained art therapist who has 15+ years of experience specializing in eating disorder treatment. She graduated cum laude from Boston University with her B.A. in religion, and received her M.A. from Loyola Marymount University in marital and family therapy (clinical art therapy). Emily’s breadth of clinical experience includes work in a state behavioral health hospital, adolescent behavioral health group home, non-public school, several Los Angeles community-based clinics, a university counseling center and eating disorder work in a variety of settings ranging from residential to outpatient levels of care. She has worked in various well-known treatment programs in both administrative and clinical capacities. She created the Mid-Peninsula Eating Disorder Clinic to be of service to the needs of the community. Emily transitioned out of her leadership of the clinic in 2022.
When Emily is not at work you can find her running after her twin girls, reminding the dogs they still have a place in her heart, reading a good book, or dreaming up new hobbies. Her favorite thing about the Mid-Peninsula is the breathtaking beauty of this part of the country and the fact that lemons and avocados grow wild here
Elizabeth Rodriguez, RD
Registered Dietitian - Outpatient
Elizabeth is a Registered Dietitian. She was born and raised in Salinas, California. She graduated from California State University, Chico with her B.S. in Dietetics. After college, she lived in San Diego for six years where she completed her Dietetic internship and worked with pregnant women and mothers with infants and young children to meet their nutritional needs.
Elizabeth decided to move back to the bay area to be closer to family. She has worked for several eating disorder treatment centers over the past four years ranging from residential to outpatient. She is passionate about helping people reject diet culture, heal their relationship with food and honor their health. Elizabeth now spends her time as a per-diem Dietitian for a residential eating disorder program and as an outpatient Dietitian for MPEDC. In her work, she incorporates principles of intuitive eating, mindfulness and self-compassion to help clients heal their relationship with food and their bodies.
When not at work, you can find Elizabeth spending time with family and friends, caring for her dog and two cats or strolling through a local farmers market
Kaitlin Moses, RD
REGISTERED DIETITIAN, OUTPATIENT
Kaitlin Moses, RD, LDN is a Registered Dietitian in Durham focusing on eating disorder treatment and nutrition rehabilitation.
She completed her dietetic internship training at Advent Health in Orlando, Florida and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Maine. She is a certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and is currently pursuing her Certified Eating Disorder Specialist credential. Her professional background has included roles in various dietetics settings, including multiple levels of care for eating disorders at Center for Discovery and Sunol Hills LLC, clinical nutrition care, a long term care facility, and kitchen management.
Kaitlin strives to treat the individual and meet her clients where they are at in their relationship with food. She comes from a background of the holistic approach to health and embraced intuitive eating and HAES at the end of her internship. She found her passion for treating those struggling with eating disorders/ disordered eating at the beginning of her career, educating from the angle of intuitive eating’s 10 principles and an anti-diet approach.
Outside of dietetics, Kaitlin enjoys the outdoors and spending time with her dog and husband. Some of her favorite pastimes include hiking, kayaking, travelling, and cooking for others or finding new places to try local food.
Angela Haick, aMFT
associate Marriage and family therapist
Angela Haick has a doctorate in Educational Administration and a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology. She began her clinical counseling degree after retiring from working in the public school system and volunteering in the Tahoe National Forest as a Fire Chief. She is passionate about helping people of all ages learn to process pain and trauma, while helping them develop self-awareness of their repetitive behavior patterns that make them unhappy. She has experience working with depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, eating disorders, sleep issues, ADHD, Autism and addictions. She is experienced and comfortable working with both individual and group therapy, as well as with working withing complex family systems. She incorporates Animal Assisted Therapy with her therapy dog when appropriate. LGBTQIA supportive; ACA Supportive, CODA Supportive.
When Angela is not working, you can find her having many outdoor adventures with her therapy dog Sierra and her four-year-old granddaughter. They enjoy cycling, swimming, kayaking, hiking, paddleboarding, skiing, boating, and travel.
Francesca Battaglia, LMFT
therapist
Francesca is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has a MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pacific Oaks College. She has experience working at the residential treatment level for eating disorders and addiction. Most of her professional experience is working with adolescents and young adults with co-occurring diagnoses. Francesca is passionate about working with athletes (from all kinds of levels) who struggle with having an Eating Disorder. Her experience comes from her athletic background as a former college athlete and is passionate about reducing the mental health stigma towards athletes.
In her down time, you can find her on hiking trails, spending time with her four legged child Luna, cooking, swimming, playing tennis, yoga, or spending time with friends on the weekends.
Heather Sutherland, LMFT
Heather Sutherland is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) with a masters degree in clinical art therapy from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Heather has worked professionally in the field of eating disorders for over 20 years and received her MFT license in 2008. During her graduate studies in 2002, Heather immediately immersed herself in the eating disorder community and has stayed connected ever since. Heather has worked in all levels of care with all types of eating disorders. She has also been an integral part of developing several programs in the bay area. She has special interest in ARFID. Heather grew up in northern Virginia and moved to California in 2001. Heather’s true passion is creativity in all forms. She holds hope and believes recovery is possible for all human beings. Heather lives in Sonoma County with her husband and daughter, and enjoys art, music, nature, cooking and adventure.
