Barbara Arthur (She/her), MASc (Applied Psychology)

I am currently retired after a career of consulting within schools, primarily with those supporting students with special needs. During my last couple of years (as a School Psychologist in Hawaii), our daughter’s struggle with an eating disorder launched me into a challenging journey to understand and find ways of supporting her. After returning home to the Waterloo area, I became actively involved with this region’s Eating Disorders Awareness Coalition, a charitable organization providing education, support and professional development to a variety of clients and organizations. When this organization amalgamated with Wellington’s Coalition to become WWEDC, I was able to continue working towards these same goals. Throughout, I have facilitated the Family and Friends Support Group for those struggling to support a loved one, knowing first-hand how devastating these disorders can be for families.

Being part of WWEDC helps me stay up-to-date with evidence-based research and provides continued learning opportunities. I embrace our current focus on EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). Several years ago I was seconded to implement our school board’s Gender, Race and Ethnocultural Equity program and now I appreciate being able to broaden my understanding and choose actions that promote EDI in our current context.

Cara Kasdorf (she/her), MAN RD

I am a Registered Dietitian, co-owner of a private practice (Blueprint Nutrition), and also a Dietitian at the Guelph Family Health Team.  I received a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutritional Sciences from the University of Manitoba and a Masters of Applied Nutrition and combined dietetic internship from the University of Guelph.  In addition to my formal training as a Dietitian, I have continued learning in the area of Eating Disorders and participate in regular collaboration with other providers. In my 16-year career as a Dietitian, I have worked primarily in primary care and private practice and have focused my practice in the area of sport nutrition, eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image.  As a high school and university athlete, I saw the effects of disordered eating and eating disorders clearly pronounced in the athletic population.  Having lived with a close family member with an eating disorder, I have seen firsthand the process of eating disorder recovery, and have experienced the resilience and hope that comes from successful treatment.  These experiences propelled me towards a career that focuses on prevention and treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating, and promoting body image resilience in athletes.   I am a newer member of the coalition and am excited to learn from other members as well as participate in eating disorder awareness and prevention initiatives in the region. 

Carla Giddings (she/her), OT Reg (Ont)

I am an Occupational Therapist working as a Mental Health Clinician with the Canadian Mental Health Association – Waterloo Wellington’s (CMHAWW) Adult Eating Disorders Program. I joined WWEDC to build partnerships with others advocating for respectful services and supports for people living with eating disorders and concurrent mental health issues and/or addictions. I am passionate about working with people in a holistic way that honours the ways environmental factors shape lived experiences of eating disorder treatment and (re)building the lives they want. I seek to bring my background in feminist theories/methodologies and critical refugee studies into my current work. I understand that complex intersecting social factors can impact people’s relationships with food and their bodies, such as access to food or other resources, systemic oppression, and experiences of trauma. I am learning from the people I am lucky enough to work with, about the ways that racism, fatphobia, heteronormativity, ableism, sanism, and additional forms of oppression shape our therapeutic relationship and experiences of ED treatment/recovery. I seek to immerse myself within the work of activist-scholars like Sonya Renee Taylor and Sins Invalid from a place of humility as I continue to listen and learn.

carrie Pollard (she/her), MSW RSW

I am a psychotherapist and owner of Flourish with Compassion Psychotherapy. I also had the honour of counselling university students for 18 years at  Wilfrid Laurier University’s Student Wellness Centre.  My involvement with the coalition began in 2007 and was guided by both my clinical and family experiences. As a therapist and a daughter to an eating disorder (ED) warrior, I’ve seen the tenacity and strength needed to do the difficult work of healing and recovering from eating disorders.

I work from an anti-oppressive, anti-racist, body positive (health at every size) framework and recognize that ongoing training and internal work is necessary for learning and growth. I view therapy as a safe space to be heard and understood, and to be empowered to develop insights and skills to help create healthy relationships with food, your body, your emotions, and yourself.

Danielle Pellegrini (She/Her), MPH

I have more than five years of experience in youth mental health and addictions programming and research, with a focus on eating disorder prevention, early intervention and treatment. In my current role as a Health Promotion Specialist at Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, I regularly collaborate with community partners to implement and evaluate programs in the field of mental health promotion. I am eager to continue advancing the knowledge base in this field to better support those with mental health and addiction struggles.

Deanna Khes-Grabiec (she/her), MSW RSW

I am a Registered Social Worker with the OCSWSSW and work as a Child & Adolescent Eating Disorder Clinician with the Canadian Mental Health Association in Waterloo Wellington (CMHA) as well as work in private practice providing psychotherapy services at Live Empowered Counselling in St. Catharines (Ontario) both in person and virtually for both adults and children with eating disorders. I specialize in working with children/ teens struggling with eating disorders and working with their parents in supporting them through recovery, using a Family-Based Treatment (FBT) approach to care. 

I am committed to helping individuals who may be struggling with eating disorders/disordered eating, body image, and perfectionism. These thoughts about food, weight, self-image etc., can be extremely overwhelming and hard to control. Together we can work to discover self-compassion, food freedom, body acceptance and self-confidence. I strongly feel that accessing proper support can make a huge difference, as it can be difficult to know where to start in your mental wellness journey.

As a new member of WWEDC, I am truly looking forward to improving the recognition of eating disorders as a public health priority and increasing public awareness. I am excited to connect with clinicians in the field as well as those with lived experiences so that we all can better educate our communities and advocate for change and support.

Izabelle Rocha (She/Her)

I am currently studying at the University of Guelph pursuing a Bachelor's Degree (Hons) in Psychology with a minor in Family and Child studies. I have authored a paper on mental health and sexuality education in Ontario elementary and high schools, which is soon to be published in the Brock Journal. Additionally, I completed an independent research course, producing a literature review on the impact of therapists' cultural competence on rapport building and treatment effectiveness in psychotherapy.

Throughout my undergraduate studies, I have engaged in various helping roles to prepare for my future career. I serve as a peer counselor at the University of Guelph, volunteer as a distress line operator for Compass Community Services, and have dedicated time as a mealtime supervisor at Homewood Health Center's eating disorders program. These experiences have not only deepened my understanding of the complexities surrounding eating disorders but also strengthened my commitment to this field.

My research and practical experiences have consistently underscored the significance of comprehending and integrating diverse cultural perspectives to enhance therapeutic relationships and outcomes. This approach not only enhances interactions with clients but also fosters more effective and inclusive treatment practices. As a member of the Eating Disorders Coalition, I am eager to contribute to our collective efforts in addressing eating disorders. I am committed to advocating for systemic changes and supporting individuals from diverse backgrounds on their recovery journeys, ensuring that everyone feels safe, valued, and heard.

Jocelyn Hansen (she/heR), MA

I often like to start by acknowledging that I am human, first and foremost. While my career plays a significant role in my life, I am careful about leading with it due to the unconscious or often implied expectations that come with my role. With regards to my career, I am a Registered Psychotherapist currently working in private practice that offers both virtual and in-person therapy to adolescents and adults. I hold a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology and have had the privilege of providing support to individuals with varying mental health concerns in both public and private environments over the last several years. When I’m not working, you can find me enjoying an active lifestyle through sports, strength training and running, exploring new places, baking delicious treats, crafting homemade birthday cards, reading, and spending time with close family and friends. 

While my current work is diverse in terms of the scope of mental health challenges I work with, my resilient and courageous clients have been my main inspiration to join the WWEDC. Specifically, my work with clients has conveyed to me that we are all impacted in some way by a culture that continues to perpetuate unhealthy ways that we see and relate to our bodies. As a new member of the Coalition, perhaps taking this step is the first of many towards creating lasting change. My purpose for being a member is to connect with other clinicians, those with lived experience, and those affected by eating disorders so that I can continue to advocate for change at a systemic level. One of my current goals is to expand my awareness of and challenge the privileged lens through which I see the world so that I can effectively support individuals with diverse backgrounds on their recovery journey. It is important for me to know that everyone I work with feels safe, valued, and heard.

Joy Guthrie (she/her), CSEP-CEP RD

I am a Registered Dietitian working in private practice (Joy Nutrition), providing nutrition counselling for adults and adolescents/youth with eating disorders and disordered eating across Ontario. Since 2013, I have had the pleasure of working as part of various teams - CMHAWW Eating Disorder Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton Eating Disorder Program and Mood Disorders Program, Stratford General Hospital Eating Disorder Outreach Program. As a new member of the Coalition, I aim to advocate for those with eating disorders and mental health, as well as continue to learn from an exceptional team of clinicians and those with lived experience. My passions are helping people learn to trust their own body through nutrition and movement, plus challenging mental health stigma. Both are so important to me and I work to do so in my personal and professional lives. The relationship we can have with food is so incredibly complex and I will always continue to learn about the many ways our experiences shape our ties to food – from family to culture, from public policy to race/ethnicity, from medicine to spirituality and beyond.  

JESSIE MYHILL (they/them), MA MSW RSW

I am a Registered Social Worker currently working in private practice on the territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation of the Anishinaabek Peoples (Guelph, Ontario). I have Master’s Degrees in both Women/Gender Studies and Social Work and have been providing individual, couple/family and group therapy for the past decade. I have worked in both inpatient and outpatient programs in the areas of mood, anxiety and eating disorders and more recently worked at the University of Guelph’s Counselling Services before pursuing private practice full-time. In my private practice, I primarily serve folks under the 2SLGTBQIA+ umbrella. I am drawn to eating disorder and body image work due to my lived experience and because I am passionate about advocating for body liberation for all individuals. As a non-binary person, I am particularly interested in people’s experience of gender and body image and find myself devoting more time in this area and bringing my learnings to the Coalition. I am committed to decolonization and anti-oppressive praxis. I come to this work with a whole lot of humility and much gratitude. When I’m not working, you’ll find me spending time with my amazing blended family, cycling to new destinations, and growing vegetables.  

Jenna Matisz (she/her), MSW RSW 

I am a Registered Social Worker providing psychotherapy services through my private practice in Waterloo, New Horizons Therapy. 

As a therapist, I work to help people shift their internal world in a more helpful direction. Through my work with clients, I've learned that it's incredibly difficult to challenge a disordered eating mindset in a culture that thrives on and perpetuates disordered eating behaviours, and I have so much respect for the strength and resiliency of the people who are on that journey. I joined WWEDC to do my part in shifting our society in the right direction through education, awareness, and community engagement.

It's important to me to be continuously learning and improving. My current goals include developing a better understanding of how to best support eating disorder recovery for those with diverse backgrounds and continually challenging my own biases and assumptions related to health and equity.

Karley Fallaise (SHE/HER), BScFN, RD

I am a Registered Dietitian with the Canadian Mental Health Association in Waterloo Wellington. I work in both our adult and child and adolescent eating disorders programs. I received a Bachelor of Science with a specialization in nutrition and dietetics from The University of Western Ontario and completed my dietetic internship at North York General Hospital. Since becoming a dietitian, I have had an interest in helping clients build a better relationship with food. This led me to become a Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor and complete additional training on body image. My interest in eating disorders began while working as a dietitian at Mount Sinai Hospital on the General Internal Medicine Unit. I provided nutrition care for people with an eating disorder admitted for medical stabilization. I wanted to be able to support people on their recovery journey beyond their hospital admission and decided to shift my focus as a dietitian to working in eating disorders. I provide compassionate and informed nutrition care and enjoy ongoing learning within the field. As a new member to WWEDC I am looking forward to increasing awareness about eating disorders within our community.

Lindzie O’Reilly (she/her), MAN RD

I am a Registered Dietitian who provides nutrition support to University of Guelph Students at Student Wellness Services.

Through my work on the Coalition, I aim to positively contribute to the dialogue that individuals have about food. With the recognition that many mainstream approaches to food and nutrition can be restrictive and fatphobic, I strive to create and promote nutrition content that inspires folks to develop a sustainable food routine that nourishes their bodies and minds. It is important to me to continually work towards improving my understanding of the many ways in which unique food experiences can contribute to a disordered relationship with food, as well as heal one’s relationship with food.

Samantha Durfy (she/her), MA MSW RSW

Currently, I work at Student Wellness Services at the University of Guelph where I support students with their mental health, including those struggling with poor body image, disordered eating, and eating disorders. I also have a small part-time private practice in downtown Guelph. I fell into the world of eating disorders kind of by accident. As a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, I had planned to research how breast cancer survivors connected online with fellow survivors. At that particular time in my life cancer had a significant impact on my life, and chat rooms and connecting online with strangers was something relatively new and novel. While scrolling through these online forums, I found chat rooms and message boards about body image and eating disorders. It was something new to me and I was in awe of the honesty and rawness of the conversations. With this new discovery, I completely switched gears and changed the entire focus of my research for my thesis. In these online chats, I found my passion and subsequently changed my career path to social work. I have since spent the last 20+ years helping clients recover from their eating disorders, both within inpatient and outpatient settings. My current goals are to learn more about how to support clients with eating disorders with diverse backgrounds. As a white cis gender woman, I now recognize that my worldview has been shaped by privilege and I am working to understand how that privilege has shaped the lens in which I understand my clinical work, including the treatment of eating disorders.

Sophia Hou (shE/they), MPH RD

I am a dietitian and recently completed a Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health. I currently reside, work, and learn on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat. I completed my Bachelor's in Applied Human Nutrition at the University of Guelph. My areas of interest in clinical practice include pediatric and adolescent nutrition, disordered eating, health policy, Indigenous health, and queer health. My interest in eating disorders as a field of practice originates from my lived experience. I seek to apply a critical, anti-oppressive lens to all the work I do and am on a continuous, humble learning journey about lived experiences and identities that are not my own.

Shelagh Keesmaat (she/her), RP R/TRO

I am a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) and Recreation Therapist (R/TRO) currently working in private practice with Flourish Psychotherapy Services, serving adults (18+) via virtual therapy. I had the honour of walking alongside many clients on their journey of recovery over my 25+ years at Homewood Health Centre, providing support for clients coping with the challenges of mental health, addictions and eating disorders. I am passionate about helping people navigate body image concerns, foster a sense of belonging and (re)discover joyful movement. I use a combined approach of psychotherapy and recreation therapy to help clients cultivate a fulfilling life with a sense of autonomy and freedom.  

As a new member of the Coalition, I look forward to connecting with other clinicians, families and those with lived experience so I can continue learning the most effective ways to support my clients while being a part of a community that advocates for the support of eating disorders and mental health. As a lifelong learner, I believe there is always room for me to learn and grow as a clinician to offer inclusive support and acknowledge how my privilege colours the lens through which I see the world. It is important to me that my clients feel welcome, safe and valued. 

Suzanne Dietrich (she/her), BA RD

I’m a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor in private practice based in Waterloo at Gut Instincts Nutrition Counselling. Before becoming a dietitian I worked in community services providing support to those experiencing food insecurity, seeking employment, and providing education regarding HIV/AIDS. I’ve been passionate about eating disorders for a long time, and have supported close friends through the recovery process. As a dietetic intern, I resonated most with my placement at Homewood Health Centre in the eating disorders program. Through that experience, I not only learned about the risk factors for the development of eating disorders and treatment protocol for recovery but also was introduced to intuitive eating and Health At Every Size®.

As a primary care dietitian for 10 years through family health teams and community health centres, I had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of patients and had the privilege of hearing many stories of those struggling with their relationship with food and their bodies. I’m passionate about advocating for all individuals to decrease the harm that weight stigma and fatphobia has created. Through attending conferences, supervision, training sessions and learning for my colleagues and clients I continue to understand more about the complex intersectionality of eating disorders, gender, trauma, race and the social determinants of health. I have much more to learn. It’s been a privilege and an opportunity to be a part of WWEDC, we are all continuing to grow, learn and increase access to support in our community for those living with eating disorders and for the prevention of them.

TAYLOR ASHLEY (she/her), rp

I am a psychotherapist with over three years of experience and a deep passion for supporting others in eating disorder recovery. My dedication is fueled by my own journey, as well as extensive research and training to provide effective, compassionate care. In January 2024, I joined the WWEDC to build connections and create a broader impact in my community through counselling, presentations, and workshops.

I offer both in-person sessions in Guelph, Ontario, and virtual support across Ontario. I specialize in working with individuals struggling with eating disorders, body image concerns, ADHD, and trauma. My practice is deeply informed by my own lived experience with an eating disorder, which drives my commitment to providing compassionate and effective care.

My therapeutic approach integrates somatic, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Emotion-Focused modalities, allowing me to address the complexities of mind-body connection and emotional resilience. I am passionate about creating a safe and inclusive space for clients to explore their challenges and develop a deeper understanding of themselves.

In addition to one-on-one therapy, I am available for workshops and presentations on topics related to mental health, body image, and self-acceptance. I work with children 8+, adolescents, teens, and adults. 

Vanessa Hart (She/her), OT Reg (Ont)

I am a registered Occupational Therapist at Homewood Health Centre within the Eating Disorders Program (inpatient).  In this setting, I am privileged to work with individuals from all over Canada who are taking brave steps towards recovery from an eating disorder. My work involves supporting clients to engage in, or return to, activities that bring meaning to life.  

As a newer member of the Coalition, I aim to participate in advocacy and shared learning within the local community. It is exciting to be part of an organization, which combines the expertise of those with lived experience and clinicians together, to engage in information sharing, advocacy, education and critical thinking to bring about awareness and social change. My goal is to continue to grow as a clinician to better serve my clients towards creating the life they want to live.