eating disorders recovery|support|help
Making the first call for help can be challenging. Individuals seeking help are often in a great deal of emotional pain, fear and shame. These emotions can be deeply rooted and built up over the course of the eating disorder. Navigating the maze of treatment options can be a daunting task.
We are a team of experienced, compassionate professionals that will work with you and your loved ones along the journey through recovery from the point of the first call. Our governing treatment philosophy is welcoming each person at their personal stage of recovery.
We provide comprehensive, compassionate treatment for those individuals and families suffering from eating disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions.
family & loved ones
All part of the healing process
Family members can experience a sense of helplessness, magnified by frustration, fear and confusion. Adding to the confusion, loved ones needing help can often appear high functioning while their bodies and minds may be breaking down and struggling to survive.
We strongly encourage the participation of family members and loved ones to support the recovery process for each and every patient.Our highest priority is to cultivate an environment where patients and families feel valued, safe and connected with those helping them through their healing process .
"Once you choose hope, anything's possible."-Christopher Reeve
Our Approach
Always evolving and individualizedWe offer Comprehensive Intensive Outpatient Programs and Partial Hospitalization Programs for adult and adolescent males and females suffering from Eating Disorders. We individualize care to address the co-existing disorders such as Depression, Anxiety, Substance Use Disorders, Trauma/PTSD and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders as well as core underlying issues. Each patient works with a multidisciplinary team of highly trained professional staff including a psychiatrist, licensed mental health professionals, and nutrition staff. We offer supported meals during program hours.
Each patient will meet twice a week with their primary therapist for individual therapy sessions and weekly with a psychiatrist and nutrition team for individualized sessions as guided by their treatment plan. Our multidisciplinary team addresses the mental, nutritional, emotional and spiritual needs of each person. We work closely with our patients to develop and practice healthy coping skills to replace deeply rooted self-destructive patterns. We are dedicated to go beyond diagnosis and symptom management so that each patient addresses all issues to fully understand their personal recovery needs.
We take a multidisciplinary team approach using best practice, effective evidence-based modalities to ensure the best care possible.
Adult Partial Hospitalization Program
For individuals that do not require inpatient or residential care, but who are experiencing an inability to discontinue their disordered eating behaviors or achieve full recovery without treatment, Partial Hospitalization (PHP) may be necessary to stop the progression of disordered eating behaviors. The PHP is five days a week, 6 hours each day, with the addition of family programming when scheduled . There are various daily activities that guide each person’s treatment and recovery needs. During scheduled hours, patients meet weekly with their individual primary therapist and multidisciplinary treatment team members. We offer a supervised meal and two snacks, accompanied by meal support and meal processing groups. Services offered in our PHP include:
- Psychoeducational Lecture Series
- Nutritional Lecture Series
- Creative Healing Groups
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
- Mindfullness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Psychodrama
- EMDR
- Trauma Therapy
- Yoga Therapy
- Interpersonal Process Groups
- Recovery Stabilization
- Grief and Loss
- Body Image
Adult Intensive OutPatient Programs
Our intensive outpatient program is a cutting-edge transitional level of care for patients either stepping down from a higher level of care or for patients requiring extra support in conjunction with their outpatient team. Our IOP program meets three nights a week for 3 hours where patients are able to practice advanced recovery skills as well as integrate hands on nutritional challenges to support real life recovery outside of treatment. Services offered in the IOP Program Include but are not limited to:
- Recovery Stabilization
- Emotional Awareness and Expression
- Yoga Therapy and Meditative Practices
- Real World Recovery Topics
- Advanced Nutition Coping Skills
- Interpersonal Process Groups
- Psychodrama
- Body Image
- Meal Process and Self Portioning
- Meal Challenges and Restaurant Outings
Adolescent Life-Wellness
Adolescence can be a diffcult and challenging time that often presents itself with stress and issues around self esteem, identify formation and fear of disapproval or rejection. Sometimes these issues can manifest themselves in depression and anxiety. Some adolescents can suffer in silence and go unnoticed while others can act out in various ways that can cause problems within their social, family and or academic life. Some adolescents feel "different" and struggle to "fit in" The Adolescent Life-Wellness IOP is professionally designed and guided to help adolescents between the ages of 12-17 work through issues often encountered during these critical developmental stages of life. Kids who may feel stressed, mis-understood, isolated and alone often need age-appropriate clinical interventions to learn how to navigate personal life challenges. Some adolescents can be overachievers and still suffer from feelings of inadequacy and poor self esteem. These issues and others can be magni ed and reinforced in negative thinking and behaviors.
The Adolescent Life-Wellness meets three hours, three days a week. This program program is uniquely designed to help kids identify and express feelings openly and learn alternative approaches to help them build a developmentally strong foundation on into adulthood.
- Individual therapy
- Supervised mealtime
- Individualized treatment planning to guide each adolescent's direction of care
- Clinically guided special topics groups and open group process sessions
- Staff supported Goals and Commitment Groups
- My personal Tool Box: Staff guided educational presentations involving interactive skill building exercises and creative problem solving strategies
- Mindfulness practices to support stress management, distress tolerance strategies and coping skills enhancement
- Psychodrama and Positive Peer Support Theater
- Life skills, Confidence and Self esteem groups
- Private Family Therapy sessions and family educational groups
Adolescent Eating Disorders
The Adolescent Eating Disorders IOP is designed specically for adolescent boys and girls between ages 12-17 to support recovery issues specific to adolescents suffering from anorexia, bulimia and/or binge eating disorders. Eating disorders often begin to develop in adolescence. This program provides education, prevention awareness and clinically guided therapy groups and activities that are creatively designed to meet the unique needs specific to adolescents with eating disorders.
- Individual therapy with primary therapist
- Multidisciplinary treatment team for individualized care, involving therapist, dietitian and psychiatrist
- Adolescent age-appropriate group therapy and experiential activities
- Psycho-Educational presentations
- Psychodrama and Positive Peer Support Theater
- Body Movement, Body Image, and Mindfulness groups
- Family Workshop
Our Nutrition Program
Chef inspired individualized meals to support each person's nutritional needs.
Each patient works closely with their registered dietitian and nutrition team. Meal support is offered during meals and snacks. Each person participates in meal process groups, meal planning groups, along with individual sessions with their personal registered dietitian. Various nutrition program activities are used to help support the reduction of eating disordered behaviors such as food exposures, grocery exposures, restaurant outings, chef instructed cooking classes, and mindfulness based practices.
We offer a sophisticated Nutrition Program designed to support nutritional stabilization and ongoing recovery through understanding accurate nutritional information, identification and understanding of emotional triggers, negative thinking, body image and body awareness, and the mind body connection through integrated nutrition therapy activities
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
Casita Del Mar Residential Treatment Center - Now accepting pre-applicants in Juno Beach
Casita del Mar, one of the few supportive living settings for eating disorders in Florida, offers guests a safe and private living environment for adults suffering from eating disorders who are coming from out-of-state, or for those individuals who need a supportive setting during their journey towards healing. Casita Del Mar is a voluntary supportive living
setting with the main goal to provide a home-like atmosphere that helps encourage each individual’s healing process.
Guests are provided nutritional support while integrating new life skills to enhance their overall personal wellness goals. Chef inspired classes, customized nutritional plans, nutrition support, and grocery outings are offered in the day-to-day schedule. Having available nutritional support during dif cult times helps to slowly discontinue deeply engrained disordered eating behaviors and negative thinking.
In addition, Positive-Peer-Support is often a much needed component to build a strong, resilient, life sustaining foundation. Mindfulness, Yoga, and related excursions and activities are interwoven into the daily schedule. Transportation is provided for guests as needed.
The team that makes a difference
Our Family with Specialized experienceEach of our patients has their own individual treatment team of professionals to work alongside them throughout their recovery plan. Each staff person brings specialized experience and skills to meet the unique needs of our patients.
Ultimately, we feel very strongly that connecting with our patients is most critical to support ongoing progress.
9 Total Staff to help you
Michelle Klinedinst
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Ethan LeFever
Executive Director
Megan Kniskern
Director of Nutrition Services
Nicole Carlisi
Clinical Director
Courtney Creese
Clinical Outreach Manager
Sonia A. Thomas
Certified Art Therapist
Alana Sims
Registered Dietitian
Abby Bernstein
Primary Therapist
Julia Christodoulou
Primary Therapist
Michelle Klinedinst MS CEDS
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
For the past thirty years Michelle has devoted her career to helping individuals with addictions, eating disorders, and self-destructive behaviors and to live healthier and happier lives. Throughout her career, Michelle has worked in various administrative, corporate and clinical leadership capacities. She is a therapist at heart and brings a client-centered approach to her companies. She offers a wide range of experience in understanding her role as CEO as she oversees and guides staff, and patient care.
She was Executive Vice President of Rosewood Eating Disorders Treatment Centers and co-founded A New Journey Eating Disorders Treatment Center in Santa Monica California. She has built clinical programs both nationally and internationally. Michelle was the Chief Executive Officer for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Center in Antigua, West Indies. She is published and has presented nationally and internationally on addictions and eating disorders. Michelle is psychodrama trained at the Moreno Academy of Psychodrama. She holds a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, Post Graduate Certification in Addictions Studies, and Certification as an Eating Disorders Specialist.
Ethan LeFever
Executive Director
Ethan has worked in the field of patient care for over 14 years. Ranging from Abused and Neglected Children, Adults and Adolescents with Eating Disorders and Mental health conditions and Adults with Chemical Dependency. His former positions Include Executive Director at Sol Recovery Center, Director of Business Development and Director of Intake and Utilization Review at Rosewood Centers.
He best describes himself as a steadfast patient advocate. He believes in only working with teams of people that make the treatment experience as compassionate and comfortable for the person as possible.
Megan Kniskern PHD
Director of Nutrition Services
Learning and teaching never ends, it is essential in the areas of addictions, eating disorders and mental health, to continuously be involved in the new information and perspectives of understanding how to support and treat the dietary needs of these populations. Megan’s passion for eating disorders and nutrition manifested in being a Lecturer at Arizona State University in the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion beginning in 2013, teaching graduate and undergraduate management and nutrition courses. This included the development of an eating disorders and addictions graduate seminar course; the first of it’s kind at the University. Megan was previously the Director of Nutrition and Culinary Services at Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders and has 11 years of experience developing and implementing wellness programs for men, women and adolescents struggling with eating disorders, addictions and mental illness. Megan emphasizes the importance of the mind-body connection in treatment and recovery. She has been a Certified yoga instructor for 11 years; combining mindfulness practices and meditation techniques with traditional nutrition models in all areas of her professional practices. All of these aspects combine to allow Megan to work with all identified, and also those issues that have yet to be perceived. As no eating disorder is “traditional”, Megan’s strength is in working with vegans, vegetarians, diabetics, food allergies and intolerances, very low body weight and further combinations of struggles that are acquired over the course of the disease progression.
Teaching the yoga basics to new students and watching the connection begin; improving self-love and body acceptance and embracing all of the positive messages that yoga brings into the stress of daily Western life. Megan is a Certified Eating Disorder Dietitian (CEDRD) and Approved Supervisor through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). She additionally serves as the Public Relations Chair for the Behavioral Health Nutrition dietetic practice group with an emphasis in Addictions, Mental Health and Eating Disorders, through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and was recently appointed as the Phoenix Ambassador of the International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians.
Nicole Carlisi LMHC
Clinical Director
Nicole Carlisi is a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and co-occurring disorders. Nicole has extensive experience in the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, ARFID, OSFED, Binge Eating Disorders and Obesity. Additionally, Nicole comes to us with 14 years of experience in the residential addictions and eating disorders field. Nicole received her Master’s degree in counseling education from Nova Southeastern University in 2007. During her undergraduate studies, Nicole worked as a life skills facilitator and drug and alcohol counselor in the public and private school sector, focusing on drug and alcohol prevention and early intervention. Prior to graduate school, Nicole worked as a middle school teacher in the Palm Beach County School district furthering her experience with the adolescent population. She then completed her practicum and internship training at the Hanley Center and continued on to work in long term residential treatment for patients with addictions and complex trauma. She continued to advance her career as eating disorder program director at an intensive outpatient center for women struggling with eating disorders and addictions. Additionally, Nicole served as clinical director for a partial hospitalization and transitional living eating disorder program for men and women struggling with eating disorders and addictive disorders.
Nicole Carlisi has been an active volunteer, board member and group facilitator at the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness in West Palm Beach, Florida and is a member of several other professional organizations. She has presented within the state of Florida on eating disorders, body image and substance abuse. Nicole is also a Qualified Supervisor for mental health interns. Nicole utilizes various evidence-based approaches into her practice that balance acceptance with teaching skills for managing dysregulated emotions that contribute to anxiety, depression and eating disorders symptoms. Nicole has a deep psychodynamic understanding of each patient’s history and sees this as an integral part of the therapeutic process. Nicole works with a treatment team of experienced dieticians, medical doctors and family therapists in the community to ensure the best care possible for every patient.
Courtney Creese
Clinical Outreach Manager
Courtney graduated from University of Central Florida in Orlando with her Bachelors in Business Management and Marketing. Working in the sales and marketing industry for 3 years and running a sales territory in Massachusetts, she expanded her knowledge of business and marketing. Courtney transitioned into the treatment industry with an operational role in an addictions treatment facility in South Florida after moving back from the North East in 2015.
She is extremely passionate about being an advocate for those struggling with eating disorders and behavioral health issues and believes as part of our mission we integrate our community and make building business relationships an ongoing priority. Courtney strives to ensure our clients at VIAMAR Health receive the best care possible so they can cultivate success in their treatment journey.
Sonia A. Thomas MS, ATR-BC
Certified Art Therapist
Sonya is a masters level, board certified art therapist with over fifteen years of experience. She previously practiced in Michigan working with patients with traumatic brain injury as well as in-patient hospitalization. After her move to Florida in 2007, Sonia worked with as a director of bereavement at a tri county hospice helping adults and children work through grief issues using art therapy. Sonia is now the owner and founder of Brush Strokes Art Therapy, Inc and focuses on bringing a variety of art therapy services to all ages and different populations in the tri-county areas in South Florida.
Art therapy is a specialization that combines talk therapy with the usage of art making. This process aids in helping to describe issues and feelings both verbally and non-verbally. One does not need to be skilled in art to benefit from art therapy. Sometimes the words are difficult to find; art therapy is a great alternative to those that sometimes struggle to find those words.
Alana Sims RD
Registered Dietitian
Alana is a charismatic and caring Registered Dietitian who is excited about being a part of the ViaMar Team. Alana was a co-ed competitive cheerleader and a collegiate level assistant cheerleading coach. Through those experiences, she was able to see the issues surrounding weight and food and developed an interest in eating disorders and nutrition. During her dietetic internship, Alana sought out unique opportunities to learn more about nutrition and eating disorders by completing an elective rotation at an eating disorder facility and implementing a research study about body image and eating disorders entitled - A comparison of body image disturbance in females of various BMIs who are at risk for eating disorders. She received the Graduate College of Education and Health Science FCS Award for her research which further fueled her desire to specialize in eating disorders.
She received the Graduate College of Education and Health Science FCS Award for her research which further fueled her desire to specialize in eating disorders. Alana’s nutrition philosophy centers on helping others not only love their bodies but love themselves entirely, and helping to establish a positive relationship with food. She is eager to collaborate with the team of skilled professionals at ViaMar and hopes to continue to impact the world of eating disorders in a positive way.
Abby Bernstein MS
Primary Therapist
Abby is a caring and compassionate therapist that has a genuine need to aid others through difficult times. Abby became fascinated with eating disorders when she was receiving her Bachelors Degree in Psychology. She found the rise of eating disorders to be troubling and began to focus on the etiology and treatment ities that have been linked with disordered eating patterns. Abby obtained her M.S with a focus in counseling from Lynn University. While completing her graduate degree Abby worked at the Renfrew Center for Eating disorders where she conducted DBT group therapy and provided individual counseling to female patients. Abby specializes in treating Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder.
She also has vast experience with treating various personality disorders and symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Abby is an active member of the National Eating Disorder Association and has been involved in eating disorder prevention throughout the South Florida community. In a therapeutic setting Abby focuses on the relationship between therapist and client, while providing a safe space for personal growth and empowerment. Abby is very excited to be joining the Viamar Health team.
Julia Christodoulou MS
Primary Therapist
Julia earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She is experienced in the fields of Eating Disorders, Adult and Adolescent Mental Health and Chemical Dependency. Julia is seasoned in helping clients incorporate new coping skills to make a smooth transition back into day -to- day living. She grew up in Latin America, is bilingual, and very sensitive to the cultural uniqueness of each client.
Julia is known by her fellow clinical team members as passionate about her work, a true client advocate deeply committed to forming a trusting professional relationship to encourage each clients growth and personal recovery journey.
Referring Professionals & Health Care Providers
We value the help and participation of referring Health Care Providers.We work closely with referral sources, encouraging ongoing participation with their patient’s care through discharge. We believe that this relationship supports the ongoing strength of each person’s recovery process.
We welcome Health Care Professionals to contact us for additional information on programming schedule and content beyond the scope of the website.
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