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There’s Help. There’s Hope! The Emily Program is a warm and welcoming place where individuals and their families can find comprehensive treatment for eating disorders and related issues. This blog is a place for us to share the latest happenings at The Emily Program, as well as helpful tidbits from the broader eating disorder community. Subscribe via RSS to receive automatic updates. We want to hear your story. Email us (blog@emilyprogram.com) and ask how you can become a contributor!

April 26, 2021

Stacey Brown, RN

Stacey Brown

Stacey Brown

RN

Vice President of Nursing

Stacey Brown serves as the Vice President of Nursing at Accanto Health, the parent company of The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative, both of which serve a diverse clientele suffering from eating disorders and other comorbid disorders. Stacey practiced as an Intensive Care/Critical Care nurse, ER nurse, and Cardiac Cath Lab nurse for several years prior to working in the field of mental health.   

Since transitioning her nursing care into the world of eating disorders in 2007, Stacey has worked extensively in areas of utilization review management, nursing administration, and consulting. She is passionate about the work she does and loves helping nursing teams learn how to develop strong clinical and critical thinking skills that are based on best and safe practices.

Outside of work, Stacey loves to golf, travel, play the piano and organ, spend time with her very large family, and relax with her husband and a good movie.

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April 12, 2021

Kelsey Thomas, MS, RDN, CD

Kelsey Thomas headshot

Kelsey Thomas

MS, RDN, CD

Senior Regional Director, Pacific Northwest

Kelsey Thomas, MS, RDN, CD, is the Senior Regional Director, Pacific Northwest at Accanto Health, the parent company of The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative. Kelsey joined The Emily Program’s Seattle Outpatient site in 2012 as a Registered Dietitian and transitioned over time into the Senior Regional Director, Pacific Northwest role. During her time working at the Seattle Outpatient site, Kelsey has worked with adults and adolescents in OP, IOP, and PHP levels of care and held the role of Site Director for three years. Kelsey has her master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics, loves eating the food her husband makes, and enjoys playing cribbage as well as gardening in her outdoor and indoor gardens.

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April 5, 2021

Rebecca Eckstein

Rebecca Eckstein

Rebecca Eckstein

LCSW, CEDS-S

Senior Regional Director, Southeast

Becca Eckstein, LCSW, CEDS, is the Senior Regional Director, Southeast at Accanto Health, the parent company of The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative. Becca is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, having earned her MSW in Social Work from New York University, and Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Violin Performance from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

Becca’s experience helping individuals with eating disorders in various levels of care at Veritas and in Massachusetts, along with her training in FBT, ACT, CBT, and DBT, informs her evidence-based approach to treatment. She is passionate about empowering individuals to create a sustainable path to recovery that moves them in the direction of their values. She also firmly believes in treatment to outcome, to help ensure the best chance of a lasting recovery process for individuals and their loved ones. Becca specializes in family therapy and sees partners, parents, and other loved ones as essential advocates and allies in the treatment process.

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April 5, 2021

Brittany Davis, MEd, LPCC-S

Brittany Davis headshot

Brittany Davis

MEd, LPCC-S

Senior Regional Director, Midwest

Brittany Davis, MEd, LPCC-S, is the Senior Regional Director, Midwest at Accanto Health, the parent company of The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative. Brittany began her counseling career as a graduate student at The Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders (CCED) in 2009. After graduating, she joined the CCED team as the Adolescent PHP/IOP Program Coordinator and remained in this role for 9 years. In 2018, she transitioned to the Site Director for The Emily Program’s Cleveland Outpatient location. Over the years, Brittany has specialized in the treatment of adolescent eating disorders using the Family-Based Treatment (FBT) approach and has attended multiple intensive trainings in Family-Based Treatment (FBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Brittany is the mom to her daughter Isabelle and her son Tyler. She has a love for animals and recently adopted a golden retriever puppy. In her personal time, she enjoys being outside, spending time with her family and friends, and cheering on Cleveland sports teams.

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April 5, 2021

Mary Bretzman, MD

Mary Bretzman

Mary Bretzman

MD

Vice President for the Department of Adult Medicine

Dr. Mary Bretzman is the Vice President for the Department of Adult Medicine at Accanto Health, the parent company of The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative.

Dr. Bretzman is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School and completed a residency in Family Medicine at the University of Utah-Salt Lake City. Since residency, she practiced in primary care in Utah and Minnesota. Dr. Bretzman started at The Emily Program in 2010, providing medical service to all ages in the field of eating disorders.

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April 2, 2021

Leah Graves

Leah Graves

Leah Graves

RDN, LDN, CERD-S, FAED

Vice President of Nutrition and Culinary Services

Leah Graves is the Vice President of Nutrition and Culinary Services of Accanto Health, the parent company of The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative.

Leah has been treating patients with eating disorders for over 30 years. Prior to joining Veritas, Leah was the Manager of Eating Disorders Nutrition Therapy for the Laureate Eating Disorders Program in Tulsa, OK. She graduated with the highest distinction from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1985 and then began her work with individuals with eating disorders.

Leah is a founding member of the Academy for Eating Disorders where she has served on the Academy’s Executive Team, Board of Directors and Chaired the North American Teaching Days for the International Conference on Eating Disorders in addition to serving the Academy on the Nominating, Fellowship Selection, and Membership Recruitment and Retention Committees. She has also been honored with the distinction of Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders.

Leah has been involved in eating disorders advocacy with the National Eating Disorders Association as a member of the Conference Planning Committee and with the Oklahoma Eating Disorders Association where she served as President and Governance Committee Chair. She currently serves on the Clinical Advisory Board for Rock Recovery.

Leah has been invited faculty at many eating disorders conferences including the International Conference on Eating Disorders, Hispano-Latin American Congress on Eating Disorders, International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals Symposium, Renfrew Foundation Conference, Multi-service Eating Disorders Association Conference, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference, as well as numerous regional and local conferences. Leah has written several publications pertaining to nutrition and eating disorders and is highly respected within the eating disorders field for her expertise in medical nutrition therapy, nutrition counseling, clinical supervision, and research.

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