Treating the whole person and not just their symptoms or diagnosis is key to providing comprehensive and effective care. This entails understanding how a person’s thoughts, feelings and behavior influence, and are influenced by, important factors such as family, job, school, friends, spirituality and health status. Situations from the past can affect why various emotional or behavioral problems occur in the present. As a result, it is imperative to understand the impact life experiences could be having on a person’s current medical and/or emotional condition.

Making change is hard even when it’s the right thing to do. Changing behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum – thoughts and feelings often have to change, too. This takes time and every person’s time table is different. Change doesn’t happen because insurance expects it to in a predetermined number of sessions.

It also doesn’t happen when treatment is provided by well- meaning but inexperienced or untrained therapists. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition. They are not conditions to put in the hands of treatment providers that say they treat them but don’t have the credentials to support what they say.

I only treat the conditions that I have been educated and trained to treat, those that I have advanced credentials for and those that I receive ongoing continuing education for on a regular basis. I am one of the only Certified Eating Disorder Specialists in the Milwaukee area and have to maintain specific requirements each year to keep that certification. With over 25 years of training, education and experience directing outpatient, partial and inpatient programs as well as recognition in the health care community as an expert in eating disorders, you can be assured that you or your loved one will receive the best care available.