Food for Thought

Kelsey Gilchriest

I Felt Alone When Diagnosed with ARFID – Until I Found Mentorship

I once met with a registered dietician who was new to my treatment team, and when I mentioned my eating disorder, she immediately assumed it was anorexia nervosa. When I began explaining that no, it wasn’t anorexia, she cut me off and asked, “bulimia?” Trying to contain my exasperation, I said, “no, I have ARFID.” Her response was, “what’s ARFID?”…

Brooke Hammer

Equip's New Chief of Staff: Why I Left VC to Help Transform Eating Disorder Care

Equip's New Chief of Staff: Why I Left VC to Help Transform Eating Disorder Care…

Equip Team

When Being “Unproductive” Can Be the Most Productive Thing You Can Do

We live in a society that measures worth by productivity. Whether that productivity is measured in grades, accomplishments, or goals achieved often doesn’t seem to matter. What matters is doing something — anything, even. …

Michelle Konstantinovsky

What to Do When “Diet Talk” Arises

The weeks leading up to the official start of summer can be tough pretty much any year. From “beach body workouts” to “detox diets,” our social media feeds are typically flooded with false promises from influencers and companies as swimsuit weather approaches. But this year may be particularly challenging for anyone with an eating disorder — or, frankly, anyone who’s ever had any kind of body image issue — as we slowly re-enter the world, news stories, magazine headlines, and unqualified “experts” want to talk to us about the “Quarantine 15.”…

Lauren Gerber

Equip Raises $17 Million to Transform Eating Disorder Treatment

Company brings reinvented care model to eating disorder patients in 2021, supported by investment from F-Prime, Optum Ventures, and .406 Ventures…

Tana Luo, PhD

Eating Disorder Recovery in the Time of a Global Pandemic

For those vulnerable to, recovering from, or in recovery from an eating disorder, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique risks and challenges. …

Samuel Kolander, MD

Eating disorders in males part II: Co-occurring illnesses

As discussed in my previous blog post, although many perceive eating disorders to overwhelmingly affect women, about one in three people with an eating disorder identify as male (1). Furthermore, eating disorders are particularly prevalent in the trans community (2). In this post I’ll explore frequent co-occurring illnesses (comorbidities) that are common in men with eating disorders are more often the rule than the exception. The most common co-occurring mental illnesses are anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and substance use disorders. The presence of these other disorders can make eating disorders more chronic and difficult to treat (3). …

Equip Team

Welcome to Equip

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Katherine Hill, MD

Dispelling eating disorder myths 2: “I’m an athlete. So it’s normal that I don’t get regular periods, right?”

Dr. Katherine Hill is a board-certified pediatrician who completed her undergraduate, MD degree, and pediatric residency at Stanford. Prior to Equip, she was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Adolescent Medicine at Stanford, caring for adolescents with eating disorders in the inpatient and outpatient settings. A former collegiate swimmer, her research has focused on eating disorders in athletes.  …

Cara Bohon, PhD

Why do New Year's Resolutions revolve around weight, anyway?

A “resolution” on its own is not inherently good or bad, but somehow New Year's Resolutions have turned into a focus on getting into a gym routine or starting a new fad diet. At some point, this was likely a reaction to perceived (or real) weight gain during the holidays.…

Equip Team

Focus on staying festive: Navigating eating disorder recovery during the holidays

For many, the holiday season may inspire the joy of quality time with loved ones, the stress of planning, and gratitude for a new year. But for those navigating eating disorder treatment, another emotion may arise: panic.…

Tara Deliberto, PhD

The benefits of conducting virtual therapy sessions for people with eating disorders

Prior to Equip, Tara Deliberto, PhD was an assistant professor at the medical college of Cornell University, where she created/directed NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Eating Disorders Partial Hospital Program. She also authored Treating Eating Disorders in Adolescents published by New Harbinger. Her research has been widely cited and has been discussed in major media outlets such as TIME. …

Samuel Kolander, MD

Eating disorders in males part 1: Epidemiology and gender differences in eating disorder presentation

Sam spent his undergraduate years at Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in Psychology and Biology, before matriculating at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. At Einstein, he received the Einstein Service and Research Scholarship and the Dean’s Recognition Award, and he graduated with distinction in basic/translational research. As a psychiatry resident at Columbia University he was awarded the APA Leadership Fellowship, the Austen Riggs Award for Excellence in Psychotherapy, and he was selected to be a chief resident. He has treated patients with eating disorders in both inpatient and outpatient settings and has received additional training in DBT. He now serves as Medical Director at Equip.…

Tana Luo, PhD

Eating disorders in adolescents: how and when to seek treatment

Dr. Tana Luo is a clinical psychologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. She completed her predoctoral and postdoctoral training at the UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center and has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults across different levels of care. During her fellowship, she received specialized training in treating pediatric eating disorders.…

JD Ouellette

The power of family mentorship: the power of YOU

JD is Equip's Director of Mentorship. She is an educator turned Family Mentor whose youngest child developed anorexia in 2012; they received cutting edge, evidence-based treatment at UC San Diego, igniting JD’s passion to ensure all families have access to evidence-based care. She became active in online family support communities, writing, and began attending and speaking at conferences.  She is a board member for FEAST.…

Maris Degener

Why I’m now grateful for Family Based Treatment...even though I hated it

Maris Degener is Equip’s lead peer mentor. She was diagnosed with anorexia at age fourteen, and with the support of her parents and community, fully recovered. Maris studied psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is now passionate about spreading the hopeful message that full recovery is possible. Maris shares her story of illness, recovery, and life beyond an eating disorder in the documentary I Am Maris, available on Netflix.…

Michelle Konstantinovsky

What we mean by “eating disorders are brain disorders”

Anyone who’s ever dealt with an eating disorder or supported a loved one as they’ve navigated the challenging, frustrating, and potentially life-threatening journey through an ED (eating disorder) knows one thing for certain: there is no shortage of misinformation out there about these diseases. People still believe eating disorders are rooted in superficiality or that these illnesses are a choice — neither assertion could be further from the truth. The myths around anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are pervasive and persistent and they continue to detract from the reality of these illnesses: eating disorders are brain disorders and as such, require the kinds of effective, targeted therapeutic strategies that Equip uses. …

Katherine Hill, MD

Dispelling eating disorder myths: Can you tell if someone has an eating disorder just by looking at them?

Dr. Katherine Hill is a board-certified pediatrician who completed her undergraduate, MD degree, and pediatric residency at Stanford. Prior to Equip, she was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Adolescent Medicine at Stanford, caring for adolescents with eating disorders in the inpatient and outpatient settings. A former collegiate swimmer, her research has focused on eating disorders in athletes.  …

Erin Parks, PhD

Why I co-founded Equip

Dr. Erin Parks is a clinical psychologist, researcher, and co-founder of Equip. Erin serves as Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) of Equip, leading a team of clinicians and researchers that are passionate about increasing access to treatment that works.…

Frank Brockmann

What one parent learned from supporting a child in recovery

Frank Brockmann lives and works as an education consultant near Sacramento, California. In early 2019, he and his wife temporarily relocated to San Diego for four months while their 12-year-old daughter was treated at UCSD’s Eating Disorder Center. Like many parents, he found tremendous value in becoming ED-ucated and set about the task of learning through online support forums, TED talks, research presentations, and independent study in addition to the support and educational tools provided as part of the PHP and IOP programs at UCSD.…

JD Ouellette

Equip Treatment: How we took the best eating disorder treatment option available—FBT—and improved it

JD is Equip's Director of Mentorship. She is an educator turned Family Mentor whose youngest child developed anorexia in 2012; they received cutting edge, evidence-based treatment at UC San Diego, igniting JD’s passion to ensure all families have access to evidence-based care. She became active in online family support communities, writing, and began attending and speaking at conferences.  She is a board member for FEAST.…

Megan Hellner, DrPH

Why dietitians are an essential ingredient to treatment

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An eating disorder therapist on appropriate treatment for all bodies

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Kristina Saffran

Our vision for Equip

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How one family is recovering from anorexia with Equip

The following story is from Deana A., a mother helping helping her teen recover from an eating disorder.…