CLINICAL DIRECTOR

Kathleen O’Connor, LCPC

A Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Kathleen O‘Connor graduated from DePaul University with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has worked within the mental health and eating disorder treatment community in a variety of capacities including inpatient, residential, and crisis stabilization programs. She joined the Center for Discovery team in 2016 as a Counselor and enjoyed assisting clients to grow and empower themselves while in treatment. As a Primary Therapist, Kathleen works with clients in individual, group, and family therapy. She is passionate about eating disorder recovery and collaborating with patients to find balance in their lives. She brings a genuine passion and enthusiasm to her work as she supports her clients throughout the recovery process. Kathleen strongly believes in the power of therapy with a personalized, direct approach to treatment that addresses the multitude of components of the individual’s struggles.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jillian Larmon

Jillian has been an employee at Center for Discovery in Glenview for over 6 years when the doors opened for our clients. She has served in different roles throughout the facility including floor counseling staff, education liaison, facility manager, and now serving as program director upon completion of her graduate program from Northwestern University. Jillian was able to complete her graduate internship at Center for Discovery with implementing  Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) program in the facility while also facilitating family and individual therapy.

Jillian enjoys working with clients and families to establish a realistic environment for when the client is ready to transition home. She works with clients in individual, group, and family settings to educate and help clients to utilize skills to be effective for long term recovery. Through DBT skills, the clients and families, can learn effective communication, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and mindfulness. She believes in creating an individualized treatment plan for each client and family that walks through the door!

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Jessica Martinez

Jessica is a Registered Dietitian who earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to joining the Center for Discovery team, Jessica counseled patients suffering from a wide spectrum of eating disorders, with an emphasis on treating co-occuring disorders.

Jessica deeply believes in the All Foods Fit philosophy and embodies this both personally and professionally. in her practice, Jessica integrates Health at Every Size and Intuitive Eating principles into patient care, as she believes these concepts are crucial to eating disorder recovery. As a registered dietitian at Center for Discovery, Jessica supports patients in the journey to healing their relationship with food— one step at a time.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Caitlyn Campbell

Caitlyn Campbell is a Registered Dietitian with who holds her Master’s of Public Health degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Caitlyn first explored her passion for nutrition as an Exercise Science student at Hope College, where she ran cross country and track. While at the University of Michigan, Caitlyn avidly registered for a variety of courses ranging from eating disorder prevention and treatment to weight bias and health. As a graduate student, Caitlyn attended lab meetings for a weight-inclusive eating disorder research group, where she garnered her respect for and interest in providing medical nutrition care from a Health at Every Size® (HAES®) approach.

Caitlyn first began her career with Center for Discovery as a dietetic intern where she gained experience working at the partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient level of care. As a dietitian, Caitlyn practices an intuitive eating philosophy to help patients along their journey to food freedom. Caitlyn values the many roles that food serves in our lives and works to help her patients develop a more neutral relationship with both food and their bodies.

NURSE ADMINISTRATOR

Larkin Richards

Larkin Richards is a registered nurse with a generalist master’s degree in Nursing. Larkin joined the team at Center for Discovery as the nurse administrator in the Fall of 2018 after 6 years of nursing practice with chronically ill patients and their families both in the hospital and outpatient as a case manager. Her experience in healthcare has helped Larkin to develop an appreciation for working collaboratively with clients and families to achieve their treatment goals. Larkin is passionate about effectively educating patients and their families about their health and encouraging lifelong wellness.

PRIMARY THERAPIST

Alexis Lloyd, LPC

Alexis is a Licensed Professional Counselor who received her degree in Psychology from Xavier University in New Orleans, LA and her master’s from Webster University, in St. Louis, MO with an emphasis Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Alexis has experience working with people who have experienced trauma in many forms, including, domestic violence, sexual assault, intergenerational trauma, and general trauma. She also has experience working with marginalized communities in community-based agencies and family therapy in private practice. Her motivation as a therapist is to provide tools and interventions for people seeking to accomplish tangible goals. She takes pride in having a client-centered approach and creating a safe space for clients to be the expert in the room, while providing trauma-informed care. Alexis has a passion for counseling those in all stages in life and meeting people where they are in their treatment.

When working with Alexis you can expect safety, honesty, and authenticity. She is not one to run away from a challenge and embraces the difficult topics others may shy away from. Alexis loves to learn from others and enjoys loves working with people to map out life experiences that lead us to our current journey.

PRIMARY THERAPIST

Mark Deremer, LPC

Mark DeRemer has always been genuinely interested in the well being and uniqueness of everybody around him. He believes that anyone can achieve a healthier life when they are in a compassionate and non-judgmental environment. Mark is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, as well as a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional by IATP. He worked with the formerly incarcerated in conjunction with the Chicago Taskforce for the University of Chicago. After receiving his training in trauma, as a trauma therapist, he worked with dual diagnosis, specifically females who were victims of sex trafficking. Mark is also working part-time in private practice to address client’s trauma, grief and loss, and various mental health issues. Mark’s educational background includes a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adler University in Chicago. He has a B.A. in Psychology from the Metropolitan State University of Denver. His area of emphasis is trauma, complex trauma, relationship issues, anxiety, mood disorders, and complicated grief and loss. As a therapist, Mark believes that the most crucial aspect of therapy is to respect the client’s independence by having a genuine connection during the process of therapeutic intervention. He provides a non-judgmental and safe environment to empower the client to reach their potential

PRIMARY THERAPIST

Melissa Solis, MA, LPC

Melissa Solis is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has worked in the field of residential eating disorder treatment since 2017. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) and her Master’s degree in Counseling from Covenant Seminary (St Louis, MO). Melissa enjoys walking alongside people as they work through the places in their lives where they feel stuck, alone, and afraid. She specializes in helping clients explore the deeper needs behind their eating disorder behaviors and discover new ways to meet those needs. Her approach to therapy (with individuals, loved ones, and groups) focuses on building authentic relationships where it is safe enough to try out new and better ways to connect. She loves working in residential treatment, where every day is full of opportunities for learning in the context of a supportive community.