DEL MAR EATING DISORDER PROGRAM

Jamie Atkins, RD, CEDRD

Jamie Atkins RD, CEDRD, is the Director of Dietary Services for the Adult RTC at Center for Discovery.  She has a passion for helping people meet their nutritional needs without losing sight of the social and emotional value of food. With a non-judgmental approach, Jamie helps people create a healthy relationship among food, mind, & body.  She believes in helping her clients to find their own path, thus allowing them to take ownership of their recovery, and at times does so utilizing a DBT informed approach she developed for Dietitians.  She has worked in the field for over a decade, and has experience working in all levels of care; hospitalization, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient.

Jamie is a Licensed Body Positive Facilitator and is an advocate for putting an end to weight stigma while spreading the message of size acceptance through speaking publicly on the topic across the country.  She has also spoken on various other topics related to eating disorders at the national and international level.  She is active in the community, both by raising eating disorder and weight stigma awareness and being on the board of the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp) serving as the Social Media Chair, and Association of Size Diversity and Health serving as a Member At Large.  Jamie believes the most important step in helping a client on the path to recovery is meeting them where they are, and helping them to build a recovery they can see for themselves, bringing together mind, body, and soul.

Sheri Chen, RD

Sheri Chen is a Registered Dietitian specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, emotional eating, unhealthy relationships with food and exercise, and other disordered eating patterns. Sheri graduated from the University of Arizona where she earned her Bachelor’s in Nutritional Sciences, and Master’s in Applied Nutrition. She completed her clinical dietetic internship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX.

Sheri believes in a Health at Every Size® approach and is an “anti-diet” dietitian. Her approach comes from the philosophy that All Foods Fit—in balance, variety, and moderation. Sheri strives to create a safe place for people of any body size or shape.

Sheri’s mission as a clinician is to provide professional, compassionate, and transparent individualized nutritional counseling to help patients rebuild and nurture a healthy relationship with food and their body

Dr. Martin Schulman, MD

A native of Long Beach, California, Dr. Schulman majored in biochemistry at UC Berkeley in 1981. He graduated from the UC San Diego School of Medicine in 1985 then completed the Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program in Long Beach in 1988. After spending a year working in a small group practice, he joined the clinical faculty at UC San Diego, where he spent the next 15 years splitting his time between administrative, clinical, and teaching duties.

In 2005 Dr. Schulman opened a solo family medicine practice in nearby Encinitas but he maintains his ties to the UC San Diego Medical Center as an affiliate medical staff member and a non-salaried clinical professor of family medicine. Prior to joining Center for Discovery, he spent four years as the medical consultant for a eating disorders residential treatment center for adolescents and adults.

Camila Arce

Camila is the facility and milieu manager at Center for Discovery’s Del Mar residential treatment center. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. She has worked in the field of mental health for several years in San Diego County. Camila began her career at Center for Discovery as a full-time counselor before being promoted to her current position. Camila prides herself on her strong work ethic, her desire to be of help to others through kindness and compassion, and her passion for making the Del Mar treatment center a wonderful place for patients to recover and employees to work. 

Born overseas in Chile to a multicultural family with a passion for seeking out new opportunities, she has lived and explored many different places, and is grateful for the knowledge and insight which this upbringing has provided her.

Danielle Sfeir

Dani is a primary therapist at the Del Mar residential program and joined the team in February 2021. Dani’s experience began working with children, adolescents and their families in an outpatient setting where she provided evidence-based treatments for eating disorders, mood disorders, PTSD and substance use disorders. She is passionate about working with individuals with eating disorders and has special interests in trauma work and body positivity.   

Dani received her BS in animal science from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and received her MA in couples and family therapy from Alliant International University, California School of Professional Psychology. Dani is a registered associate marriage and family therapist (AMFT# 116785).   

Dani is trained in DBT and TF-CBT, and enjoys using these therapeutic modalities to help her patients experience their emotions and live life in a more effective and fulfilling way, free of eating disorder behaviors. She is a firm believer that full recovery from an eating disorder is possible. Outside of the office, Dani enjoys traveling to Europe, spending time outside and riding her horse, Willow. 

Betty Blanc, LMFT, MBA

Betty is the program director for Center for Discovery’s Del Mar residential treatment center overseeing the clinical and administrative operations of the facility. She comes to us with a master’s in marriage and family therapy from Northcentral University and a master’s in business administration from Loyola Marymount University. Betty is an active member of The National Society of Leadership and Success.

Betty has gained valuable experience working in clinical settings with school-based children and youths, with an emphasis on the special education field. Betty also has experience working in an all-female residential substance abuse treatment center where she utilized trauma-informed care and provided therapy to clients with co-occurring disorders such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, severe mental health, grief and loss. Her approach to therapy is to treat the client with empathy and genuine compassion and to create a safe environment for the client to feel supported and empowered.

Anna Wright, RN

Anna is a nurse administrator at Center for Discovery’s Del Mar residential treatment center. She graduated from Western Governors University with her bachelor’s in nursing. Prior to joining Center for Discovery, she spent two years as a nursing assistant taking care of the senior population. Anna enjoys traveling, playing with her dog, going to the beach and spending time with loved ones.

Courtney Valero

Courtney originally joined the CFD team as a full-time counselor and quickly grew to love the treatment model offered here before being promoted to primary therapist. Courtney is passionate about mental health and seeing clients progress in their recovery journeys. She holds the belief that patients heal best when they feel valued and strives to show unconditional kindness and empathy to everyone she works with. When she’s not working, Courtney loves to travel or spend time with her dog.