PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Megan Freundlich, RD

Megan Freundlich earned her Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition with a minor in Spanish from Appalachian State University and her Masters in Public Health from New York University. She is a Registered Dietitian with the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Megan has been with the Center for Discovery as a Registered Dietitian since 2017 and recently transitioned to Program Director at the adult woman, residential facility in Fremont. She is passionate about rebuilding the relationship her clients have with food and body. She utilizes the Healthy At Every Size model in her treatment and implements the tenants of intuitive eating with her clients. Megan believes full remission is possible, and seeks to provide a supportive space where her clients can explore and discover their own capacity to recover.

PRIMARY THERAPIST

Chelsea Hall, LMFT

Chelsea is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who obtained a Masters of Science in Counseling (MFT option), and a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from Cal State East Bay and a Doctorate of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling. Chelsea began working for Center for Discovery in 2019 at the Fremont location as a primary therapist, and works hard to support her clients and team with serenity and diligence. Chelsea’s experience includes treating substance abuse and trauma with interactions with eating disorders at the residential level of care, supporting families in navigating the CPS system, as well as treating trauma, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, spiritual and personal identity issues, family conflict and a variety of other community health issues at an outpatient level and in private practice. Chelsea’s therapeutic style is authentic, direct, and client centered. She strives to meet clients with empathy and support at their point of need, and emphasizes the use of current strengths and new skills to assist them to heal in a safe environment while also reaching their goals.

NURSE ADMINISTRATOR

Catherine Fruto, RN

Catherine has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Philippine Women’s University. From 2011 to 2017, she maintained a stellar record as a caregiver. With her nursing background, she was able to assist all clients and their medical needs. She was preferred by her clients and their family members for her dependability, compassion, patience, and attentiveness. In 2017, Catherine became a Licensed Vocational Nurse and joined Center for Discovery. In that time, she discovered a passion for the mental health, especially working with adult women. In 2019, Catherine moved into the Nurse Administrator role at the Fremont facility. She is passionate about her work and clients and hopes to continue to grow in leadership and management in her new role.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Shannon Lin, RD

Shannon is the Registered Dietitian at Center for Discovery Fremont, a residential eating disorder program for adult women. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Nutrition with a minor in Communications from the University of California, Davis. She completed her dietetic internship in Sonoma County, where she was able to lead a community nutrition project. Shannon hopes to help clients improve their relationship with food by challenging and supporting them throughout their recovery, as well as helping them incorporate the “all foods fit” philosophy into their daily lives.

FACILITY MANAGER

Dulce Morales, BA

PROGRAM PHYSICIAN

Mitesh Popat, MD

Dr. Popat has worked at Center for Discovery Fremont since the house opened in June 2012. He greatly enjoys providing interdisciplinary care to clients as they recover from their eating disorders. He believes in the efficacy of teams of clinicians who are trained in different ways to impact peoples’ lives. In caring for clients at CFD, his general approach is one of medical stabilization while engaging in the therapeutic process. He believes understanding the “why” of eating disorder behaviors is critical to recovery and developing more healthy modes of coping with stress and past trauma.

In his work outside of CFD, he works at Marin Community Clinics as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Associate CEO. He is a Board Certified Family Physician with a MD and MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine. After medical school, he served in the O’Connor Hospital/Stanford Family Medicine Residency Program in San Jose. He has worked in India, South Africa, and Honduras with local medical professionals to improve preventive care for patients with chronic disease and to describe the social factors surrounding HIV infection.  He volunteers his time with various organizations, including the American Cancer Society.

Psychiatrist

Ruth Hsu, MD

Dr. Ruth Hsu received her BS in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Michigan, and completed her MD at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. After medical school, she completed her residency in Adult Psychiatry at Stanford University where she served as a Chief Resident in her final year of training.

She has a special interest in eating disorders, and enjoys working at Center for Discovery in a collaborative approach with the larger team to address an individual’s interpersonal dynamics, medical complications, psycho-education, behavioral modification, therapeutic needs, and medication management. She also has an understanding and ability to treat a wide range of conditions including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, addictions, obsessive compulsive disorder, and psychosis.

In addition to her role at Center for Discovery, she works at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in the Emergency Psychiatric Services, as well as The Camden Center located in Menlo Park.