PROGRAM 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!

PSYCHIATRIST

Dr. Stephen G. Galston, MD

A graduate of Washigton University in St. Louis, Chicago Medical School, and Northwestern’s Institute of Psychiatry, Dr. Stephen Galston has been dually board certified in both adolescent and adult psychiatry. He served for 28 years as the only medical director of the Highland Park Hospital Eating Disorder Unit until it’s closing in the spring of 2013. His private practice, serving adolescents and adults, resides in Vernon Hills and Highland Park, IL, where he is the President of Neuropsychiatric Associates of Illinois. He has been the medical director and consultant for multiple adolescent and adult psychiatric, chemical dependency, and eating disorder programs in the Chicago area. He has also served as President of the Medical Staff at various hospitals in Chicago and its suburbs.

Dr. Galston is an instructor at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and the University Of Chicago School Of Medicine, where he teaches psychiatric child fellows and residents, and family practice residents, eating disorders and psychiatric problems. He has lectured widely on the subjects of eating disorders and all areas of adolescent and adult psychiatry.

PHYSICIAN

Dr. Chirag Patel

Dr. Chirag Patel has been an Internal Medicine physician in private practice for 15 years. He received his medical degree from the joint BA biology/M.D.  medical program at University of Missouri-Kansas City, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at St. Joseph Hospital/Northwestern Medical Center. He has extensive experience in metabolic syndromes, relative to nutrition and dietary practices, specializing in young adult and adolescent medicine.

Dr. Patel started his private practice in 2000, and continues to care for patients in the Northshore and Chicagoland area. Dr. Patel has been appointed as the Primary Care Physician at Center for Discovery’s Adolescent Eating Disorder Treatment Center in Glenview, Illinois and will provide important medical care, supervision, and treatment to the adolescents enrolled in this treatment program.

CLINICAL OUTREACH REPRESENTATIVE

Emily Van Nelson, MA

Emily Van Nelson earned her MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling from Columbia College Chicago. She worked as a clinical team member for 4 years with many clients in inpatient, residential and partial hospital levels of care. Ms. Van Nelson has been in clinical outreach for 3 years and is devoted to connecting clients and professionals with the services they need to meet their specific needs.

As the Clinical Outreach Representative at Center for Discovery Chicago, Ms. Van Nelson fosters and maintains relationships with professionals throughout the mental health community, and she is the primary contact for inquiries about the treatment center. She would be happy to hear from you with any questions or concerns.

PRIMARY THERAPIST

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.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Demi Maropoulos, RD

Demi Maropoulos is a Registered Dietitian with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Demi first began at Center for Discovery during her professional internship rotations as a dietetic intern. She stepped in as many roles before becoming the facility’s full-time dietitian.

Demi believes Center for Discovery’s food philosophy is essential in creating positive relationships with food. She believes in “all foods fit” and “health at every size” for everyone, not just those recovering from eating disorders. Demi lives this philosophy daily, in and out of Center For Discovery, with the hope of inspiring others to develop their own healthy relationships with food.

FACILITY MANAGER

Cara Franke

Cara Franke graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2018 with a Master’s degree in Counseling, preceded by a Bachelor’s in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University. Through her experiences working in K-12 schools and nonprofits, Cara took a special interest in building trustworthy relationships with adolescents to better support the development of their social, emotional, and academic skills. Cara first joined the Center for Discovery team as a milieu counselor and transitioned into her role as Facility Manager and Education Liaison (winter 2019) through which she provides individualized educational support to each client, maintains smooth programming and functioning within our facility, and works closely with Center for Discovery’s counselors, treatment team, and families to support clients through the challenges and celebrations of recovery.

PRIMARY THERAPIST

Taylor Parduhn

Taylor Parduhn is a Licensed Professional Counselor, graduated with her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University. She began her career with Center for Discovery as a milieu counselor where she was able to help clients realize their goals and put their skills to action. As a primary therapist, Taylor is passionate about working individually with adolescents as well as with their families, helping them understand and validate the emotional experience and working toward recovery in a positive, supportive environment. She enjoys collaborating with and encouraging adolescents as they find meaning in their life along with accomplishing short and long term goals. Taylor enjoys working with clients across populations, struggling with eating disorders, distorted body image, mood and anxiety disorders, self-injury, trauma, and suicidal ideation. She promotes the power of challenging negative beliefs and exploring new healthy skills, thoughts, and beliefs to build the best life possible.

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.