GREENWICH OUTPATIENT EATING DISORDER PROGRAM

Kelsey Riesbeck, RD, CD-N

Kelsey Riesbeck is a Registered Dietitian at Center for Discovery Greenwich. Kelsey earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics from the University of Connecticut in 2018. She continued her education by completing her Dietetic Internship, obtaining experience in hospitals, schools, and outpatient facilities around Connecticut and Massachusetts. She passed the national registration exam that same year to become licensed to practice in CT.

Kelsey’s specialized treatment of eating disorders began as a Psych Tech in an inpatient facility where she learned to provide individual therapy and lead group sessions. Kelsey is passionate about teaching others the importance of good nutrition for the body as well as the mind. She truly practices the “all foods fit” motto in her daily life and is excited to share her love for food and nutrition with others throughout their recovery process. Kelsey is trained in culinary education will use this knowledge to help others become more comfortable in the kitchen and dining environment. She is looking forward to continuing her career in eating disorders and leading others in their path to recovery.

Danielle Deramo, PCA

Danielle joined the Center For Discovery team in 2016 as Program Therapist for the Greenwich PHP/IOP Program.

Danielle Deramo attended Mercy College where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Science. Danielle went on to follow her passion of becoming a mental health therapist and attended Pace University where she received her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling. During her time at Pace University, Danielle completed her internship at an Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital and worked with clients in group settings that were struggling with depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, truancy, and/or oppositional behaviors. During this time Danielle truly realized this was her calling.

Danielle has always had a great interest in the treatment of eating disorders and strives to be a support to those that are struggling. After graduating, Danielle continued exploring her passions and other areas of focus in clinical practice. Danielle began learning about law enforcement and the military in respect to mental health and trauma and ways to best serve these populations. Danielle is certified in providing care to the military and their families. Danielle greatly enjoys empowering people of all walks of life to find the courage and strength to use their voice and advocate for themselves.

Allison Milch, RD, CDN

Allison Milch is a Registered Dietitian at Center for Discovery Greenwich. In 2018, Allison earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Science from Cornell University.  She continued to gain experience in the field while completing the Cornell University Dietetic Internship. Through this 10-month program, she completed rotations at an area agency on aging, as well as at a hospital and long-term care center. In 2019, she passed the national registration exam and obtained a license to practice in Connecticut.

During her dietetic internship, Allison realized her passion for counseling and developing trusting relationships with her clients. In her new role at Center for Discovery, she is excited to help improve her clients’ relationships with food and body through a weight-inclusive approach to health. In addition, Allison is looking forward to gaining invaluable experience in eating disorders and learning from an exceptional health care team at Greenwich.

Abigail Almonte

Abigail Almonte is a Dietetic Technician, Registered (D.T.R.) at Center for Discovery’s Greenwich Outpatient Program. Abigail earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics, Food, and Nutrition from City University of New York’s Lehman College in 2017. She has since expanded her experience and education through Lehman’s Dietetic Internship.

Abigail has gained experience working in a variety of healthcare and retail settings in New York and New Jersey; including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, non-profit organizations, and within an eating disorder treatment program. During her internship, Abigail realized her passion for teaching others about balance and the joy of food. Overtime, Abigail has grown comfortable working hands-on with clients and their families with menu planning, cooking and providing educational programs around our relationship with food and its impact on our physical and mental health.

Abigail is an active member of both the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as well as the Westchester Rockland Dietetic Association. Abigail is excited to support each client on their path to growth in her role as a Dietetic Technician for Center For Discovery.

Brittany Franko, MBA

Brittany has worked for the Center for Discovery as a counselor and diet technician. She later transitioned into the role of facility manager. Prior to these roles, Brittany worked as a personal trainer where she watched countless clients struggle with unhealthy relationships with food and exercise. Growing up in the world of athletics, Brittany developed a love for movement early on. This passion was the driving force that led Brittany to obtain her bachelor’s degree in exercise science and psychology from Southern Connecticut State University. Later, in 2015, Brittany graduated with her Master of Business Administration from the University of New Haven. Brittany’s combined knowledge, developed through life experiences and education, led her to realize that the process of lifestyle change occurs through learning, pushing beyond our comforts and learning to love oneself. These experiences helped her develop a holistic approach to mind/body wellness and she became an Embody dance instructor. In 2018, Brittany began working at a PHP/IOP program in New York as a recovery coach and Embody instructor. In this position, Brittany brought Embody to her clients as a way to challenge their rigidity around movement and to heal their relationship with their bodies. Brittany believes that a positive self-image develops in response to our body’s experience of joyful movement. Brittany is also trained in level 1 Reiki and is certified as an eating psychology coach.

Melanie Daniel, MS

Melanie Daniel is a Dietetic Technician at Center for Discovery’s Greenwich Outpatient Program. Melanie earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Food and Nutrition Science with a concentration in Dietetics from Montclair State University. She obtained a Master’s Degree in Community Nutrition and Public Health from Saint Elizabeth University, where she also completed her Dietetic internship. In addition, Melanie is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

It was during her Master’s coursework, that Melanie became passionate about intuitive eating and the non-diet “health at every size (HAES)” approach. Through her education and experiences in nutrition, Melanie found her calling for helping others to develop and sustain a positive relationship with food. Melanie is working towards becoming a Registered Dietitian and hopes to become a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. 

Madeline Ziff, RDN, CDN

Madeline Ziff is a Registered Dietitian at Center for Discovery’s Greenwich program. Madeline studied Nutritional Science at the University of Connecticut and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 2018. She returned to UCONN a year later to complete her Dietetic Internship, where she gained experience in a wide variety of both clinical and community settings throughout the state. Upon completion of her internship, she passed the national registration exam and became licensed to practice in Connecticut.

Madeline was first introduced to the field of eating disorders when working as a Diet Tech in an inpatient facility, where she learned how important it was for clients to have individualized care in a safe and supportive environment. She gained exposure to many different areas of clinical practice throughout her internship, but always found herself coming back to her desire to help others in healing their relationships with food. Having been a Registered Yoga Teacher since the age of 17, Madeline recognizes the importance of acting from a place of self-compassion and learning to listen to one’s body without judgement. Madeline’s goal at the Center for Discovery is to help her clients in building a healthy and trusting relationship with food and their body, which will serve as a foundation to a happy and fulfilling life

Barbara Whitton

Bea joined the Center for Discovery team in 2021 as a primary therapist and works in th.e intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization (PHP) Greenwich programs. Bea received her Master of Arts degree in clinical mental health counseling from Northwestern University and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College.

Bea previously completed her graduate level clinical practicum and internship at an outpatient practice seeing adolescent and adult patients and gained comprehensive experience in treating eating disorders, depression, anxiety, trauma and OCD. Bea is an approved EMDR therapist and also has specialized training in CBT, DBT and psychodynamic counseling. Bea is additionally a certified yoga and meditation instructor. Bea emphasizes the mind-body connection in her eating disorder treatment and believes that all of her patients deserve to have a healthy, balanced and intuitive relationship with their bodies, behaviors and emotions. Bea is passionate about fostering a strong and trusting therapeutic relationship with her patients and utilizes an intentional, empathetic and trauma-informed clinical approach.

Dakota Bennett, MS, RDN, CDN

Dakota is a registered dietitian at Center for Discovery Greenwich. In 2017, Dakota earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from SUNY Potsdam and then transitioned to a didactic program in dietetics at Russell Sage College. She then completed her dietetic internship at the Bronx VA Medical Center where she gained invaluable clinical experience. After completing her internship, Dakota passed the national registration exam and became licensed to practice in Connecticut. In 2021, she obtained a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from New York University.

Through her master’s coursework and self-growth journey, Dakota became passionate about a non-diet approach to health and wellness. She strongly values an All Foods Fit motto and believes self-acceptance is possible for everyone. Dakota looks forward to supporting others on their path to recovery and is excited to help patients rediscover the joy of eating while building a nurturing relationship with both food and body.

Gina Rodi, LMHC

Gina joined the Center for Discovery team in 2021 as a therapist and works in the intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization (PHP) Greenwich programs. Gina received her Master of Science degree in clinical mental health counseling from St. John Fisher College and her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and business from The College at Brockport.

Gina previously completed her graduate level clinical practicum and internship at the Veterans Administration and has experience in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, OCD and simple/complex trauma. Gina is an approved clinical certified trauma professional (CCTP), certified family trauma professional (CFTP) and a certified clinical trauma specialist-s (CCTS-S) in sex-trafficking and exploitation. Additionally, Gina has spent two years working with individuals with eating disorders at The Healing Connection Inc. and is invested in creating safe and holistic spaces for patients to engage in recovery. Gina has specialized training DBT, CPT and CBT-E. Gina is passionate about fostering a strong and trusting therapeutic relationship with her patients and utilizes relational cultural theory alongside trauma-informed approaches.

Rachael Weir, LMSW

Rachael is a therapist at Center for Discovery’s Greenwich outpatient program. Rachael received her master’s degree in social work from the University of Connecticut and is licensed as a Connecticut Master’s Level Social Worker (LMSW).

Rachael aims to provide a comfortable and collaborative environment in which individuals feel validated, valued and safe. Rachael believes that all individuals have unique strengths and utilizes a person-centered approach to empower patients to recognize these strengths and meet their individualized goals. She offers patients support and empathy as they explore difficult emotions, address barriers, develop skills and work toward recovery. Rachael utilizes aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing and mindfulness in her work with individuals and groups. Prior to joining Center for Discovery, Rachael worked in a variety of settings with adolescents and adults dealing with depression, anxiety, general adjustment, trauma-related and co-occurring disorders.