GREENWICH OUTPATIENT EATING DISORDER PROGRAM

Danielle Deramo, LMHC

Danielle attended Mercy College where she received a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science. She then attended Pace University where she received her master’s degree in mental health counseling. Danielle provides weekly intensive therapy to patients of all ages struggling with eating disorders, depression, anxiety and family conflict. As the clinical intake coordinator for Center for Discovery, Danielle believes in getting to know each person that walks through the door and build a rapport that allows for a healing and therapeutic environment for families and patients. She strives to embody this philosophy in her practice through a multi-faceted, strengths-based approach including ACT, CBT and DBT. Danielle’s true passion is the treatment of mental health and eating disorders and her focus is helping patients feel empowered on their journey to recovery. Danielle embodies creating a life worth living while striving to be our most authentic.

Allison Milch, RD, CDN

Allison is dedicated to helping individuals heal their relationships with food and their body through building self-compassion and body trust. She is passionate about empowering her patients to advocate for their needs and assume the role of teacher and learner during their recovery. Allison also believes in providing inclusive care for people of all sizes and identities and loves teaching patients about Health at Every Size (HAES) ®. She addresses eating disorders and disordered eating through the lens of both individual and systemic issues and strives to help patients feel more confident navigating the world they live in. Allison received her B.S. in nutritional science at Cornell University, where she completed the dietetic internship. Through this 10-month program, Allison completed community and research rotations in Syracuse and an extensive clinical rotation at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Allison began exploring intuitive eating and HAES ® during this time and was able to apply these principles when counseling her first patients. Allison also has experience working with children with type 1 diabetes at Camp Nejeda in New Jersey, where she provided nutrition education about diabetes management from an intuitive eating perspective. Discussions with patients about taking down diet culture are truly what gets Allison out of bed every morning!

Abigail Almonte, BS

Abigail is the milieu manager 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. She has since expanded her experience and education through Lehman’s Dietetic Internship. Through the internship, Abigail 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.

Abigail has worked as a diet tech at the Greenwich site for several years, before transitioning into her role as milieu manager. During her role as a diet tech, Abigail has provided support to patients by working hands-on with them 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.

With her role as milieu manager, Abigail will continue to provide ongoing support for clients as well as support for her team, including handling day-to-day operations and management. Abigail is excited for the opportunity to be part of a new role within Center for Discovery.

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

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.