Brittany Phillips, LMHC

Brittany is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who graduated with distinction from Long Island University. During her Master’s Degree program, she held a graduate research assistantship in the School of Education, as well as a teaching assistantship co-facilitating training groups for graduate-level counseling students. Brittany started working as a milieu counselor and per diem therapist at Center for Discovery Hamptons when the facility first opened it’s doors in 2016. Since then she has moved into the role of Primary Therapist and is dedicated to facilitating behavioral, emotional, and spiritual growth for adolescents struggling with eating disorders and their families. Brittany has had a desire to work with youth since she first embarked on her career path. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Adolescent Education before moving on to get her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling. Brittany completed her graduate-level practicum at the Suffolk County Corrections Facility working with incarcerated youth and their families. She completed her graduate internship at Saint Joseph’s College of Long Island where she provided individual counseling for undergraduate students and co-facilitated counseling groups in the Wellness Center. Brittany has a special interest in adolescent identity development and her treatment approach is person-centered and integrative. She has been clinically trained in both psychodynamic and humanistic orientations but blends elements from various evidence-based modalities to create a transformative therapeutic experience tailored to each client’s needs. Through her holistic approach to counseling and psychotherapy, individuals are guided and empowered to self-actualize.

Dr. Amy Younai, MD

Dr. Amy Younai is a native of West Windsor, New Jersey. She completed her medical degree at New York University School of Medicine, her psychiatric residency at Mount Sinai Hospital and her fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Northwell Cohen Children’s Medical Center. She joined the East Quogue location when it opened in 2016 and brings extensive experience treating various pediatric eating disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. She is dedicated to supporting patients and families on their journey to recovery. A city girl at heart, she now enjoys spending time with her family on Long Island’s beautiful north shore.

William Wischhusen, LMHC

William is a licensed mental health counselor with over 14 years of professional experience. He earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Adelphi University and St. Joseph’s College respectively. He received a post graduate certificate in Trauma Studies from the School of Social Work at Adelphi University. Most recently, he served as assistant director of care management and care coordination at Suffolk Care Collaborative where he assembled a successful multidisciplinary team of care managers that aimed to reduce avoidable hospital admissions/readmissions. Prior to his work at Suffolk Care Collaborative, he worked at Northwell’s Health Home program where he initiated a standalone outreach unit designed to maximize the program’s enrollment potential. Subsequent to leading the outreach division, he worked as a group health counselor. His role there was to provide care management services to New York’s most vulnerable population. Earlier in his career, he worked in outpatient, inpatient and day hospital environments where he helped those suffering from chronic mental illness make positive changes in their lives. Outside of his professional positions, he enjoys helping others in any way he can. He has worked as a missionary in India and has served as a counselor for teens in multiple community-based programs for the past several years.

Chris Maddox

Dr. Ariel Nunez

Dr. Nunez grew up on Long Island, New York. She went to Cornell University for college and then Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She completed her pediatric residency and adolescent medicine fellowship at Northwell Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where she is also now full-time attending in their Adolescent Medicine Division.

Tania Balsamo, RDN

Tania received a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from Catholic University in Porto, Portugal and completed her first dietetic internship at Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. She also holds a Didactic Program in Dietetics and a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition from New York University. She completed her latest dietetic internship at Long Island University with focus on clinical nutrition. Tania has experience in both food service and clinical nutrition and has always shown special interest in working with children and adolescents. Following the All Foods Fit ™ and Intuitive Eating philosophies, Tania works with clients on healing their relationship with food through individualized meal plans, nutrition counseling and education, as well as exposure-response therapy. In her free time, Tania enjoys baking, doing puzzles, traveling and spending time with family.

Eugenia Sarabalis, LMSW

Eugenia Sarabalis is dedicated to supporting and empowering clients to be the best that they can be. Her vision is to help her clients develop, believe in and work toward realizing their greatest aspirations.

Eugenia worked in hospitals in her early career. While living in Europe, she worked mostly in private practice and trained as a yoga teacher. She discovered both in her work as well as in her own evolution that contemplative practices such as yoga and meditation offer a holistic approach to healing and recovery. She has always believed in meeting her clients where they are in their journey and guiding the work from that place. She uses cognitive-behavioral therapies, supportive therapy, as well as contemplative practices to support her clients.

Briana Jacinto

Briana is a diet technician at Center for Discovery-Woodland Hills. She is currently in the California State University, Long Beach, Combined Master of Science and Dietetic Internship Program. Additionally, Briana plans to complete her thesis with CFD on food insecurity in the eating disorder population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Briana enjoys working with the eating disorder population and would love to work at Center for Discovery as a registered dietitian nutritionist in the near future. Providing support at meals and seeing patients work on building a therapeutic relationship with food are highlights for Briana while working at CFD.

Emma Conners, MPH

Emma joined Center for Discovery Woodland Hills as the facility’s milieu manager in 2020. After a year in that role, she was promoted to executive director and has had the privilege of leading the team through periods of transition and growth. Emma completed her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a concentration in health administration and policy at Depaul University in Chicago, IL where she graduated magna cum laude. Emma continued her education at the University of Arizona where she earned a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in health services administration.

It was during graduate school that Emma was first introduced to the eating disorder treatment world. She had the privilege of working in the residential, PHP and IOP levels of care with both adolescent and adult patients as a counselor assistant. This opportunity changed Emma’s career trajectory. She became passionate about the intersection between mental health and relationships with the food and body. After moving to Los Angeles, she looked for a leadership role in eating disorder treatment to continue her work in the field. The Intuitive Eating, All Foods Fit ®, and Health At Every Size ® framework utilized in Center for Discovery’s facilities aligns with Emma’s own beliefs and practices and made it the perfect fit. Her favorite part of working in treatment is witnessing patients reclaiming independence from their eating disorder and being able to focus on the joyful adventures of life. Outside of work you will find Emma scoping out the best restaurants in LA, lounging around with her dog Paco or traveling!

Rachel Douglas, AMFT

Rachel is a registered associate marriage and family therapist and an associate professional clinical counselor and therapist at Center for Discovery. She holds a Master of Science degree in marriage, couple and family counseling, and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a specialization in child and adolescent development from Walden University where she graduated summa cum laude. She worked at Airport Marina Counseling Service where she gained practical experience in psychiatric and community mental health. Prior, she worked as a counselor for Crisis Text Line.

Jasmine Washington, MS RDN

Jasmine is a non-diet registered dietitian who is passionate about dismantling diet culture. She seeks to help patients from diverse backgrounds make peace with food and reconnect with their joy of food and movement. She received her Master of Science degree in nutritional science from California State University, Los Angeles, and her Bachelor of Music degree in music business from New York University. Prior to joining Center for Discovery, Jasmine completed an internship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, gaining invaluable clinical experience in pediatric and adolescent medicine, and participated in an interdisciplinary feeding team for children with feeding difficulties. 

She also completed a fellowship at California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (CA-LEND), where she honed her skills to provide family-centered care and developmentally appropriate care for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. 

Jasmine firmly believes that all bodies are good bodies and seeks to improve and enrich lives by helping patients heal and create a healthy relationship with the way they eat, move and view their bodies. She utilizes the frameworks of Intuitive Eating, Health at Every Size® and an All Foods Fit philosophy.

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.

Patricia Pascoe

Patricia has a strong passion to support individuals through the healing process toward recovery. She works to help patients discover their potential and focus on addressing barriers through empowerment. Patricia enthusiastically ascribes to the values of the social work profession to maintain the dignity and worth of all people, advocate for social justice, serve with competence and integrity, and promote the importance of healthy interpersonal relationships.

The primary focus for Patricia is to assist adolescents with improving their self-esteem, healing from disordered eating patterns, maintaining safety, decreasing behavioral concerns, and continuing to build and maintain healthy relationships. She also supports the development of skills to improve academic concentration, anxiety management, emotional regulation and socialization. 

Patricia utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help further an understanding of the connection between thoughts, feelings and behavior to address various forms of depression, anxiety and compulsions. Additionally, she practices dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to teach skills to assist in emotional regulation, distress management, mindfulness, and relationship and communication effectiveness.

Janny Cho, RD

Janny is a registered dietitian nutritionist who graduated from University of Maryland College Park with a Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics and biology. She completed her dietetic internship with Virginia/Maryland WIC Dietetic Internship Program. Janny has a wide-range of experiences working with pregnant and postpartum women, infants, teens and children in the WIC program and the adult populations in the long-term care, assisted living and hospice care settings. While working for the WIC Program, she obtained a certified lactation certification (CLC) to provide additional support to breastfeeding mothers. She is an advocate and supporter for women who want to give their babies a healthy start at infancy. Janny is passionate about helping individuals using patient-centered nutritional counseling. She helps patients to develop a positive relationship with food and encourages others to follow the All Foods Fit philosophy. Janny is excited to be part of the Center for Discovery Alexandria outpatient center. 

Ilana Cohen, ASW

Ilana is an associate clinical social worker registered through the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Ilana graduated with her B.A. in sociology and marketing from the University of Denver and received her Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Southern California. During her graduate studies, Ilana worked at a grief support center running groups for young adults grieving a parent and conducted clinical intakes for those interested in joining specific grief groups. 

The following year, Ilana worked as a therapist at the Actors Fund, a national human services organization that caters to the needs of the entertainment community. At Actors Fund, Ilana provided individual and group therapy to patients ranging from 18-60 years old. During this time, Ilana also assessed and administered financial grants provided by the fund to patients who met eligibility criteria. Ilana is an active member of the National Association of Social Workers.