MCLEAN EATING DISORDER PROGRAM

Tatiana Menick, MD

A Board-certified psychiatrist, Tatiana Menick, M.D. completed her four-year residency training in psychiatry in the St Elizabeths Hospital Psychiatry Residency Program, Washington, DC,

Dr. Menick has more than ten years’ experience conducting pharmacotherapy and individual and group psychotherapy in community mental health clinics.

She provides psychiatric consultation for Center for Discovery Virginia and also maintains a thriving private practice. She is the first author of multiple articles appearing in the International Journal of Child Health and Human Development and Environment, Mood Disorders and Suicide and other books.

Natalie Irvin, MD

Dr. Irvin is a family physician with expertise in the management of medical complications of eating disorders. She has worked exclusively in the eating disorder field since 2007, and has experience working with inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, and outpatient level of care.

Dr. Irvin earned her undergraduate degree in Psychobiology at the University of Southern California, and her medical degree at the University of Texas in San Antonio. She has been with Center for Discovery since 2013 with the opening of the Fairfax eating disorder treatment facility in Virginia. She enjoys working closely with the treatment team to assist individuals at every stage of life on the journey toward recovery.

Emmy Johnson, MSW

Emmy Johnson, MSW, (they/them), is a social worker specializing in trauma and eating disorders, particularly in the LGBTQ+ population. They use Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and somatic-based interventions to help people work towards building a life worth living. They believe that people are experts in their own experiences, and that by combining personal knowledge and clinical expertise, the client-therapist team can determine effective ways for the client to achieve their goals. They strive to be anti-racist, anti-oppression and Health At Every Size/anti-sizeism oriented in all that they do.

Courtney Coleman

Courtney Coleman earned her undergraduate degree from Rider University with a B.S in Allied Health Studies and Psychology. While obtaining her undergraduate degree she obtained other skill sets as a Critical Care technician within an Inpatient Eating Disorder Facility. She then acquired her QMHP licensure in the state of Virginia.

While working in the field of mental health she found her passion within the subspecialty of eating disorders. Courtney is very passionate about promoting healthy living and environments. Courtney is currently the Milieu Manager for Center for Discovery in McLean, Virginia.

Julie Rund, MA, ATR-P, LPC-R

Julie Rund is a Primary Therapist at Center For Discovery McLean. Julie earned her Master’s Degree in Art Therapy with a Specialization in Counseling from Seton Hill University. She has worked in both hospital and residential settings with clients of all ages. She has worked with people coping with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and other mood disorders. Her work is focused on helping clients better understand their emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and beliefs through the creation and discussion of art. Julie is proud of her ability to use either talk-based therapy or art therapy as her methods of treatment. Ultimately, Julie is committed to ensuring clients are motivated to lead balanced lifestyles centered around recovery.

Leona Weatherspoon

Leona completed her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree at The University of Toledo. Directly after obtaining her undergraduate degree, she went to Case Western Reserve University for graduate school, where she obtained her Master of Science in Social Administration (MSSA/MSW). The majority of her work thus far has been in hospital settings in acute psychiatric care where she has gained experience with a multitude of psychiatric diagnoses. She is interested in motivating and aiding clients in mindfulness techniques and thought processing to recognize their negative thought and behavior patterns. She is passionate about seeing clients discover their true selves throughout their recovery.

Mahrim Khan

At the age of 12, I witnessed my first niece being born. It was then that I realized I wanted to be like one of the nurses who helped deliver her. My passion to help people sparked until I fulfilled my dreams. Predictably, my first nursing job was at a Mother-Baby unit. It was everything I ever dreamed of. I then decided I wanted to explore other options and to continue working in womens health. With that being said, I am excited to join the CFD team and its incredible mission and vision.

Cat Saffarinia, MS

Cat earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of the District of Columbia and her master’s degree in nutrition from George Mason University. Cat worked as a diet technician and counselor at Center for Discovery, then went on to complete her dietetic internship through the University of Maryland, College Park. During that time, she worked in an outpatient setting for eating disorders during one of her dietetic internship rotations. Now that she’s back at Center for Discovery, Cat is passionate about helping patients through individualized nutrition counseling to understand the importance of hunger and satiety cues, rejecting the diet restriction mentality, making peace with food, honoring feelings with and without using food, and respecting their bodies. This goes along with the mindfulness and Intuitive Eating technique, which rebuilds relationships with food, mind and body.

Amy Fowler, MSW

Amy Fowler earned her Bachelors in Social Work with a minor in Psychology from George Mason University in 2015 and her Masters in Social Work with a clinical focus in trauma from Simmons College in 2019. She is currently a Supervisee in Clinical Social Work in the state of Virginia. Amy has been with Center for Discovery since August 2020 and has experience working with trauma, children and adolescents, families, and using multiple different interventions. When she is not at work, Amy enjoys hiking and kayaking, spending time with her loved ones and her cats, and dabbling in playing guitar.