MONTVERDE EATING DISORDER PROGRAM

Dr. Celine Passeri, Psy.D.

Celine Passeri, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist who graduated from Nova Southeastern University with a doctorate in clinical psychology. Dr. Passeri specializes in treating eating disorders and co-occurring mental health illnesses.Dr. Passeri has worked in a variety of mental health settings throughout her career. The Child and Family Wellness Center at Florida Hospital for Children was created with the coloration and expertise of Dr. Passeri. To help address the current pediatric obesity crisis in Central Florida, Dr. Passeri helped to develop The Child and Family Wellness Center at Florida Hospital For Children. Dr. Passeri created the first department to identify and address the presence of eating disorders and body image issues in children and adolescents diagnosed as overweight or obese.

As a leader in the Eating Disorder Network of Central Florida (EDNCF), Celine is committed to raising eating disorders awareness and providing specialized treatment and prevention. In February 2011, Dr. Passeri organized the first National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) walk in Orlando and she and her team recently celebrated their 7th Annual NEDA Walk on March 11th, 2017. Dr Passeri is one of the founders of the yearly EDNCF scholarship program, which provides eating disorder treatment funds to families and individuals in need. Dr. Passeri is a member and Education chair of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP) Orlando Chapter.

Marissa Jones, MS, MHCA, LMHC, CEDS

Laurie Harden, MD

Dr. Harden is board certified in General Psychiatry. She graduated from the University of South Florida College of Medicine in 2007.Dr. Harden attended a residency at the Palmetto Health/University of South Carolina program in Columbia, SC. She has been a Psychiatrist in Florida since 2011. She is available for psychiatric consultation, evaluation, and medication management. Dr. Harden has experience with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and many other psychiatric conditions. In addition, she has a strong interest in multiple types of therapy including cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and interpersonal therapy.

Sara Dreier

Sara specializes in Community Outreach, Marketing Strategy, and Business Development. Sara is actively involved with the recovery community. This has led her to public speaking, educating healthcare professionals, facilitating support groups, as well as fundraising and advocacy for prevention and improved access to treatment in the Central Florida Community and beyond.

Pamela Dove, MHA

Pamela is a certified teacher with over 20 years of experience in the classroom. Pam graduated from Columbia International University with a degree in Biblical Studies. She went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude from Palm Beach Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational resource management. She earned her education certification through the Educator Preparatory Institute at Valencia College. Pam went on to complete her master’s degree in healthcare administration, helping to make her the perfect leader for Center for Discovery. Pam joined the Center for Discovery team in 2016 and has been an integral part of many patients’ healing process. Pam’s passion has always been to support students’ learning and to advocate for students that need additional support. She is grateful for the opportunity to support staff and to help families as they navigate eating disorder recovery. Additionally, Pam tirelessly works to improve the education system within the community, advocating for evidence-based practices that do not cause harm in children and adolescents.

Caroline Dorr

Caroline Dorr is a Clinical Mental Health Therapist who is passionate about helping people find their strength to overcome internal battles. She graduated from Auburn University with a major in Psychology in 2015. In 2017 she graduated from Mississippi State University with a Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Upon her graduation, Caroline began working in a community mental health setting, where she gained a great experience treating a variety of different mental health issues. Caroline found her passion for treating eating disorders during this time, and started working in an eating disorder treatment center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Caroline gained a lot of knowledge and experience in treating clients of all ages in outpatient, intensive outpatient, and PHP levels of care. Caroline recently relocated to Orlando, FL and is continuing to work as a Primary Therapist at an adolescent residential treatment center. Caroline is currently working to obtain her LMHC and CEDS to better serve her clients.

Luis Ramirez

Luis is a mental health counselor with a passion for understanding the narratives of those he works with. Luis earned his Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and his Master of Arts degree in counselor education from the University of Central Florida. He has worked in the mental health field for approximately four years, aiding clients ranging from children to adults from various backgrounds and struggling with a range of concerns. Luis has an immense desire to assist clients in understanding their lives, accepting who/where they are and forging new paths. His experiences have helped him understand that each and every individual is unique. In understanding this, he helps clients discover their personal journey forward by incorporating their goals, values and therapeutic needs. Throughout his experiences, Luis has felt thankful to partake in the journeys of those who have shared their stories with him. He strives to provide them with genuine kindness, compassion and insight in regard to the lives they have lived, and the futures they wish to write.

Kate Albarella

Kate Albarella is a licensed and registered dietitian nutritionist in Florida as well as a certified eating disorder registered dietitian through the International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). She specializes in the treatment of disordered eating, chronic dieting, PCOS and GI disorders. Kate utilizes the All Foods Fit nutrition philosophy with Intuitive Eating principles, while working from a Health at Every Size ®️ approach. This allows her to meet the individual needs of her clients.

Kate graduated from the University of New Haven in Connecticut and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Saint Joseph. She is currently pursuing her master’s in mental health counseling through Southern New Hampshire University. Her background includes working as a clinical dietitian helping patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings while writing and creating policies for refeeding syndrome, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder and more. She has experience working with nearly every disease state and has had the privilege of presenting on the topic of eating disorders at various conferences and universities. She strives to bring compassion and understanding to every family she meets and into every client session she has. Kate’s passion for working with disordered eating is clear in her relationship with her clients.

Brooke Cockson, RDN/LDN

Brooke is a licensed and registered dietitian nutritionist in the state of Florida. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in comparative sociology from the University of Puget Sound in 2000. Through personal experiences, she was introduced to Intuitive Eating, which changed her life. After a long career as a social worker working primarily with adolescents, she decided to go back to school to study nutrition and dietetics at Keiser University and graduated in 2021. Brooke completed her coordinated dietetic internship through Keiser University. During her internship, Brooke worked in the disordered eating community by providing medical nutrition therapy in multiple private practices and acute care settings. She spent a good portion of her time during the COVID-19 pandemic studying anti-diet culture, Health at Every Size ® and Body Trust. Brooke has always been passionate about helping the adolescent population overcome their struggles. When the opportunity to work at the Center for Discovery Montverde location presented itself, she knew she had to take it. She is currently in the process of completing her graduate program at Colorado State University studying organizational leadership with an emphasis on population health. In her spare time, Brooke scuba dives, paddleboards, kayaks, rollerblades with her daughter, gardens, and loves to cook and write stories. She believes everyone deserves to enjoy life as much as she does and is determined to help make that happen.

Savitri Awadh, RN MSN

Savitri graduated from a four-year nursing program in Suriname in 1994. Due to her love for the nursing profession, she completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2005 from the University of Phoenix and her master’s degree in nursing education in 2012 from the Western Governor University. Savitri’s passion for taking care of people and educating them about the importance of good health and wellness inspired her to work in various settings of nursing. Throughout her career, she has worked in hospitals, home health nursing, long-term care, and pediatric nursing. Savitri joined Center for Discovery in 2018 and discovered a new passion for caring for adolescents with eating disorders and behavioral health issues. Savitri is committed to providing high quality, evidenced-based nursing treatment to everyone in her care.

Lindsey McNeil, BA

Lindsey joined the Center for Discovery team in 2021, bringing her passion for guiding and helping others along with her. Lindsey graduated Magna Cum Laude upon earning her dual Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social and Criminal Justice from the University of Arizona. Lindsey has many years of experience in the mental health field. She began her career working with adolescents in a social work setting and soon transitioned into a lead counselor role in residential treatment facility settings, focusing on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and mindfulness approaches. Lindsey believes treatment deserves an individualistic approach and holds a passion for advocating on behalf of students needing support. Lindsey transitioned into the educational liaison role with the commitment of advocating and providing additional support for struggling adolescents and families navigating not only treatment but their education. Lindsey is passionate about working alongside individuals with a variety of struggles and is grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in her students’ lives.

Jessica Oliver, LCSW

Jessica graduated from the University of Southern California in 2018 with her master’s in clinical social work specializing in trauma informed care. She started Peaceful Pastures Therapy as a way to bring an unparalleled form of unique therapy working with horses. Horses in a herd closely resemble the family system. Through our interactions with horses, it can lead to an awareness of how we relate to ourselves and others. Each horse’s distinct personality may remind you of someone you know, eliciting emotions and behaviors that can be processed in a safe and non-judgmental way. New insights, skills and successes developed with the horses transfers to each participant’s everyday life. Equine therapy provides a fun, challenging and unique environment in which human growth, healing and potential may be achieved. Her clinical focus is trauma informed care through hypnotherapy and equine assisted psychotherapy. She offers equine sessions for individuals that are struggling with relationships, self-confidence, anxiety, eating disorders and parent-child conflicts. She and the horses work together to bring unconscious patterns and beliefs to awareness, create a more compassionate and empowered relationship to those patterns, and learn to move with and through the blocks.