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PORTLAND OUTPATIENT EATING DISORDER PROGRAM

Portland, OR

HOME / LOCATIONS / PORTLAND, OR (OUTPATIENT)

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IN-PERSON SERVICES UPDATE: We are resuming in-person programming for partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient treatments. In-person connection is incredibly important to behavioral health treatment and we are eager to provide this support to our patients as they move forward on the road to recovery. We also know that the safety and health of our patients and staff is top priority. See our latest update on steps we are taking to ensure everyone at our facilities are following guidelines as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Center for Discovery Portland is an outpatient eating disorder treatment center providing care to adult patients of all genders. This outpatient eating disorder treatment center opened in September 2016 with a specially-trained staff of experts, including extensive experience in trauma-informed treatment as well as dialectal behavior therapy (DBT), exposure & response prevention (ERP) and mindfulness.

Insurances we accept include but are not limited to Cigna / Great West, Humana (Life Sync), Kaiser (Portland), MODA and Optum BH (Including PBH and UBH). Please remember that the insurances we accept change frequently. Our insurance team will verify your coverage.

This facility is unique in that it offers a specialized group, Path to Peace, for patients experiencing binge eating disorder. The center is located in a beautiful, wooded area in Tigard, Oregon, close to George Fox University, Sumner College and Portland Community College.

CENTER FOR DISCOVERY

13221 SW 68th Parkway
Ste 440
Portland, OR 97223-8659
PH 866.482.3876
M-F 9:00am to 5:00pm

PROGRAM FEATURES

Intensive Outpatient
Partial Hospitalization
All Genders
All Ages

FIND HELP TODAY CALL 866.482.3876
OR SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

MEET THE TEAM

REGIONAL DIRECTOR

Maureen Peterson, MA, LMHC, CEDS-S
PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Alysa Romano, LPC, MED
CLINICAL OUTREACH REPRESENTATIVE

Rachelann Bryant, MSW
MILIEU MANAGER

Samantha Abukhater, MA
REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Paige Handler, MS, RDN
REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Paige Becker, RDN, LD
REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Kate Webb, RDN, LD
REGISTERED NURSE

Liz Brown RN, BSN
MFT-INTERN

Nikki Short, MA
REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Emily Velasquez
REGIONAL DIRECTOR

Maureen Peterson, MA, LMHC, CEDS-S

Maureen Peterson is the NorthWestern Outpatient Regional Director and Program Director at Center for Discovery Tacoma OP treating adolescents, adults, and families impacted by eating disorders. Maureen is a licensed mental health counselor and earned her BA  in Psychology from Pacific Lutheran University and her MA in Counseling Psychology from Saint Martin’s University. She also completed a certificate program in The Long Term Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders through the University of Washington School of Social Work. Maureen has been working in the mental health field since 1991 and has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders since 1996. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Supervisor through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals. In 2011, Maureen received the “Spirit of the Alliance” award through the Alliance for Families, a national organization. She is passionate about community service, and enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Alysa Romano, LPC, MED

Program Director, Alysa Romano, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Supervisor. She earned her Master’s degree at Columbia University Teachers College, with an emphasis on social justice, and has been providing counseling for clients experiencing eating disorders for over eight years. Alysa has worked in various levels of care and treatment settings including The Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy, Oliver-Pyatt Eating Disorder Treatment Center (Monte Nido), Portland Dialectical Behavior Therapy Institute, University of Portland, and National University of Natural Medicine. She provides counseling for adolescents, young adults, and adults and enjoys leading groups and trainings, teaching courses, and providing supervision to her team. In addition to working with clients experiencing eating disorders, Alysa has specialized in treating Anxiety Disorders, OCD, Attachment and Relationship Concerns, and Depression. Her therapeutic approach is evidence-based and trauma-informed, blending CBT, DBT, Mindfulness, Internal Family Systems, and Rational Emotive Therapies. Alysa is passionate about supporting clients at Center For Discovery Portland to heal from trauma, break free from limiting beliefs, and create lives that they feel are meaningful and fulfilling.

CLINICAL OUTREACH REPRESENTATIVE

Rachelann Bryant, MSW

Rachelann Bryant is the is the Clinical Outreach Representative at Center For Discovery Portland. She received her BA in Family and Human Services at the University of Oregon in 2004 and her Master’s in Social Work with an emphasis on Community Based Practice from Portland State University in 2010. She has over 15 years experience working with youth, adults, and families in behavioral health including residential treatment facilities, community mental health and engagement programs. She has worked in outreach for the last 5 years striving to develop relationships with community partners and helping to eliminate barriers and expand access to care for individuals and their families. She is passionate about collaboration and the power of community to work towards breaking down the stigma attached to behavioral health and being a part of providing exemplary care to individuals and their families. She is an Oregon native and enjoys spending time with her family and friends exploring the great outdoors as well as the beautiful city of Portland.

MILIEU MANAGER

Samantha Abukhater, MA

Samantha is the Milieu Manager at Center for Discovery. She completed her undergraduate studies at Portland State University in 2013 and received a Dual-Master’s degree from Pacific University in Healthcare Administration and Counseling Psychology in 2015. She completed her graduate internship at Clackamas Community College as a Counseling Intern working with students and doing various outreach projects and training activities. During her graduate education, Samantha found that she enjoyed the legal and administrative aspects of healthcare and completed a Graduate Certificate for Healthcare Compliance in 2016. After graduation, Samantha worked for a medical center in their partial hospitalization program for eating disorders. She is passionate about working with eating disorders and helping people overcome their barriers to treatment, as well as helping organizations run effectively and maintaining compliance. In her free time, Samantha enjoys going to the beach and spending time with her dog.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Paige Handler, MS, RDN

Paige Handler is a Registered Dietitian and Certificated Lactation Educator. She received a Bachelor of Arts in both Drama and Psychology from Vassar College and completed her Didactic Program in Dietetics at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where she also completed her Dietetic Internship as well as her Masters of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences. During her graduate studies, Paige created a thesis project based on increasing eating disorder knowledge among adolescents through theater and education. Prior to joining the team at Center for Discovery in 2016, Paige gained her clinical experience as an intern at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Paige adheres to the All Foods Fit Philosophy and enjoys helping clients find their own path to recovery be creating a healthy relationship with food. She enjoys working with adolescent and adult clients on setting and achieving their individual goals while focusing on the principles of intuitive eating.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Paige Becker, RDN, LD

Paige Becker received her Bachelors of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University, and she completed her dietetic internship at Oregon State University. She’s been in the beautiful Pacific Northwest ever since. Paige has worked in outpatient nutrition for over 4 years — first as the dietitian at a community health center in Tacoma, WA and then as an outpatient dietitian at a hospital in Portland, OR. Working with a general population showed Paige how prevalent, yet underdiagnosed, eating disorders and disordered eating are in our society. She quickly began focusing her continuing education hours on intuitive eating, Health At Every Size, and eating disorder care. She is excited to now be working primarily with eating disorder clients at Center for Discovery. Paige believes healthy eating supports not only physical health, but also mental, social, and emotional health.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Kate Webb, RDN, LD

Kate is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Licensed Dietitian with a Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition from the University of Alabama. She completed over 1,200 hours of supervised practice in her Dietetic internship through Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Kate’s nutritional counseling approach is rooted in Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size (HAES®) principles, and focuses on client empowerment and self-compassion. Kate’s greatest wish for her clients at Center for Discovery is to break free from the bounds of diet culture and learn to trust their body’s internal wisdom.

REGISTERED NURSE

Liz Brown RN, BSN

Liz, the facility Registered Nurse, was born and raised in Colorado. Liz received a Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University in Health and Exercise Science with a concentration in Sports Medicine. She then went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Regis University in Denver. Liz recently moved to Portland to pursue her Nurse Practitioner degree from Oregon Health and Science University. She has a real interest in the field of eating disorders and feels very fortunate to be working for Center for Discovery!

MFT-INTERN

Nikki Short, MA

Jamie Nicole (Nikki) Short is a Therapist at Center for Discovery Portland. She received her BA in Communication Theory in 2004 and her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Regis University in Denver, CO in 2019. She has experience working with a variety of populations including adults, families, and couples in behavioral health settings including community crisis, hospice, family reunification, military mental health retreats, and private practice. She believes in using therapy as a tool to address social injustice at a micro level to relieve internalized prejudice and shame. She is passionate about body inclusivity, intersectional feminism, and LGBTIQ+ advocacy. She has lived across the US and abroad. She loves to travel and read and is a fan of Liverpool FC and Portland MLS teams.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Emily Velasquez

Emily, a registered dietitian, has been with Center for Discovery since 2021. Emily provides one-on-one nutrition counseling and leads nutrition group sessions for adolescents and adults, rooted in the Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size ® philosophy. She received a dual bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dance from Buffalo State College, where she also completed her 1,200-hour supervised practice experience within the coordinated dietetics program. Her interest in eating disorder began as a dancer, and while in college she researched perceived energy needs of dancers compared to their actual needs. This interest carried on into the general population, seeing the ubiquitous damage of diet culture and the growing prevalence of eating disorders. Prior to Center for Discovery, Emily worked at Nike World Headquarters where she provided one-on-one nutrition counseling, taught group nutrition classes and gave nutritional oversight for available food offerings. Emily is passionate about helping individuals fuel their bodies while developing a healthy relationship with food. Emily’s interest in dance nutrition continues, with a passion to prevent and treat eating disorders in dancers, as well as improve overall performance and reduce injury risk. Emily dances for fun when she can in styles of ballet, contemporary, salsa and bachata.

Support Group

We have a handful of free online support groups. Find out more about how to join our free support groups.

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COVID-19 Update: Online telehealth is offered for intensive outpatient treatment as an option to patients living in California, Florida, New Jersey and Texas.

In-person intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization is also offered at this location. Residential treatment continues to be offered at our residential facilities for individuals in need of a higher level of care. Learn about all that we are doing to protect the safety and wellbeing of our patients and staff.

Preferred In-Network Provider for All Major Health Insurance

VERIFY INSURANCE

Patient, Family & Staff Safety is our Priority: COVID-19Update