TAMPA OUTPATIENT EATING DISORDER PROGRAM

Jackie Dowgiallo, LMHC, CAP

Jacqueline “Jackie” Dowgiallo is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Addiction Professional in St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Towson University in Towson, Maryland. She has over 9 years of experience working in the mental health field, practicing in a variety of settings, serving children, adolescents, families, adults, and couples. Jackie has experience serving as Clinical Director, developing creative and innovative clinical programming for a substance abuse treatment facility for adults with co-occurring issues. She has experience working with adults suffering with trauma issues and is certified in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), an evidence-based eye-movement desensitization therapy used to effectively reduce the negative symptoms associated with trauma and anxiety. She has a deep passion for exploring and healing complex trauma and related self-defeating issues including self-esteem, anxiety, depression, relationship barriers, grief/loss, gender identity, eating disorders, addiction, and a variety of other concerns. Jackie is guided by a trauma-informed care approach with all clients, which allows her to understand the nature of a person’s pain with a deep sense of empathy, curiosity and acceptance.

Jackie believes that holistic health and healing, accountability, social/relational/family support is paramount for the overall healing process. Outside of her profession, Jackie enjoys cooking, outdoor activities, painting, volunteering, and spending time with her eight-year-old certified therapy dog, Bolivia.

Serene Hasan, MA, LMHC, LMFT, CRC, CEDS

Serene graduated from the University of South Florida and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Criminology, as well as her Master of Arts in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is dually licensed in the State of Florida as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Certified Eating Disorders Specialist.

While completing her internship, Serene treated patients with eating disorders at the residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient level. This experience fueled her pursuit of a career in eating disorder treatment, as she then assisted in the development of an outpatient treatment program for the disease. Serene focuses on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to treat patients, while remaining goal-focused to help propel patients into the recovery stage. Additionally, she has worked with patients struggling with anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which have a high comorbidity with eating disorders. Serene takes a collaborative approach with her patients to help them reach their objectives effectively and efficiently.

Emily Bourque, RD, LD

Emily Bourque is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in the state of Florida.  She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nutrition andDietetics from Louisiana State University in 2015 and completed her advanced education and internship through the University of Oklahoma. Emily has 2 years of professional experience in Community and Clinical Nutrition. During her dietetic internship, Emily worked with the eating disorder community at the residential and outpatient level. Emily has long desired to work with individuals with Eating Disorders and it influenced her decision to pursue a career in nutrition. She is passionate about helping others to discover their true “food freedom”. Emily is new to Center for Discovery’s Tampa location and is looking forward to the opportunity to work with the community. In her free time, you can find Emily traveling, exploring new cuisines, hanging with her beloved dog, and listening to true crime podcasts.

Jacquelyn Supplee, MPH, RDN, LD/N, CEDRD, ATC

Jacquelyn is a registered dietitian nutritionist through the Commission of Dietetic Registry (CDR), licensed by the state of Florida. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Dietitian (CEDRD) through iaedp, and a Certified Athletic Trainer. She received her bachelor’s of science in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine from the University of Tampa, and Master’s in Public Health Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jacqui has over 4 years of experience working with primarily eating disorders at all levels of care from inpatient and residential down to outpatient. Jacqui enjoys working with all populations to help understand the joy of eating and nourishing the body, mind and soul through food. In her spare time, you can find Jacqui playing with her dogs, making slow drip cold brew coffee, and trying new restaurants in Downtown St. Pete.

Cason Hussey, BS

Cason Hussey earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Wellness Promotion at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. I plan on pursuing a Master’s program in Public Health and Nutrition and want to become a Registered Dietitian. After my own personal experience and recovery from an eating disorder I became passionate about nutrition and eating disorder awareness. I interned with the Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders, a non-profit in Asheville, NC whose main focus is advocating for those impacted by eating disorders. I was able to plan and implement National Eating Disorder Awareness week on my college campus. I also interned with a local food bank to provide fresh and local fruits and vegetables to people residing in a food desert. I am passionate about food equity and access for all. In my free time you will find me doing yoga, going to the beach, playing with my Pekingese puppies, cooking, and spending time with my loved ones. A few years ago, I fell in love with yoga, and now am a 200-hour registered yoga instructor.

Francisca Ortiz MA, CRC

Francisca Ortiz is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. After her own personal experience recovering from an eating disorder, Francisca became passionate about eating disorder awareness and helping others overcome mental illness and eating disorders. Francisca received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling with a concentration on addiction and substance use from the University of South Florida. Francisca has over 4 years of experience working in the mental health field; Francisca has worked in a residential facility with women struggling with substance abuse and eating disorders and additionally in a community-based outpatient setting with highly vulnerable patients struggling with co-occurring disorders. Francisca also has experience managing two community-based programs serving the homeless who struggle with mental illness and/or substance abuse. In her spare time, Francisca enjoys traveling, exploring the outdoors, spending time with her two cats and loved ones and making macramé art.

Rachel Gibson, RD, LDN

Rachel is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist in the state of Florida. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Erskine College in 2015. During her four years at Erskine, Rachel played golf, ran cross country, and found her love for nutrition. She went on to complete her Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetic Internship at Winthrop University. During her internship, she gained experience in eating disorder recovery at the University of South Carolina. She also has two years of experience in clinical nutrition. Rachel is passionate about helping others develop a healthy relationship with food, movement, and their body. During her free time, Rachel enjoys reading, baking and cooking, running, trying new workouts, and spending time with her husband and rescue pup, Benji!

Jodi Sandusky, RSWI

Jodi Sandusky graduated from Widener University with the degree of Master of Social Work and is currently a Registered Social Work Intern. Jodi began working in the field with children and families and since that time has gained experience working in specialty treatment courts, inpatient treatment centers, outpatient mental health centers, and wilderness therapy. These various settings have provided her with the opportunity to gain skills in working with a variety of age groups from children to adults, understanding individuals within the context of their environment and systems, and tailoring interventions for each person’s unique needs. Jodi specializes in supporting clients in healing from traumatic life events, as well as working with depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, mood disorders, and addiction. Jodi believes in a holistic approach to treatment, including incorporating experiential learning, and has a passion for joining with clients to support them in reaching their goals. When not at work, Jodi can frequently be found at the beach, on her paddle board, in the woods, or traveling and is often accompanied by her dogs.

Bailey Sheetz, M.S, RMHCI

Bailey obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2018 at Southeastern University. From the same university, she went on to earn a Master of Science degree in professional counseling in 2020.  Bailey began an internship working with adults in a residential treatment program while in graduate school. She is currently working to obtain her registered mental health internship to become a licensed mental health counselor. She is passionate about self-love and body positivity. She believes in a holistic approach to therapy. She is excited to help others. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family and watching Disney movies.

Shelby Prendes, MA, RMHCI, (she/her/hers)

Shelby is a registered mental health counselor intern for the state of Florida. She earned her bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Florida and her master’s in counselor education with a clinical mental health counseling focus from the University of Central Florida. Shelby has had the privilege of working in the mental health field in a variety of settings and with diverse populations before finding her passion for working with those with eating disorders. She values a collaborative approach to working with patients, utilizing support, validation, encouragement, exploration and curiosity to work together towards treatment goals. She is grateful for the opportunity to be the Tampa facility’s Path to Peace champion. Outside of work, Shelby loves reading, movies, singing, lightning hockey and her dogs.

Briana Soucy, M.Ed., RMHCI

Briana Soucy is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern for the State of Florida. She earned her bachelor in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University and her master’s in Education in Counseling and School Psychology from Rivier University.  Briana was also a third-year doctoral student at Rivier University in an APA-accredited Psy. D Program until taking a long medical leave of absence. She has over 5 years of experience working in several different settings treating various mental health disorders with a diverse population. She utilizes an integrative- action based approach to treating individuals with a wide range of disorders to assist them in living the lives they deserve to live. Beyond her professional life, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and making music.

Alexis Hughes

Alexis earned her B.S. in family and child sciences and psychology at Florida State University. She hopes to further her education by earning a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and work as a licensed psychologist. Growing up, Alexis participated in competitive cheerleading where you are judged on performance and physical appearance, which led to a high prevalence of eating disorders within the sport. After experiencing the impact of eating disorders on individuals, Alexis became passionate about the field. Before working as a counselor at Center for Discovery, Alexis spent nearly two years volunteering with Crisis Text Line. In her spare time, Alexis can be found reading a book, watching every single Tampa Bay Lightning game and crocheting.

Tessa Balish

Tessa is a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian nutritionist in the state of Florida. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2021 from Keiser University. Her dietetic internship was also completed at Keiser University with experience in disordered eating, clinical, community and food service. She interned with several registered dietitian private practices specializing in eating disorders. Shortly thereafter she started working at Center for Discovery in 2021. Her passion stems from being able to help her patients fall back in love with food and discover all forms of nourishment. Tessa plans on becoming a certified eating disorder registered dietitian (CEDRD). She is a Tampa local and in her free time you can find her exploring parks, creating a new recipe or cuddling up with a cup of tea and playing video games.

Justine Bresha

Justine started with Center for Discovery in early 2022 as a diet technician for the Tampa Outpatient ED program. Justine holds a master’s degree in exercise and nutrition science from the University of Tampa and has since worn several hats in the health science community over the years. Justine found her true passion in eating disorder treatment as a college student when she was given the opportunity to work alongside brilliant registered dietitians and healthcare professionals at an outpatient facility. She could not be more inspired to be submerging herself in this niche once more. Justine is a great fit here at Center for Discovery because of her encouragement to get both adults and adolescents engaged in their treatment and motivated by positive food philosophies and relationships with their mind and body. When Justine is not at work, her favorite things to do include yoga, snuggling with her pup and cheering on the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team!

Maria Seitz

Maria Seitz is a diet tech at Center for Discovery and started in April of 2021. She earned her bachelor’s in biology from the University of Michigan and is currently pursuing her master’s in clinical nutrition at Rutgers University. Her professional experience includes working in a student food pantry, sports nutrition, the food industry, nutrition research and infant and pediatric enteral nutrition. Maria is passionate about helping others through recovery and plans to work with eating disorders as a registered dietitian in the future. She enjoys spending time in the sunshine, playing with her dog, doing escape rooms, yoga and running.

Lauren Dickinson

Lauren is a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian nutritionist in the state of Florida. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in culinary nutrition from Johnson & Wales University in 2019. During her time at Johnson & Wales, she was able to acquire a culinary background along with the principles of nutrition science. She had the opportunity to intern at EDCare where she gained experience in eating disorder recovery and discovered her passion for helping others build a healthy relationship with food. She went on to complete her Master of Science degree in nutrition and dietetic internship at Keiser University. During her internship, she gained experience in community and clinical settings. She also has one year of experience in clinical nutrition. During her free time, Lauren enjoys cooking, baking, yoga, and spending time with her husband and senior pup Tebow.