PROGRAM DIRECTOR

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.

PRIMARY THERAPIST

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.

CLINICAL OUTREACH REPRESENTATIVE

Krista Miles, LMHC, E-RYT

Krista Miles is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida, and a 200-hour Expert Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. Krista has been working at Center for Discovery’s Tampa location since they first opened in 2017, where she began as a consulting therapist leading therapy and yoga groups with the clients. At the beginning of 2019 she made a transition into outreach where she can share her expertise and experience from a personal perspective. Krista has over five years experience working with those with eating disorders, and is extremely passionate about working within the community. In her spare time you will find her outdoors, gardening, going to markets, practicing yoga and listening to live music.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

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.

EAST COAST SUPERVISOR OF OUTPATIENT DIETARY SERVICES

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.

Milieu Manager

Cason Hussey, BS, RYT-200

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.

PRIMARY THERAPIST

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.

ON-CALL REGISTERED DIETITIAN

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!

THERAPIST

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.

Counselor

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.

Clinical Intake Coordinator

Jennifer Brooks, M.A, RMHCI, MCAP

Jenny is a registered mental health counselor intern and a masters level certified addiction professional in Florida. She earned her Master of Arts degree in school guidance counseling from Argosy University in Florida and her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Central Michigan University. Jenny has over nine years experience working within addiction and mental health, as well as completed comprehensive assessments and helping to motivate and engage individuals in treatment services. Jenny has also served as a supervisor to a team of family intervention specialists and has proven herself to be a natural leader.

Jenny utilizes motivational interviewing, an evidence-based technique, focused on being empathetic, nonjudgmental and supportive—all of which helps individuals express their own reasons for change and take responsibility for their own behavior.

Outside of her profession, Jenny enjoys going to the beach, traveling, crafting and geocaching. Jenny also has a love for hairless animals. She has two hairless cats, George Hairlesson and Vera Fang, and a hairless dog, Chupacabra.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Margaret Lain

Margaret is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian in Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Health Education. After working as a recruiter for one year, she decided to go back to school to become a registered dietitian. She then graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. During her dietetic internship, Margaret gained experience with eating disorders at Center for Discovery Residential Treatment Center in Monteverde, FL. Margaret is passionate about helping people find balance and variety with nutrition in a way that is supports living life to the fullest. In her free time, Margaret likes to run, cook, practice yoga, read, watch a good Netflix show, spend time outdoors, and be with her family, friends and dog!

REGISTERED MENTAL HEALTH COUNSULOR INTERN

Shelby Prendes, M.A., RMHCI

Shelby Prendes 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. She has over five years of experience in the mental health field, having worked with adults, adolescents, couples, and families in both outpatient and inpatient settings. She values a collaborative approach to working with clients, utilizing support, validation, encouragement, exploration, and curiosity to work together towards treatment goals. Outside of work, Shelby loves reading, watching movies, singing, traveling, and spending time with her dogs.