PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Tracy Southworth, LCSW

Tracy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has been working with individuals and families for over 20 years. Tracy has worked in hospitals and community agencies. She has a kind, non-judgmental and empathetic approach. Providing a supportive therapeutic style.

Tracy believes that change happens when people are given the guidance they need to draw on their own strengths and realizing their potential. Rather than adopting one methodology for all individuals and issues, Tracy draws from a variety of methods to create a tailored approach for each individual and situation.

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Jessica Filipkowski, RD, CD-N

Jessica Filipkowski is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist in the state of Connecticut. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of New Haven. Additionally, Jessica successfully completed a clinically focused 50-week dietetic internship program at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. During more than 1400 hours of supervised practice, Jessica provided intensive nutrition therapy to numerous patient populations with various disease states. Jessica has nearly 5 years of experience working with both adolescents and young adults at the Center for Discovery Eating Disorder Programs. She is currently working towards her specialty certification as a Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian. Jessica has a strong passion for helping others and is excited to support, educate, challenge, and motivate her new clients throughout their recovery process.

PSYCHIATRIST

Dr. Ilana Karpenos, MD

Dr. Ilana Karpenos graduated from Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education/ SUNY Downstate, a 7 year BS/MD program. She completed her training in pediatrics, psychiatry and child psychiatry at North Shore University Hospital and NY Presbyterian Hospital.

She has been in private practice in Westport for the past 20 years and has worked with CFD since 2012.
In addition, Dr. Karpenos has worked with IOPs as well consulted for multiple school districts in Fairfield County.
She’s board-certified in adult psychiatry and neurology as well as child and adolescent psychiatry.

PHYSICIAN

Dr. Marcie Schneider, MD, FAAP, FSAHM

Dr. Schneider graduated from Brown University, and attended medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her residency was in Pediatrics at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, followed by a fellowship in Adolescent Medicine was at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. She remained at North Shore for a total of 13 years and during that time became Associate Chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine, and Medical Director for the Eating Disorders Day Program. She was recruited by Greenwich Hospital to start an Adolescent Program, which ran from June 1999 through June of 2005. Since July 2005, she has been in full time private practice of adolescent medicine. Additionally, since 2012 she has served as medical consultant for Center for Discovery’s Fairfield county adolescent and young adult residential facilities. Dr. Schneider is board certified in Pediatrics and in the subspecialty of Adolescent Medicine. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. She has served on the board of directors of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, and was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition from 2005 – 2011. She was has served on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Adolescent Health November since 2013.

PHYSICIAN

Sara Levine, MD, MPH, FAAP

Dr. Levine is board-certified in both general pediatrics and adolescent medicine.  She graduated from Yale University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency and adolescent medicine fellowship at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.  Dr. Levine is in private practice at Greenwich Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine, and she has been a medical consultant to Center for Discovery since 2012.

MILIEU MANAGER

Cheyenne Ahmad

Cheyenne graduated from The George Washington University in Washington, DC with a bachelors in Psychology and Criminal Justice. In 2018, Cheyenne started at Center for Discovery at the Residential Treatment Center in Southport, CT as a milieu counselor and Education Liaison. In this role, she honed in on her leadership and interpersonal skills by leading counseling groups such as DBT, providing one-on-one support to clients, managing crisis situations, and providing meal support. Cheyenne wanted to expand her role at Center for Discovery, which led her to become Milieu Manager. Cheyenne is currently pursuing her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Southern Connecticut State University. She hopes to continue to grow her clinical skills and support the clients at Center for Discovery.

PRIMARY THERAPIST

Kathryn Kennedy, LPCA

Kathryn Kennedy is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate in the state of Connecticut. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Education Foundations from The University of Oregon and a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Fairfield University.  Kathryn successfully completed a clinically focused clinical mental health counseling internship at Child and Family Guidance Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut where she provided intensive therapy to numerous patient populations with various mental health diagnoses.  Kathryn has a background in non-profit management and education policy where she worked under the Chief Education Officer for the State of Oregon focusing on children, adolescents, and adults in individual and group settings with developmental disabilities, behavioral and emotional difficulties and those impacted by incarceration. Kathryn has a strong passion for helping others and is excited to be part of the Center for Discovery team.