Core Values of Care

• Patient Lived Experience
• Community Healing
• Accessibility
• Gender Inclusive
• Health–at–Every–Size
• Shame Resiliency
• Trauma-Informed Nutrition Care
• Community Education
• Alumni Support

Treatment that emphasizes connection (versus behavior-correction).

Path to Peace believes healing starts with understanding and connecting to the function of disordered behaviors, rather than “behavior-correction.”  We believe that disordered eating patterns are often strategies that folks employ to cope with minority stress, body oppression, and diet culture. Path-to-Peace tracks healing and progress through patient’s experiences of agency and choice rather than behavior-abstinence.

The Path-to-Peace team offers our patients’ communities tailored-education to help increase awareness of binge eating disorders and deconstruct the myths of disordered eating.

1. Bingeing is so much more complicated than just “overeating” or “emotional eating”.

2. Binge eating is not an addiction. It can serve the function as a survival response to trauma, an assimilation tactic and/or a self-soothing response to manage anxiety and shame.

3. Binge eating is not any less serious than any other eating disorder behavior

4. Binge eating disorder impacts all body sizes. 
   
5. Many individuals struggling with disordered eating are trauma survivors

6. You’re not alone. Despite the poor diagnosis rate, binge eating disorder affects 3-5 million Americans.

What Former Patients Are Saying About Path to Peace

“I was surprised how fast I felt heard and supported as soon as I shared about what was going on with me.” – Alumni

“P2P was a safe haven!” -Alumni

“Being in a community with folks that also struggled with something I kept a secret for so long was incredibly meaningful.” -Alumni

Meet the Care Team

Lindsay Birchfield (they/them) has worked in the eating disorder field since 2012 specializing in gender affirming healthcare, somatic interventions, and trauma informed nutrition therapy. LB understands the role community plays in sustainable recovery. Because they firmly believe that healing happens inside of relationships, they created a more accessible program that seeks to foster authentic connection around shared lived experiences.

Grace is a licensed mental health counselor and a Health at Every Size ® advocate. A Washington state local, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Washington University in psychology, with an emphasis in neuroscience. She went on to earn her Master of Arts degree in psychology with an emphasis in counseling specialization from Saybrook University while working with at-risk youth in Snoqualmie. Grace had always had an interest in being on a team supporting those through eating disorder treatment and officially started working in the eating disorder field in 2018. She is passionate about serving those on the margins of eating disorder treatment and empowering them to approach recovery in creative and compassionate ways. On the weekend, you likely will find Grace playing outside and enjoying all forms of joyful movement.

Bianca is a Brazilian Dietitian who holds a bachelor degree from the School of Public Health/University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. She recently moved to WA to continue to learn and grow in her field. While in college she was inspired by a professor that is specialized in eating disorders. Bianca is passionate about the Intuitive Eating philosophy. Her goal as a Dietitian is to help people to create a healthier relationship with food, mind and body. In her spare time, Bianca likes to try new recipes, play card games with friends and find new TV shows to watch.

Jenna is a counselor at Center for Discovery’s outpatient program in Tacoma, Washington. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jenna moved to Washington to attend Pacific Lutheran University. Jenna graduated with her Bachelor of Art degree in psychology and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Social Work. Jenna is dedicated to BED support and fat liberation. Jenna uses her lived experience with mental illness and the harmful effects of diet culture to understand the pressures that society puts on us and the harm that comes from it, and uses that first-hand experience to best inform treatment of others. Jenna has fully embraced the Health at Every Size ® philosophy and has been especially passionate in how these systems of fatphobia, racism, and misogyny impact systems of care. In her spare time, Jenna enjoys traveling, experiencing new foods and tabletop gaming with friends.

Accepting Most Major Insurance Policies

Making Strides to Be More Financially Accessible

Center for Discovery is a preferred provider with most major insurance companies. By submitting your insurance information, our team of experienced insurance verification specialists will confirm not only if the level of care you are seeking is covered by your policy but also determine what, if any, out-of-pocket cost you would incur.

Find Support for Binge Eating

If you or a loved one needs care for binge eating, Center for Discovery can help. For more information, contact us today.

*Health At Every Size® and HAES® are registered trademarks of the Association for Size Diversity and Health and used with permission.