Episode description:

In this episode of Peace Meal, we hear from Jenny Beck and Sarah Bergen, two passionate leaders at The Emily Program’s Ohio treatment centers. Jenny, the Site Director, and Sarah, the Regional Medical Director, offer personal and professional insight into eating disorder recovery—what they love about their work, what makes it challenging, and what they wish more people knew about treatment.

Reflecting on the rewarding but often difficult journey of supporting people with eating disorders, while drawing from years of experience—and in Sarah’s case, a personal history with anorexia—they discuss: 

What happens behind the scenes in treatment

The misconceptions they frequently encounter

The deep hope they hold for their clients 

Together, they emphasize that while recovery is never easy, it is always worth it.

About Jenny and Sarah:

Jenny Beck, LPCC-S, is the Site Director of The Emily Program’s Residential and Outpatient Treatment Centers in Columbus, Ohio. As Site Director, Jenny oversees all clinical services provided for children, adolescents, and adults at the outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and residential levels of care. Jenny has worked as a therapist since 2006 and has specialized in eating disorder care since 2014. A high point in Jenny’s professional journey was overseeing the launch of the Columbus Residential treatment center in January 2022.

Sarah Bergen, RN, MS, PMHNP-BC, is the Regional Medical Director of The Emily Program’s Ohio locations, working closely with the Site Director, Senior Regional Director, and medical lead to ensure the best quality care for clients, and provide support to the amazing medical and psychiatry staff. Sarah has been with The Emily Program since 2016, first as the psychiatric provider in Spokane, Washington, covering partial hospitalization (PHP), intensive outpatient (IOP), and outpatient programming before she moved back home to Ohio. Sarah was in Columbus as The Emily Program opened its second Ohio location in 2020. She worked with clients in residential care for two years before her transition to Medical Director.

We cover:

How Jenny and Sarah each found their way into eating disorder care

The most rewarding and the most difficult parts of their work

Common barriers to seeking treatment and how to overcome them

Why treatment can feel worse before it feels better—and why that’s okay

What they want families, friends, and communities to understand about eating disorders

Hopes for the future of eating disorder treatment and awareness in Ohio and beyond

In their words:

Jenny on what makes recovery worth it: “It probably will feel worse before it feels better. But please don’t give up during the worst… If you give up during the worst, you don’t get the better.”

Jenny on the invisible nature of eating disorder treatment: “People can't see the toll it takes to get well. It's easy to assume it's not that hard. It’s so hard.”

Sarah on barriers to care: “Eating disorders do such a good job telling folks that they are not ‘ill enough.’”

Jenny on holding hope: “There’s always a reason to say no... But what if it does [work]?... The future is a beautiful thing, terrifying and beautiful... It equally holds the possibility of goodness as it does hard things.”

Learn more about The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. 

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About the podcast:

Peace Meal is a podcast hosted by The Emily Program that covers topics related to eating disorders, body image, and how society may influence our thinking.

You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube Music. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends!

Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information.