Who We Are

Eating Disorder Recovery Support

We are a nonprofit based in Northern California that is committed promoting recovery and wellness for those impacted by eating disorders by providing support, information, and education to individuals, families, professionals and the community at large regarding eating disorders and recovery resources.

Emily Behrs

President

Emily Behrs is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice in Santa Cruz, Ca. She specializes in working with adolescents and adults with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Emily supports clients in cultivating a sense of ease, trust, and understanding within their mind and body so that they can have the freedom to live authentic and fulfilling lives. Over the years, Emily has worked extensively in different levels of eating disorder treatment. She is passionate about serving the ED community and believes in equitable access to care.

Rebecca/Red

Vice President

Rebecca/Red of Alchemy Arts Therapy blends traditional styles of talk therapy with elements of the arts and mindfulness to unlock healing and to support a client’s understanding, acceptance, self compassion, empowerment, and growth.  With just shy of a decade of experience, Rebecca works with adults and adolescents, often from marginalized communities, using a harm reduction, trauma-informed, and radical justice approach.

Azhar Sultanova

Treasurer

Carly Heynes

Secretary

Her background in early relational feeding development has fostered a deep appreciation for the complexity and impact of lived experience, creating a highly nuanced lens for exploring relationships to food and body. Carly’s approach to nutrition therapy emphasizes body safety, autonomy, and collaboration as foundational to healing; supporting individuals to authentically come into connection with all parts of themselves. Carly empowers her clients to give new meaning to nourishment, and to (re)define their own versions of healing, wellness, and vitality.

Priscilla Tran

 Board Member 

Priscilla Tran (she/her/hers) brings over 15 years of diverse experience in community outreach, business development, marketing, and case management to our team. With a heart dedicated to service, she has held leadership roles within national NGOs and prominent behavioral health organizations.

Rachel Coleman

Board Member

Rachel Coleman, LMFT CEDS is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist who has been working in the field of ED treatment in various levels of care for over a decade. Rachel is passionate about working with those struggling with eating disorders and mental health challenges due to their self-doubt, harmful lived experiences, traumas and perfectionism.

Sara McCracken

Board Member

Sara McCracken is a licensed marriage and family therapist at Yes to Therapy in Santa Cruz, California, where she specializes in working with disorder eating and eating disorders. She believes the therapeutic relationship is a fundamental part of the healing process. As therapy is
not a one size fits all model, Sara is dedicated to providing individualized care to those she supports.

Stephanie Christian

Board Member

Stephanie Christian, LMFT has been in the behavioral health field for over 15 years and in the eating disorder treatment space for almost 10 years. She is passionate about helping the community navigate the healthcare system and assisting with access to care. Stephanie is well connected with community resources and programs across Northern California and nationally. In her spare time, Stephanie loves being outside under the Redwood trees and spending quality time with her family and tuxedo cat Sebastian.

Paula Edwards-Gayfield

Board Member

Paula Edwards-Gayfield, LCMHCS, LPC, CEDS-C, BC-TMH, is a Clinical Training Specialist and Diversity & Inclusion Co-Chair at The Renfrew Center. With more than 20 years of experience, she specializes in treating eating disorders and co-occurring mental health concerns with adolescents, adults, and families. Paula has presented nationally on eating disorders, culture, and equity, and maintains a private practice providing therapy and clinical supervision, supporting individuals navigating eating disorders, depression, anxiety, self-esteem and identity concerns, life transitions, relationship challenges, and trauma. She is the co-author of Black Women with Eating Disorders: Clinical Treatment Considerations and a contributing author to Treating Black Women with Eating Disorders: A Clinician’s Guide. A Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and Approved Consultant (CEDS-C) with iaedp™, Paula serves on the Board of the National Eating Disorders Association and its Clinical Advisory Council, the advisory board of Eating Disorder Recovery Support, and as a board member of Project BLACKBIRD. She is committed to advancing culturally responsive, inclusive care that honors the complexity of the lived experiences of People of the Global Majority (PGM).

Lea Horsley

Board Member

Lea’s career has spanned from rainforest preservation to behavioral health outreach, with a consistent focus on trust-building, meaningful communication, and connection-centered support. She knows what it feels like when those things aren’t there, and that’s why she’s built her work around making sure connection is never the missing piece.

Lauren Plotkin

Board Member

Lauren Plotkin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, in San Jose California. She works with clients across all ages to address primarily eating disorders alongside anxiety, depression, perfectionism, trauma, and building an authentic sense of self. She has worked across various levels of care to address eating disorders such as RTC, PHP, and IOP.

She believes that all clients and individuals are worthy of healing and enjoys working alongside them on their journey through therapy. She is dedicated and passionate about serving her community and supporting pathways to accessible care for all.

Christina Lowe

Board Member

Christina Lowe, RD, CEDS, IAEDP-Approved Consultant is a Registered Dietitian with over ten years of experience specializing in eating disorder treatment across diverse populations and levels of care. She currently works in Kaiser Permanente’s adult and pediatric Eating Disorder Intensive Outpatient Program and also maintains a private practice.

Christina consults with dietitians and therapists pursuing advanced credentials in eating disorder specialization and is dedicated to supporting both clients and professionals in the field. She views eating disorders as complex expressions of underlying pain and is passionate about helping individuals develop a more compassionate relationship with food and their bodies.

She believes everyone deserves freedom in their food choices, connection within their body, and greater agency over their mental health. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her two young boys, balancing life, career and best of all motherhood.

Melanie Larson

Board Member

Melanie Larson, MA, RDN, CSMC

Melanie’s journey began over 30 years ago when she moved from rural Georgia to California to complete an internship in the mental healthcare prison system. That experience sparked a deep curiosity about mental health, motivation and behavior change, leading her to pursue a Master’s degree in Sport Psychology.

Through this work, the intersection of nutrition, sport, and behavior opened her eyes to the complexity of eating disorders and the powerful role our relationship with food plays in overall self concept.

Melanie spent nearly 20 years at Kaiser Permanente as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and Clinical Leader, where she managed the Nutrition Department, Health Education, and the Medical Weight Management Program. 

Elsie Yuen

Intern