Connected Eating Founder Susan Osher (she/her) is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (Supervisor) in both nutrition and psychotherapy. She is a registered dietitian and registered psychotherapist (qualifying) with over 20 years of experience. She worked in the renowned eating disorder treatment programs at The Hospital for Sick Children and Toronto General before founding her private practice in 2001. Susan is trained in EFT, EFFT, ACT, CBT, FBT, Motivational Interviewing, DBT, HAES, and Intuitive Eating.
As a dietitian, her approach is holistic. She applies a psychosocial model to nutrition counselling. She considers a person’s whole life; present and past experiences in order to help clients understand how these impact and manifest in eating and body image. In addition to Susan’s extensive knowledge in human nutrition (Master of Nutritional Science from University of Toronto) her skills in counselling enable her to move clients towards a deeper understanding of their motivations and challenges in achieving their goals towards better health and nutrition. She is currently a Master of Education in Counselling and Psychotherapy candidate at the University of Toronto.
During her time working in more intensive hospital programs, Susan noticed that the nutrition services in the community were limited. She established nutrition workshops at Sheena’s Place, a community-based support center in Toronto. In her work at Sheena’s Place, Susan has worked as a facilitator leading groups comprised of diverse participants from undereaters to overeaters. In 2011, Susan was approached by Bellwood Health Services (an addiction treatment centre) to act as a consultant to assess and make recommendations to optimize their eating disorder program. In 2013, she continued her work as an eating disorder and substance abuse nutrition expert at CAMH in the Youth Addiction and Concurrent Disorders Services Inpatient Unit and again at Ingles LOFT Centre, another addiction centre. She has served as the Canadian Chapter chair of the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp) and the co-chair of the Eating Disorders Association of Canada (EDAC). She is an iaedp supervisor, helping other dietitians to become eating disorders specialists. She is also a graduate preceptor for University of Toronto and Ryerson University students.
Outside of work, Susan loves spending time with her family and friends, cooking, travelling, entertaining, nature, being active and reading.
Alessandra Magisano is a registered dietitian who completed her degrees in Nutrition and Food Science and Masters of Health Science - Nutrition Communication from Ryerson University. Her clinical and practical training was done through the University Health Network internship program. This included rotations in specialized areas such as oncology, cardiology, mental health, diabetes as well as an extended focus and interest in eating disorders.
Alessandra uses Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size as frameworks for her practice. She also has knowledge and pulls from the evidenced based modalities, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) from her supervised training as well as professional supervision.
Alessandra works with individuals who are interested in strengthening or healing their relationship with food as a result of disordered eating, mental health (for example anxiety), chronic dieting and eating disorders. She advocates for food freedom and believes that balanced eating patterns can include all types of food without resulting in any guilt or shame. Alessandra has experience working with eating disorders across the spectrum of diagnoses’ (binge eating disorder, bulimia, anorexia and ARFID).
Alessandra also has an interest in working with women on improving body image in tandem with a positive relationship with food empowering them to create sustainable change towards their wellness goals. She enjoys working on women's health issues such as fertility and menstrual cycle regulation.
Alessandra plans on becoming a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian (CEDRD) as the next step in her career. Aside from her professional life, Alessandra loves to bake and go on nature hikes. Dessert is her favourite part of the meal and she uses her love of baking to share this with family and friends!
Amy (she/her pronouns) is a Registered Dietitian with over 20 years of hospital-based experience in pediatric nutrition. After receiving an Honours Bachelor of Science at Western University, she completed a dietetic internship at SickKids Hospital. After her first RD roles in Montreal, she decided to make Toronto home. In the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Service at Michael Garron Hospital, she improved and expanded services for children and teens with eating disorders and weight issues. Her passion for treating pediatric eating disorders brought Amy to SickKids Hospital, where she worked on the inpatient unit, outpatient clinics and the Day Treatment Program. In addition to the Eating Disorders Program, she held short contracts with the Ketogenic Diet for epilepsy, STOMP (SickKids Team Obesity Management Program) and the New Immigrant Support Network. During her 15 years at SickKids, Amy treated children and teens from diagnosis to recovery, forming trusting relationships with her patients and their caregivers and empowering them to challenge their fears and nourish their bodies. She sets goals and creates meal plans with a curious, collaborative, non-judgmental approach. Amy has provided countless hours of meal support with individuals, groups and families, emotion coaching and working on positive coping skills. She has extensive experience treating AN, BN, ARFID, BED, OSFED and disordered eating, including individuals affected by a medical or psychiatric comorbid illness. Amy has had training in FBT, DBT, CBT, MI, EFFT, Solution-Focused Therapy and Ellyn Satter’s Treating the Dieting Casualty. Amy is well-versed in HAES and Intuitive Eating and knows that making peace with food and our bodies can result in a healthy, happy, non-dieting life. She will work with you and your caregiver(s) on a holistic approach that fits your unique situation, with an emphasis on utilizing your own strengths, skills and motivations to make meaningful changes on your journey to recovery. In her down time, Amy loves traveling, all water activities, nature walks, reading, cooking & baking, and spending time with her family.
Nehal Kamdar is Registered Dietitian with over 20 years of experience in providing evidence based nutrition care to clients across population including paediatric, adults and elderly.
She received her degree in Food and Nutrition and Masters in Advance Professional Practice in Paediatric Dietetics, U.K. She also has a certificate in Professional Practice in Dysphagia Management (Dietitians of Canada).
Having worked in different countries across the globe, including India, Singapore, Qatar and Canada she has a vast experience in working with clients of different cultural background and religious beliefs. She has a diversity of experience from food sensitivity and swallowing problems (dysphagia) in paediatrics to more complex problems like eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating disorders and ARFID), disordered eating and mental health (obsessive compulsive disorders, anxiety, depression). She also has experience in diabetes (Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes), oncology, renal, nephrology, neurology and weight management.
Nehal believes that eating is one life’s greatest pleasures that ignite our sense of sight, smell, taste and touch. She considers a person’s whole life experiences: past and present in helping clients understand how they impact food behaviour, body image and quality of life. She is passionate about helping clients to break free from anxious or obsessive thoughts surrounding food, food restrictions and what to eat, thereby opening up space to enjoy the fullness of life. She uses Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Family Based Therapy (FBT) and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) in helping clients develop healthy relationship with food.
Nehal plans on becoming a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian in the near future. Aside from her professional life she loves to spend time with family and friends, cooking, travelling, reading and going on nature trails.
Alissa is a Registered Dietitian with the College of Dietitians of Ontario. She earned a Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Food and Nutrition at Ryerson University, completed a Masters of Public Health in Dietetics at Memorial University of Newfoundland with an integrated internship with Eastern Health in St. John’s NL.
Alissa provides weight inclusive care that is based in the Health at Every Size (HAES ®) paradigm and integrates Intuitive Eating principles. She has worked with a diverse range of individuals and has supported individuals who are working towards creating a balanced and healthy relationship with food and their body.
Alissa aims to work to meet the client where they are at with respect, honesty and compassion at the foreground. She supports clients by creating a safe space for them to tune into their inner wisdom, find self-compassion, and nourish their bodies to enhance their quality of life. She is passionate about helping individuals replace judgement and restriction with curiosity and compassion. Her goal is to work with clients to create change in their current routines that lead to a more nourishing, pleasurable and fulfilling life. She works in partnership with clients to reframe the concept of health, explore roadblocks, and adopt self care strategies that support all aspects of their well-being.
Alissa is trained in Motivational Interviewing along with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques. These approaches allow her to work with clients current needs, values, knowledge and readiness to change and support them along their journey to health and well-being.
She is a student for life and does her best with the knowledge that she has to be an ally for clients' process of reclaiming their power and space in relation to food, eating and their body. She is a firm believer that we are not aiming to achieve perfection but to continuously grow and evolve in the process to live a vibrant, rich and meaningful life.
Alissa enjoys playing and being creative in the kitchen. She spends lots of time with her family and outdoors exploring nature with her dog Bandit.
Lori Houzer is a Registered Social Worker with over 25 years of experience as a psychotherapist. Lori holds a master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Sussex as well as a master’s degree from the Smith College School for Social Work and has worked in Chicago and Toronto in clinical practice with individuals and families. Lori acted as the consulting school social worker for Greenwood College School for many years and continues to work extensively with adolescents and young adults, people in the creative arts, and elite level athletes. Lori has a subspecialty in the area of eating disorders, collaborating with Connected Eating, pediatricians and family physicians, and hospital programs. Lori has provided supervision for graduate students in clinical psychology, and provides specialized counselling for students seeking undergraduate and graduate professional education programs in Canada and abroad.
Dorit Osher is a registered social worker and somatic therapist. She believes that our body is the physical container for our life. It holds our everyday feelings, thoughts, reactions and responses. It also is the container for our being, that holds our history, our desires, belief system and our presence in the world. When we have not had our emotional needs met in a good-enough way, we do the same to ourselves. Part of a therapeutic process, is feeling and understanding the impact of these disruptions and lacking, and coming closer to your essential self in creating a life that reflect oneself.
Dorit received her Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University and has a graduate degree in Theory and Criticism with a focus in relational psychoanalysis and trauma theory. She has a BFA from York University in Dance with a focus in somatic practice, dance ethnography and improvisation. Prior to her career as a psychotherapist, she was a professional contemporary dancer. Dorit is a lifelong learner and researcher, and has postgraduate training in parent-child psychotherapy, depth psychology, psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, body-oriented therapy, expressive arts therapy, eating disorder treatments, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and attachment based psychotherapy. She teaches a yearly movement-based expressive arts course at Fleming College in Haliburton in the Expressive Arts Therapy Certification program. She also facilitates yearly summer retreats in therapeutic movement-based expressive arts and holds workshops and classes in somatic practices and movement.
Dorit's formal education is only part of her therapeutic training. It’s often said that therapists are born, not made. In her case, acquiring formal education has been part of the steps with ongoing professional and personal development. Dorit is a compassionate, insightful, educated, and skilled therapist, who works in collaborative ways.
Anne is a social worker who completed her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Toronto’s Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, with a specialization in health and mental health. She is a skilled individual and group therapist with experience working with people of all ages and backgrounds in both community care and private practice settings. She has experience working with a variety of clinical concerns including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, addictions, trauma histories, low self-esteem, suicidality, and relationships challenges. Anne is passionate about working with people with eating disorders and disordered eating to help heal their relationships to food and their bodies. Anne provides individualized care that is unique to each client. Her work is grounded in client focused and trauma informed care principles and incorporates aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). Anne meets each client where they are in their journey to mental wellness to create meaningful and lasting change. She approaches each client with warmth, compassion, and respect. In her free time Anne loves to cook new recipes, explore the city, and spend time with her beloved pets. She volunteers her time on the surgical floor at SickKids Hospital
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