meet the team

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. 

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.     

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. 

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.