About Us – Columbia River Eating Disorder Network

Students move, stretch, and dance in an inclusive dance class. The class includes people who are plus size or fat, people of color, and people with visible disabilities using mobility aids.

CREDN is a non-profit organization composed of a diverse community of professionals, dedicated to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.

We support a bio-psycho-social conceptualization of eating disorders that recognizes both biological and environmental variables and risk factors, such as genetics, temperament, sociocultural ideals, systemic oppression, trauma and dieting.

We understand that eating disorders are complex, brain-based illnesses, and that nutrition rehabilitation is essential for recovery.

We also recognize that eating disorders impact people of all genders, races, sizes, socioeconomic statuses, religions, ethnicities, abilities and ages.

We are dedicated to the growth of eating disorder treatment to best support the communities that have previously been left behind by working to increase equity and by actively supporting an anti-diet, weight-inclusive, intersectional approach to eating disorder treatment.

We provide education opportunities to our members and the community because we believe it is the responsibility of all providers to continually learn and grow as current research and best practices evolve, and we believe that education can lead to early intervention in eating disorder recovery.

We promote community awareness regarding eating and body-image concerns, and work to offer referral information for those seeking treatment by maintaining a list of local providers who are committed to upholding this mission.

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Meet your CREDN board volunteers

Katie Rogers (she/her)

President

Katie's Bio

Abby Ernst (she/her)

Social Media Chair

Abby's Bio

Abby Ernst is a Professional Counselor Associate working at her Private Practice, Cloudburst Counseling. She specializes in working with young adults and teens with eating disorders, body image distress, and anxiety. She received an eating disorder certification from Lewis and Clark, where she completed her Master’s degree, and has previously worked in residential and outpatient eating disorder care. Abby is committed to fat liberation, body neutrality, and anti-racist work and operates from a Health at Every Size lens.

In her free time, Abby loves tending to her vegetable garden, doing Jigsaw puzzles, and going for rain walks with her friends and family.

Carrie Norman (she/her)

Vice President

Carrie's Bio

In my role as Senior Regional Outreach Manager with Monte Nido & Affiliates, I connect professionals and clients with resources that create opportunities for healing. My coverage areas in Oregon include Portland, Salem, Central and Eastern Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. I partner with my outreach colleague Tanya Hall to support professionals in Oregon while Tanya also provides outreach support for Washington and Idaho.

With fifteen years of experience in behavioral health in various capacities including admissions, clinical outreach, non-profit work, community engagement and partnership development, my mission is to provide caring and collaborative support to clients and professionals seeking mental or behavioral health treatment or support.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family, a good cup of coffee and a book, enjoying nature, gardening, yoga, paddling, and cooking.

It is an honor to join the CREDN Board serving as VP, and I look forward to connecting with members in the days ahead.

Chelsea Casey (she/her)

Conference Co-Chair

Chelsey's Bio

Chelsea (she/her) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor. She began her career in Eating Disorder Treatment through providing inpatient and residential care at Reasons Eating Disorder Center in Los Angeles in 2014. Chelsea came to work for Clementine Programs as an individual and family therapist after moving to Oregon at the beginning of 2017. Currently in private practice, Chelsea provides a space for teens and young adults to heal their relationships with food, their bodies, and movement, aiming at helping them live a fuller and more connected life. Recently, Chelsea’s passions have expanded into working with clients in the perinatal period, and she hopes to soon be able to offer a meaningful space to merge support for these two populations. Chelsea also offers family therapy and parent coaching, sticking to her roots as a systems therapist. Her approach is grounded in Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Attachment Theory. Chelsea is weight-inclusive, fat-positive, and anti-diet. She’s affirming of all queer identities, and constantly working to challenge systemic oppression in her personal and professional life.

Jade Buchanan (she/her)

Treasurer

Jade's Bio

Jade Buchanan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been providing therapy to young people and their families since 2000. As a Portland native, she developed a strong sense of compassion balanced with a healthy amount of sarcastic wit which allows her to connect and support young people through the challenges of eating disorder treatment, recovery, and beyond. She has a particular focus on teaching and supporting people navigating the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Jade has served the eating disorder community in all levels of care before settling into private practice where she sees individuals and families. As secretary, Jade strives to be a note taker extraordinaire!

Kathryn Smith (she/her)

Conference Co-Chair

Kathryn's Bio

Kathryn Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor working in private practice in Medford, Oregon. Kathryn graduated with a master’s degree in Professional Clinical Counseling with a minor in addictions counseling from LaSalle University. She specializes in eating disorders, trauma, and anxiety disorders. She loves working with adolescents/ teens (12+) and adults. She is a 200hr certified yoga teacher and hopes to incorporate trauma informed yoga for all bodies into her practice to increase mind- body connection.

Her counseling style is collaborative, warm, and down to earth. She uses humor to build connection and ease anxiety. Her primary goal is to create a space where you feel heard, validated, and supported Kathryn is passionate about helping others heal their relationship with their bodies and food in order to live healthy, fulfilling lives.

In her free time, Kathryn enjoys reading, spending time with her two dogs (aka “Co-therapists”), Hershey and Riley, doing puzzles, and participating in advocacy activities for various causes.

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Dr. WendyLeigh White (she/her)

Treasurer

WendyLeigh's Bio

I am a licensed naturopathic doctor and nutritionist who takes a “nature cure” approach to prevention and healing. I provide weight-neutral naturopathic care, non-diet nutritional counseling, Visionary Craniosacral Work® (VCSW), and the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP).

I empower everyone, especially those in larger bodies, to understand the interconnected systems of your body, and its specific needs. You will learn to tune in to the signals your body is telling you. Only then can you give it what it needs to heal, thrive, and learn how not to follow in your family’s medical footprints.

Building from a “nature cure” philosophy (food, water, air, movement, relationships), I specialize in developing personalized lifestyle plans that align to your unique individual makeup and lifestyle.

You are a human, not a robot, and you don’t have to be perfect. You have built in resilience which allows you to make choices. Finding your optimum vitality is about making conscious decisions most of the time, not every time. I want to empower you to abandon guilt, and embrace your ability to live consciously. It’s that simple, and that powerful.

Open Board Position

Co-Conference Chair

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Meghan Smith (she/her)

Resources Chair

Meghan's Bio

Meghan is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a certification in eating disorder treatment from Lewis and Clark College. She is worked at PHP and IOP levels of care and decided to create new level of care outpatient+, which offers group therapy to people trying to recover on an outpatient basis. The goal of her practice, Meghan's Place, is to provide community and peer support to adults struggling with eating disorders in the community. Meghan offers meal groups, process groups and many other groups and works from a HAES model. Meghan is personally passionate about eating disorders and is also very interested in how psilocybin treatment can be applied to individuals struggling with eating disorders.

In her spare time, Meghan likes to spend time with her 14-year old cat, watch comedies and try new restaurants.

Open Board Position

Membership Chair

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Shira Evans (she/her)

Continuing Education Chair

Shira's Bio

Hello! My name is Shira, and I am thrilled to offer virtual nutrition services to children and adults who are looking to improve their relationship with food, body image, and movement. I have worked in all higher levels of care for eating disorder treatment, and worked in Division I settings as a leader for performance nutrition and disordered eating care among athletes. I use a non-diet approach, and am aligned with a HAES framework. I am a former athlete and maintain a second board certification as a Certified Specialist in Sport Dietetics. Additionally, I have several years of experience in working with clients who are impacted by the co-occurrence of type 1 diabetes and an eating disorder.