Contributors

Agness, a dedicated student of Holistic Nutrition and mental health advocate, founded Holistic Roadmap as a passion project inspired by her own recovery journey. After overcoming years of bulimia, binge eating, and compulsive food behaviors, she has been free from these struggles for over 5 years. Agness’s mission is to inspire and empower others by sharing the holistic practices and tools that helped her heal. Leading by example, she encourages others to start their own recovery journey and find harmony with food, their bodies, and their hearts. She shows that true balance and peace are possible and within reach for everyone.

Dr. April Smith is an endowed Alumni Professor of Psychology at Auburn University, where she directs the Research on Eating Disorders and Suicidality (REDS) Laboratory and co-directs the Auburn Eating Disorders Clinic. Her research focuses on transdiagnostic psychological processes linking disordered eating and suicide risk, with an emphasis on developing brief, portable, web-based behavioral interventions targeting these processes.

Dr. Smith earned her Ph.D. from Florida State University’s Clinical Psychology Program in 2012 and was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science in 2016. She has authored over 140 peer-reviewed articles and received over $7.5 million in funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Defense, and the Military Operational Medicine Research Program to advance her work.

Bridget has more than 10 years of professional writing experience, with roles in journalism and content creation. She built her background in health and wellness-related knowledge working for a variety of medical websites and has been published by WebMD, Princeton University, and Duquesne School of Nursing, among others. She has also written research pieces for several medical or nursing magazines on topics spanning addiction recovery, mental health, holistic nursing, and prenatal health.

Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC, is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) specializing in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish wholesome relationships with food and their bodies.

Dr. Danielle Kelvas, MD, earned her medical degree from East Tennessee State University and specialized in Emergency Medicine. She later switched to primary care and became passionate about treating eating disorders while volunteering for an anti-sex trafficking agency. She has traveled, lived, and volunteered medically in over 40 countries, giving her a unique perspective on how geographic and sociocultural determinants impact EDs.

Dr. Kelvas served a term as the National Chair of Global Health for the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and published a global health program for medical students that is used by New York Medical College and AMSA, placing a heavy emphasis on food, water, and maternal/baby health. She now writes full-time and is currently funded to write a novel.

A long-time love of science, a degree in Applied Biology, and time spent researching epigenetics have fueled Gemma's career as a medical writer.

Gemma has a keen interest in new discoveries within the health world which has led to projects writing about mental health, sexual health, and DNA testing.

Jenna Jones is a social worker and psychotherapist specializing in eating disorder recovery, with extensive experience supporting clients across a variety of clinical settings, including inpatient units, day programs, and outpatient care. Since earning her Master’s Degree in Social Work from McGill University in 2016, she has provided psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families, facilitated group therapy for eating disorder clients and their loved ones, and mentored interns specializing in eating disorders.

Jenna continues to dedicate her career to empowering individuals to restore a healthy, balanced relationship with their bodies and minds.

Dr. Jennifer VanBeck, PsyD, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She sees clients in person in Michigan and virtually in Michigan, New York, and all 41 other PSYPACT states. She has a private practice specializing in working with college students who are struggling with disordered eating, body image issues, and eating disorders, and sees many students involved in Greek Life at the University of Michigan.

You can learn more about her at www.drjennifervanbeck.com.

Kate Ringwood is a licensed professional counselor and owner of Serendipity Counseling Services. She focuses on helping athletes through their struggles with food, body, and performance. Kate specializes in working with folks through their own unique journey as they navigate their relationship with their sport through eating disorder recovery. 

Laura Jaramillo, LCPC, is a compassionate therapist specializing in eating disorders, anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder, and trauma. At her practice, Laura Listens, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, she integrates traditional psychotherapy with mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. Laura’s holistic approach nurtures mind, body, and spirit, empowering clients to heal and cultivate resilience in a supportive, heart-centered environment.

Margot Rittenhouse, MS, PLPC, NCC is a therapist who is passionate about providing mental health support to all in need and has worked with clients with substance abuse issues, eating disorders, domestic violence victims, and offenders, and severely mentally ill youth.

As a freelance writer for Eating Disorder Hope and Addiction Hope and a mentor with MentorConnect, Margot is a passionate eating disorder advocate, committed to de-stigmatizing these illnesses while showing support for those struggling through mentoring, writing, and volunteering. Margot has a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.

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Michael is a licensed clinical social worker with a private therapy practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He specializes in helping children and teens with mental health concerns. He is passionate about providing effective and compassionate care.

He is an advocate for mental health awareness, and is the founder of Mental Health Center Kids, a website that provides resources and support for parents, teachers, and mental health professionals who care for children and teens.

Dan Wagener, MA, is an editor and writer with experience in healthcare, mental health, and prescription drug use and misuse. Most recently, he was the copy desk manager at GoodRx, where he worked on stories and reports on drug prices, prescription trends, mental health, and telehealth.

Before GoodRx, he was a senior web content editor at American Addiction Centers, where he edited, reviewed, and wrote content on drug misuse and addiction treatment. He also worked as a government contractor for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and in drug and mental health rehabilitation facilities.

Dan holds a bachelor's degree in English from La Salle University and a master's degree in counseling psychology from Lewis & Clark College.

Dr. Danielle Kelvas, MD, earned her medical degree from East Tennessee State University and specialized in Emergency Medicine. She later switched to primary care and became passionate about treating eating disorders while volunteering for an anti-sex trafficking agency. She has traveled, lived, and volunteered medically in over 40 countries, giving her a unique perspective on how geographic and sociocultural determinants impact EDs.

Dr. Kelvas served a term as the National Chair of Global Health for the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and published a global health program for medical students that is used by New York Medical College and AMSA, placing a heavy emphasis on food, water, and maternal/baby health. She now writes full-time and is currently funded to write a novel.

Eric Patterson, LPC, is a professional counselor working to improve the mental health of western Pennsylvanians since 2006. Along the way, he began offering clinical supervision to other therapists hoping to develop their skills. In 2014, Eric started writing mental health and addiction content in hopes of reaching a wider audience with accurate and actionable information.

Isabel Vasquez, RD, LDN is a weight-inclusive, non-diet registered dietitian whose work centers around helping people improve their relationships to food, movement, and their bodies. She has a background working in virtual eating disorder treatment and outpatient nutrition counseling. Now, she works as a freelance health and nutrition writer and intuitive eating coach, where she uses her clinical background to spread weight-neutral nutrition information with a wider audience.

Kourtney Johnson, RD, LD, is a weight-inclusive dietitian with experience counseling patients on intuitive eating to break the diet cycle, maintain eating disorder recovery, and build a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. She also writes nutrition content and is passionate about sharing accurate, evidence-based information with consumers.

Margot Rittenhouse, MS, PLPC, NCC is a therapist who is passionate about providing mental health support to all in need and has worked with clients with substance abuse issues, eating disorders, domestic violence victims, and offenders, and severely mentally ill youth.

As a freelance writer for Eating Disorder Hope and Addiction Hope and a mentor with MentorConnect, Margot is a passionate eating disorder advocate, committed to de-stigmatizing these illnesses while showing support for those struggling through mentoring, writing, and volunteering. Margot has a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.

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