Meet Our Compassionate, Experienced Therapists
Our experienced therapists will make it easy for you or your loved one to take the first important step to recognizing and getting help for an eating disorder or self-harm behavior. Our comfortable centers in Columbia, Maryland and Woodley Park, D.C. are renowned for providing therapeutic approaches that work for every body.
Dr. Veronica Franklin – Clinical Director, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Franklin brings over 20 years’ experience in the mental health field as an educator, advocate, therapist, and clinical leader. Her behavioral health career has come full circle from health and wellness through 20 years as a mental health provider. Her initial experiences were as a Kinesiology professor at University of Minnesota and at Texas A & M University. While teaching in academia, she developed a passion for overall wellness and the search to improve behavioral health on college campuses. Over the next 20 years, Dr. Franklin incorporated body-mind wellness into her academic counseling courses, in her spiritual workshops and by utilizing nutritional education in her practice. She has served as a program director in Rockville Maryland, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has also served as a Fulbright scholar in Vienna, Austria. When she is not helping in the GBLTQIA community, she can be found volunteering as a PATH member for Maryland Therapeutic Riding Center.
Catie Ehrler, LGPC – PHP Therapist, Washington, D.C. Location
Catie holds a Masters of Arts from Marymount University in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has experience working with many diverse populations including domestic and sexual assault survivors and the LGBTIA+ community. Catie practices from a Relational Cultural framework and is passionate about assisting her clients in establishing health relationships with food, family and themselves. When she is not supporting our clients here in PHP, she can often be found exploring street art, tending to her many plants, or partaking in DC’s vibrant music scene.
Fiona Griffin, LGPC – IOP Therapist, D.C. Location
Fiona holds a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marymount University and has experience working with a diverse array of clients using a humanistic, insight-oriented approach and trauma-informed lens. She enjoys helping clients tap into their unique strengths and inner resources on the path to healing and recovery. Fiona also has a background in yoga and mindfulness and in her free time enjoys playing music and taking long walks with her dog, Dolly.
Callen Jones, LGPC – PHP and Art Therapist, DC Location
Callen holds a Masters of Arts from George Washington University in Art Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. She has experience recognizing and serving the mental health needs of a wide-range of populations including domestic violence and sexual assault survivors and children suffering from chronic illnesses. Callen is trained in trauma-informed art therapy practice dedicating herself to therapeutic intervention that is individualized and welcoming. She is a strong believer in the power of witnessing another human being’s story and connecting through the lens of empathy. Callen is a passionate artist and enjoys exploring nature.
Pooja Deshpande, MS – PHP Therapist, Baltimore Location
A native of India, Pooja holds her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the Johns Hopkins University. She has a Bachelor’s in Liberals Arts with a major in Psychology and minor in Anthropology from Symbiosis International University in India. Her passion towards working in unique settings, understanding trauma and its relation to eating disorders, behavioral medicine, and adapting counseling interventions in the context of communities led her to start her journey in the United States of America. She has previously worked with refugee populations and war veterans in India. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, exploring diverse cuisines, world cinema, travelling and spending time with her friends.
Hillary Hollander, LMSW – Outpatient Therapist, Baltimore Location
A native Marylander, Hillary graduated from the Bryn Mawr School, earned her BA from Franklin and Marshall, and her Master of Social Work degree from Hunter College In New York City. In New York, she put her training into action, working in an outpatient facility with young adults experiencing a variety of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Since returning to Maryland in 2012, Hillary was involved in a grant-based program helping women reenter the work force, and more recently providing mental health counseling to people with a wide range of issues including substance abuse and eating disorders. Hillary also serves on the State Council For Child Abuse and Neglect by appointment of the Governor. In her spare time, Hillary enjoys spending time with her children, family, and friends. She is also an avid runner who has completed several marathons.
Kim Machado, LPC – IOP Therapist, Baltimore Location
While Kim was born and raised in Maryland, she an internationally known as a classical musician. Before turning her sights to psychotherapy, she had performed in spaces such as Carnegie Hall, Ely Cathedral, The Kennedy Center, and Strathmore Hall. Now Kim is a psychotherapist at The Body Image Center who specializes in clients diagnosed with eating disorders, trauma and dissociative disorders. Her favorite quote from Alice in Wonderland specifically captures her therapeutic philosophy, “When you can’t look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark.” In her spare time she enjoys playing board games, travelling, and performing classical music.
Megan Rubino, LGSW – Adolescent IOP Therapist, Columbia, Maryland location
Megan graduated from Salisbury University with a BSW, and then from the University of Southern California with MSW. She has worked with adolescents and adults in a variety of settings including addictions, detention, and healthcare as a case manager and social worker. She developed a passion for overall holistic wellness, a core part of her approach with all clients. When not working, she enjoys spending quality time with family, friends, her boxer named Roxy, as well as cycling, drinking lavender lattes, and traveling as much as possible.
Dr. David Christy, Ph.D., NCC, LGPC – PHP Therapist, Baltimore Location
Dr. Christy is a psychotherapist and LGBTQI+ advocate. He holds a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from Loyola University Maryland and master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University. His experience working with individuals and families includes treating trauma, psychosis, substance abuse and recovery, depression, anxiety, LGBTQ+ issues, chronic pain, grief and bereavement, and post-traumatic stress. David has been teaching mindfulness for over a decade and is skilled at integrating mindfulness and compassion into his clinical work. Prior to becoming a therapist, David worked as an interfaith chaplain helping cancer patients and their families prepare for the end of life with grace. In his free time, he enjoys playing nerdy table-top games, spending time in nature, cooking, and relaxing with family and friends.
For more information, please give us a call at (877)-674-2843 or CLICK HERE to contact us.