SHW Eating Disorders Program

Initially, you’ll work with our social worker to determine if our team is the right fit to support your needs. You’ll then have evaluations with our primary care team, one of our therapists, our psychiatrist, and one of our dietitians.

If you and your providers decide to proceed with our team, you’ll have regular treatment with each of your treatment team members. You’ll work with each team member to determine how often you’ll need to meet with them.

You may also be recommended to one of our therapy groups. These groups focus on building skills for understanding and managing emotions effectively, as well as groups that focus on changing the way you view your body.

In general, our team focuses on including cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, exposure and response prevention, and health at every size approaches.

Be sure to check out the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) website for our most updated workshops and forums focused on body image! These are open for all UC San Diego students!

Allison Wagner, PhD (she/her/hers)
Clinical Psychologist and Eating Disorders Coordinator

Dr. Allison Wagner (Allie) is a clinical psychologist and coordinator of the SHW Eating Disorders Program. She earned her PhD from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She has expertise in treating the full spectrum of eating disorders at multiple levels of care (outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, acute hospitalization). She additionally has training and experience in treating co-occurring anxiety, depression, and PTSD. She utilizes cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, exposure and response prevention, cognitive processing therapy, and uses both a feminist psychology and Health at Every Size ® (HAES) lens. In her free time, Allie can be found enjoying the dog beach, at a yoga class, or enjoying a cup of tea with friends.

Taylor Greenberg, RD (she/her/hers)
Registered Dietitian

Taylor Greenberg is a registered dietitian who earned her B.A. in dietetics from Central Michigan University, where she was also a student athlete on the softball team. Prior to working for UCSD she worked for a Skilled Nursing Facility and in Private Practice. Taylor is originally from Phoenix, Arizona but has lived in NM, AZ, NJ, MI, and PA. She spent time in her life suffering from an eating disorder, and now strives to help others recover through compassionate, individualized care. Her passion is to help young adults learn about the connection between their mind and body so they can feel amazing inside and out. Taylor is a Health At Every Size® (HAES) and intuitive eating aligned dietitian that focuses the attention on attainable health promoting behaviors. She loves to play and watch sports, hike, relax on the beach, spend time with friends, family and dogs, travel, or just watch a good show!

Ellen Heyneman, MD (she/her/hers)
Psychiatrist

Dr. Heyneman graduated cum laude from Yale University (B.S. 1980) and Yale Medical School (M.D.1984 A.O.A.) and completed residencies in pediatrics and psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital. She completed fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry at Yale Child Study Center and moved to U.C.S.D. in 1991. She completed board certification in pediatrics, general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. Dr. Heyneman served as Director of the Residency Training Program in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UCSD and Director of the consultation-liaison service at Children’s Hospital and Health Center for over 20 years. Her outpatient clinical practice is specialized in eating disorders, anxiety disorders and mood disorders in children, adolescents as well as college mental health.

Sabrina Perrino, MD (she/her/hers)
Primary Care Physician

Dr. Perrino is on the Executive Board of the American Academy of Pediatrics-CA3 local chapter, co-founder of the San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air, and former Board Member of the Afghan-American Community Organization. Her medical interests focus on mental health, chronic diseases, dermatology, and sports medicine. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors with her family.

Tim Stempel, LCSW, MBA (he/him/his)
Admissions Coordinator

Tim Stempel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over a decade of experience working with various patient populations in diverse settings including residential treatment, outpatient therapy, emergency department, as well as school, healthcare and non-profit settings. Tim earned his undergraduate degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. He earned is Masters in Social Work from the University of Utah, and Masters in Business Administration from UC San Diego. Tim supports program participants through introduction to the program and enrollment process, as well as necessary case management support following enrollment. Tim believes that all people deserve the opportunity to form healthy relationships with food and with their bodies, and strives to ensure a psychologically safe environment for students interested in learning more about the program. In his non-work time, Tim can be found playing outdoors, riding bikes, cooking and spending time with his family.

Most people go on diets or overeat once in a while. If you think your eating is out of control or that food is playing too big a part in your life, use the questions below to help evaluate your behavior and understand potential problems.

Answer yes or no to the following:

• I constantly think about eating, weight and body size.
• I become anxious before eating.
• I am afraid of becoming overweight.
• I like my stomach to be empty.
• I have gone on eating binges where I felt I might not be able to stop.
• I often feel bloated or uncomfortable after meals.
• I spend a lot of time daydreaming about food.
• I weigh myself several times each day.
• I think about burning calories when I exercise, exercise too much, or get very rigid about my exercise plan.
• I believe that being in control of food shows others that I can control myself.
• I have taken laxatives or forced myself to vomit after eating.
• I eat diet foods.
• I feel extremely guilty after eating.
• I eat when I am nervous, anxious, lonely or depressed.
• I am preoccupied with the thought of having fat on my body.
• Other people think I am too thin.

Look at how you answered — if you think your eating habits are making you sick or just keeping you from enjoying life, it may be time to make some changes. Contact Student Health Services (858) 534-3300 to make an appointment with a physician or dietitian, or call Counseling and Psychological Services (858) 534-3755 to speak with a counselor.

If you feel a friend may have an eating disorder, here are some helpful suggestions:

• Talk about your concerns with a professional first.
  Prepare yourself with reliable information. Learn about eating disorders and find out what resources are available on campus and in the community.
• Talk with your friend.
  Find a quiet time when you will not be distracted or interrupted. Focus on your concerns about your friend's health, not their appearance or weight. Speak in confidence and keep it informal. Tell your friend how this is affecting your friendship. Share the information you have learned about resources that can help. Use kind language and understand that this might be overwhelming for someone to hear.
• Understand that your help may be rejected.
  Often people with eating disorders deny they have a problem. Don't take this rejection personally but try to end the conversation in a way that will allow you to come back to the subject at a later time.
• Know when to back off.
  If you sense you're getting angry or impatient with the discussion, back off. And try not to take on the role of counselor or "food monitor"—that would be inappropriate.