Katharine L. Loeb, PhD

Director of Research and Training

Katharine L. Loeb, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist who has devoted her three-decade career to the research and treatment of eating, feeding, and weight disorders.  She has also played an integral role in training future scientists and clinicians in this field. In 2020, Dr. Loeb retired as Professor of Psychology in the PhD Program in Clinical Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) and joined the team at CCEBT. Dr. Loeb received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons. She was the founding Director of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Eating and Weight Disorders Program; at FDU, was Director of both the Eating, Feeding, and Weight Disorders Lab and Clinical Practicum. She has also been a faculty member, trainer, and certified therapist of the Training Institute for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders since its inception. She is on the medical advisory board of Relief Resources, an international referral service for the Orthodox Jewish Community. Dr. Loeb has been inducted as a Fellow in the Academy for Eating Disorders and in the Association for Psychological Science, and she is a recipient of the FDU Distinguished Faculty Award for Research and Scholarship. Dr. Loeb’s research involves improving case identification of and parenting capacities in managing child and adolescent eating disorders, and systems-level strategies, including applied behavioral economics, for pediatric overweight and obesity. View Dr. Loeb’s Curriculum Vitae

Andrea Seefeldt, PsyD

Director of Adult Eating Disorder Services 

Dr. Andrea Seefeldt is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Illinois. She works with adolescents and adults who struggle with eating and body image concerns at any stage; whether coming in for an initial eating disorder assessment or a desire to strengthen established recovery. Her approach to therapy is informed by evidence-based treatment and emphasizes a collaborative therapeutic relationship to create a safe, affirmative space for exploration and growth. Dr. Seefeldt completed an APA-accredited Pre-Doctoral Internship at Indiana University Counseling and Psychological Services and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at University of Chicago Student Counseling Services, both with focused training on providing eating disorder treatment to university students. Formerly the Assistant Director of a university counseling center, she has much experience working with undergraduate and graduate students and a unique understanding of balancing academic demands and university life with mental health treatment needs. Dr. Seefeldt also enjoys working with individuals who wish to explore their identity, address relationship issues, and build tools to cope with mood and anxiety disorders. She is paneled with University of Chicago student health insurance.

Christine Daemicke, LCSW

Christine Daemicke, MSW, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker with specialized training working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Marquette University and earned her Masters in Social Work from Dominican University. Christine began her eating disorders career at the University of Chicago’s Eating Disorder Program where she provided FBT to adolescents and their families as well as young adults suffering from Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. She is a certified Family Based Treatment provider. Christine is also trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Eating Disorders. Christine’s primary interests include family based treatment and cognitive behavioral treatment for adolescents and young adults, as well as assessment and pre/post-operative guidance/counseling for bariatric surgery patients.

Laura DuFour, LCSW

Laura DuFour is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over ten years of experience working with children and families. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. Laura began her career serving adolescents in the foster care system in New York City. Laura also worked as a social worker and department supervisor at Marillac St. Vincent Family Services. She was a early intervention specialists and provided in-home services to children with developmental delays. Laura has been trained in Family Based Treatment. Her primary interests include Family Based Treatment with adolescents and their families.

Melissa Mello, LMFT

Melissa Mello is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has received extensive training in evidence-based treatments. Melissa received her BS in psychology from the University of Washington and her Masters in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego. Melissa completed her training at UC San Diego in an outpatient setting and went on to contribute to clinical research and provide services for eating disorders on multidisciplinary teams. She was also a program therapist for the UCSD Intensive Family Treatment (IFT) program- a week-long intensive program for teens with eating disorders and their families. She has been trained in and utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Family Based Treatment (FBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy( ACT). Her primary interests include working with children, teens, and young adults with anxiety disorders, OCD, and eating disorders. She is a certified Family Based Treatment provider.

Emily Grenesko-Stevens, LMFT

Emily Grenesko-Stevens is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a breadth of experience in conducting research and providing treatment for eating disorders. She began her career conducting neuroimaging research in 2003 and received her MA in psychology from San Diego State University in 2008. In 2009, Emily joined the UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research to study the neurobiology of eating disorders. During this time, she became interested in treatment of psychological disorders that is demonstrated to be effective based upon research findings. She began her training in family-based treatment of eating disorders and dialectical behavior therapy, working with adolescents and their families. In 2016, Emily graduated from the University of San Diego with a MA in marriage and family therapy. She received further training at The Eating Recovery Center in family-based treatment of eating disorders, dialectical behavior therapy, and emotion focused family therapy. Emily is dedicated to using evidence-based treatments to improve the lives of those struggling with anxiety, mood, and eating disorders.

Lily Friske, MA, LCPC

Lily Friske is a licensed clinical professional counselor who works with children, adolescents, adults, and families. Lily is licensed in Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana. She earned her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health from Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago. During graduate school, Lily worked for two years as an inpatient Mental Health Counselor at Chicago Children’s Center for Behavioral Health at Saint Elizabeth Hospital. She completed her internship at The Awakening Center in Chicago treating adults with Eating, Mood, and Trauma Disorders. Lily turned her focus to children and families upon graduation as the School Counselor at The British International School of Chicago, Lincoln Park. Lily joined CCEBT in 2020, drawn to its passion for providing clinical excellence and the precision of evidenced based treatment. Lily enjoys providing Family Based Treatment (FBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E). Additionally, Lily is passionate about providing supportive psychotherapy to teens, men, and women interested in improving body image and returning to thriving living after recovery from an eating disorder. She is a certified Family Based Treatment provider.

Cara Culbert, MA, LSW

Post Masters Fellow

Cara earned her bachelor of arts in social work from Saint Olaf College in 2016 and her Master’s in social service administration from The University of Chicago and is a licensed social worker. Cara has worked with adults and children with developmental disabilities in various social service settings and with older adults in a senior living community. In these settings, Cara learned to holistically attend to patients’ social and recreational needs, fostering productive and mutually trusting professional relationships. Cara completed her clinical internship at The Chicago Center for Evidence Based Treatment in 2020-2021 where she trained in Family Based Treatment (FBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E). Cara’s developing clinical interests include working with individuals who experience eating disorders, anxiety, and OCD.  

Alex Bayer, LSW

Post Masters Fellow

Alex earned her Master’s in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago. Alex was a part of the Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor Training Program at the University of Chicago, and is in the process of attaining her CADC. Alex has worked with youth across the developmental spectrum and would describe her approach to therapy as strength-based and trauma-responsive. Her developing clinical interests include working with eating disorders, anxiety, and the trauma-based needs of individuals.

Elly Calderwood, BA

Elly received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a minor in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work as an undergraduate was driven by interests in mental health research and treatment methods. Elly is completing a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the Townsend Institute at Concordia University Irvine. In addition, she serves as a Recovery Mentor for the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), providing support & education to those struggling with disordered eating and body image.

Erika Haaland

clinic coordinator

Erika Haaland is a teaching artist, social emotional learning specialist and office administrator with over 10 years of experience. Erika received her undergraduate degree from the University of Evansville and her MFA from the University of California Irvine. Erika began her career as an actor and teaching artist before transitioning into the world of Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Since becoming a SEL Specialist and administrator, Erika has worked nation-wide providing support for teachers, students, parents and administrators. Erika was also the founder and National Co-Director of Statera Mentorship, a program that sought to connect women and nonbinary artists through relationship building and community engagement. She owned her own wellness company that travelled to corporate offices in the Chicago area with programming centered around stress management and self-care. Erika is passionate about wellbeing and dedicated to promoting healing and self-awareness practices. 

Maria Weiss

BILLING coordinator

Maria Weiss has spent most of her career in finance and banking.  She spent six years in Investment Banking for JP Morgan Chase, supporting the Midwest Corporate banking team.  She then spent five years in the private sector, selling mortgages.  Maria attended DePaul University where she earned a degree in both Finance and Marketing. 

Natalia Zielinski

research coordinator

Natalia received her Bachelors of Sciences in Molecular- Cellular Neuroscience and Psychology in 2021 from Loyola University Chicago. Natalia was drawn to CCEBT due to her passion of promoting empirically-based treatment options and widening their accessibility to new communities. Over the past four years, Natalia has worked with children and adults in research and clinical settings at Loyola and Northwestern University, and translated for Polish patients in underserved clinics. She received two competitive fellowships funded by Loyola, and through this work led independent research projects and wrote two theses examining how individual differences, such as language proficiency and visual attention, impact the utility of gesture in communication. Natalia is interested in how culturally influenced family interactions affect mental and physical health, and hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology examining these relations.