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Eat. Pray. Grow. Done Just Surviving

A Part of SunCloud's Continuing Education Series of Events
The Role of Safety Behaviors in Maintaining Mental Health Conditions Presented by: Patrick McGrath, PhD | NOCD May 24th, 2024 Child and Adolescent Professional Development Series

Topics Covered: 

  • Identifying the role that safety behaviors play in the maintenance of Mental Health Conditions.  
  • Challenging the use of safety behaviors in patients and their families.  
  • Utilizing Exposure and Response Prevention techniques that challenge safety-seeking behaviors in order to move patients forward. 
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Watch the Presentation

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About the Speaker

[one_third][/one_third] [two_third_last] Presented by: Patrick McGrath, PhD | NOCD
Dr. Patrick B. McGrath serves as the Chief Clinical Officer for NOCD, where he oversees the company’s clinical protocols and team of OCD specialists. As the world’s leading provider of virtual therapy for OCD, NOCD offers evidenced-based treatment for adults and children around the world struggling with OCD and related conditions, with a network of licensed therapists who are trained, led, and supervised by Dr. McGrath. He is also a Lead Psychologist at Ascension Illinois Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, where he opened Intensive Outpatient, Partial Hospital, and Residential Treatment Programs for Anxiety Disorders, School Refusal, and OCD.
Dr. McGrath is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of OCD treatment experience. He is a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Boards of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), a Fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the Past President of OCD Midwest, an affiliate of the IOCDF. He authored the books “Don’t Try Harder, Try Different,” and “The OCD Answer Book” and was featured on the Discovery Health Channel’s documentary “Panic” and on three episodes of “Hoarding; Buried Alive” on TLC.
[/two_third_last] [/colorsection]   Joint Accreditation Statement

Joint Accreditation Statement: In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Amedco LLC and Galen Mental Health.  Amedco LLC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. Amedco Joint Accreditation #4008163.

 

Eat. Pray. Grow.Done Just Surviving

Jen Spencer PhD
Presented By:
Jen Spencer, PhD
September 11th, 2026
Dr. Jen Spencer
Education Consulting Services LLC

Child and Adolescent Professional Development Series

Topics Covered

  • Understanding burnout, moral injury and Calling Collapse™
  • Building boundaries, trust, supportive relationships and self-efficacy
  • Using the ROOTED framework to move from surviving to thriving

Video: Watch the Presentation

Click to Download Slides

Click to Earn CE Credit

About the Speaker

Presented by:Jen Spencer, PhD

Jen Spencer, PhD, is a leadership and wellness advocate with experience spanning education, healthcare and social work. Her research explores burnout, stress and moral injury in mission-driven workplaces. Drawing from both professional and lived experience, Jen helps healers, helpers and leaders recognize Calling Collapse™ and develop practical strategies to protect their well-being, professional identity and sense of purpose.

Jen Spencer PhD

Joint Accreditation Statement:

Joint Accreditation Statement: In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Amedco LLC and Galen Mental Health.  Amedco LLC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. Amedco Joint Accreditation #4008163.

-Our Research Team-
Timothy D. Brewerton, MD, DLFAPA, FAED, DFAACAP, CEDS-S
Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Christopher Womack
Medical Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Dr. Christopher Womack joins SunCloud as our Medical Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Womack is board certified in Adult as well as Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, attending the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Adult psychiatry residency and child fellowship training were completed at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Dr. Womack’s treatment  philosophy hinges on strength based, evidence informed care, where collaboration is central to guiding individualized treatment.  He has experience caring for children and teens from varied backgrounds, appreciating the importance of how identity can inform treatment.

Favorite pastimes are cooking new recipes and exploring Chicago’s rich cultural diversity through its neighborhood and fine dining experiences.

Elizabeth E. Sita, MD
Medical Director of Adult Services

Dr. Elizabeth E. Sita, MD, is a Board Certified psychiatrist specializing in the care of patients with eating disorders. She completed her undergraduate training at the University of Chicago and graduated with Highest Honors. She then earned her medical degree at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and was recognized with the Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Psychiatry. She subsequently completed residency with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, where she was elected Chief Resident and received the Resident Psychiatrist Leadership & Service Award.

Upon completing her training, Dr. Sita joined the staff atAscension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital Hospital, where she served as Assistant Medical Director of the Center for Eating Disorders and Director of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Services before transitioning to lead the new inpatient eating disorder unit as Medical Director of Eating Disorder Services at Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital – Chicago. In these roles, she has cared for a multitude of adolescents and adults struggling with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and other eating disorders as well as severe, cooccurring mood, trauma, personality, and substance use disorders.

Dr. Sita has been recognized throughout her training and practice for a commitment to excellence in patient care and for her ability to engage patients in their most challenging moments. Her passions include the care of treatment-resistant eating and mood disorders as well as questions of medical capacity and end-of-life decision making.

She believes that, first and foremost, human connection is key to mental health and well-being and strives to share this philosophy in each and every patient encounter. She is excited to bring her expertise to SunCloud Health as the Medical Director of Adult Services!

VIDEO: Meet Elizabeth E. Sita, MD, Medical Director of Adult Services

Lacey Lemke, PsyD
Assistant Vice President of Clinical Services

Dr. Lacey Lemke (she/her) is a licensed clinical health psychologist with specialized expertise in the treatment of eating disorders and the practice of medical and health psychology. She completed her doctoral training in clinical psychology with a Primary Care emphasis at the Adler School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Lemke went on to complete both her predoctoral clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship through Ascension Health, where she gained advanced training working with individuals experiencing eating disorders and self-injurious behaviors, as well as within pediatric subspecialty settings including endocrinology, neurology, and adolescent medicine.

Dr. Lemke is deeply committed to providing evidence-based, compassionate care and collaborates closely with interdisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive treatment. Her professional mission is to support patients in achieving their fullest potential by guiding them to the most appropriate level of care and empowering them to make meaningful, sustainable progress toward improved health and well-being.

VIDEO: 2. Meet Lacey Lemke, PsyD.

https://youtu.be/iKQeU9s5U2k?rel=o