Nutrition Philosophy at SunCloud Health

A HAES oriented, weight inclusive approach to recovery

Our Nutrition Team Will Help You Develop A Healthy Relationship With Food – A Crucial Step In Overcoming Your Eating Disorder

If you or someone you care about is struggling with an eating disorder, the experienced team at SunCloud Health is here for you. Recovery takes time – but in our work with hundreds of people just like you, we have developed an integrated approach to recovery that treats the body, mind and spirit.

Unlike all other eating disorder treatment centers, we do not believe that daily consumption of ultra-processed foods is necessary for all forms of recovery. This is just one example of how our individualized treatment model is different from other traditional eating disorder programs that prescribe one generic approach for everyone regardless of their unique disease set.

Nutrition therapy is an important part of treating all eating disorders. Whether you are suffering from anorexia, bulimia, chronic binge eating or another form of eating disorder, we are ready to help you change your relationship with food.

Does SunCloud Offer a HAES Oriented Approach to Recovery?

Question: I’m interested in finding safe places to send my patients who have both EDs and SUDs but it’s hard to tell if SunCloud is a safe place to send larger-bodied patients. Does SunCloud offer a HAES oriented, weight inclusive approach to recovery? Is weight loss or management ever a goal of treatment? 

Answer: We (Suncloud Health) are HAES informed and value diversity. This is reflected in our milieu and staff. We take a weight neutral approach for patients in larger bodies. Eating disorder treatment and addiction treatment focus is never on weight loss. We are explicit about that. If someone has comorbid illnesses (actual diseases) like high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol we address those issues as well from a weight neutral.

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Nourish your body, heal your mind. Start today.

Video: Why SunCloud Health?

Hear from Kim Dennis, MD, CEDS, on why SunCloud Health can be the right treatment program for you or a loved one.

Video: An Individualized Approach to Treating Eating Disorders

Dr. Sita shares her expertise in treating eating disorders.

How Eating Disorders Change the Way We Eat

Video: Listen To Dr. Kim and Dr. Avena Discuss How to Properly Identify Food Addiction.

Listen as Dr. Kim (MD, CEDS Chief Medical Officer, CEO and Co-founder, SunCloud Health) and Dr. Nicole Avena (Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and a Visiting Professor of Health Psychology at Princeton University) discuss how to properly identify food addiction.

As someone who has focused on food for a long time, you may know a great deal about nutrition. But as your eating disorder took hold of your life, you may have used this knowledge in ways that weren’t healthy for you. For example, you may have:
  • Eliminated many specific foods from your diet
  • Cut out entire categories of food that your body actually needs
  • Obsessively counted calories, studied nutrition labels and measured out portions
  • Labeled certain foods as good or bad – or relied on safe foods vs. fear foods
  • Had difficulty eating when other people are present
  • Struggled with decisions about food – for example, when ordering in a restaurant
The nutrition staff at SunCloud Health will help you address these issues as we empower you with the skills and perspectives you need to rebuild your life and health.

Balanced nutrition for better recovery. Call now.

Help is one click or call away.

Rebuilding The Body as You Heal from An Eating Disorder

Eating disorders can cause significant health challenges. When your body doesn’t get enough of the right foods each day, you may suffer from:

  • Extreme fatigue
  • Difficulty thinking clearly and remembering things
  • Inability to fight off illness
  • Skipped menstrual periods (amenorrhea)
  • Weakened bones (osteoporosis)
  • Loss of muscle tissue
  • Damage to the heart
  • Depression and thoughts of suicide
These issues point to the fact that recovery is more than simply reaching a healthy weight. Your body and mind will need special care to overcome the health problems that may have developed along the way. We are here to help you get started.

Click To See What Kind of Food Is Served at SunCloud Health Residential Treatment Center

Video: What Do You Say When People Ask, is SunCloud Health a 12-Step Program?

Kim Dennis, MD, CEDS, Medical Director, CEO and Co-Founder, answers the question, is SunCloud Health

Learning to Nourish Your Body

Many people who suffer from eating disorders have no idea what a healthful meal looks like. They have ignored their body’s signals for so long that they may not know how to tune in to these inner messages and take care of their needs.

At SunCloud Health, we believe that every person can achieve food freedom. This means embracing your power to choose the foods you eat and the way you think about nourishing your body.

As an integral part of your care team, SunCloud Health dietitians help you learn more about your body’s nutritional needs. We offer guidance and support as you begin your journey of recovery – and we stay with you as you progress toward wellness.

Our nutrition counseling will help you change the way you think about food. You will have the chance to embrace new knowledge and become more flexible in the foods you choose. Including a variety of healthful foods that deliver the nutrients your body needs is a crucial goal.

Discover the power of nutrition. Reach out today.

Help is one click or call away.

Building New Skills: Planning, Shopping, Cooking

At first, you may find it difficult to create a new pattern for eating. That’s not surprising, since you have been surrounded by fears and negative beliefs around food for a long time. Our nutritionists will develop a meal plan for your unique needs.

Supported meals and snacks will take the guesswork out of creating meals for yourself as you get started. You will also go on group outings to give you practice eating with others and choosing food from restaurant menus.

Choosing and cooking food are important areas of learning, too. Working with our nutritionists, you will learn how to shop for groceries and prepare flavorful foods that you enjoy. Our cooking groups offer you the chance to learn alongside others who are also reshaping their relationship with food.

Groups for Learning About Nutrition and Body Image

Taking part in SunCloud Health’s Nutrition Group will help clear away any misunderstandings about your body’s needs. Fearful, inaccurate thoughts will be healed as you learn about nutrition and engage in cognitive behavioral therapy exercises. We will give you a safe place to explore your thoughts, feelings and emotions about food, weight and your health.

Our Body Image Group is another key element in your recovery plan. This is a safe space to talk about how you see your body and how you feel about yourself as a person. In this caring, supportive setting, you will begin to understand where your negative beliefs about your body began. Gradually, your negative thoughts will be replaced with a strong, healthful, accurate image of your body and a sense of confidence in who you are.

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Fuel your recovery with care. Get started now.

Help is one click or call away.

When Eating Disorders Are Just Part of The Picture

At SunCloud Health, we treat you and your family as people who come forward in courage, seeking freedom from the pain of an eating disorder. We know that there is an underlying cause – and unless the cause is understood and treated, you will not be able to move forward and rebuild your life.

Video: We Do Not Ignore the Co-Occurring at SunCloud Health

Dr. Kim Dennis, MD, CEDS, explains how SunCloud Health treats co-occurring disorders.

Often, eating disorders are combined with other self-destructive behaviors. People facing this difficulty are often described as having a dual diagnosis or co-occurring conditions. The good news is that at SunCloud Health, we have extensive experience in treating people who are dealing with more than one issue at a time. We know how to target the source of the pain with love and compassion, using our expertise to create a personal program that will support you every step of the way.

Begin right now by getting in touch with us.

Find Compassionate Care.

For yourself or someone you know

Life After Eating Disorder Treatment?

As an outpatient and residential treatment center, SunCloud Health is in an ideal position to support you for as long as you agree our services are useful to you. With multiple levels of outpatient care, you may decide to stay connected through one of our aftercare outpatient groups – or you may want to continue seeing one of our individual therapists.  We are here to provide continuous, caring support for your recovery journey.

Though we understand fully that you don’t want to spend your life in treatment, we also know from experience that a lifetime commitment to wellness is the foundation of your well-being over the long term. We will work with you to maintain a healthy outlook, which means achieving balance, honesty, and health — physical, emotional and spiritual. Our goal is to create a care plan that you can take with you forever, wherever you may go.

Video: Dr. Kim, Recovery Is Not About Stopping Things but Rather It’s About Expanding Your Life and Your Health.

Dr. Kim, MD, CEDS Chief Medical Officer, CEO and Co-founder, SunCloud Health explains, recovery is not about stopping things but rather it’s about expanding your life and your health.

Video: Is There Hope for My Recovery?

Dr. Marcia Nickow, Psy.D., CADC, CGP shares her thoughts on hope for recovery at SunCloud Health.

Recovery starts with nourishment. Begin today.

Treatment at SCH is really different. I have been to several so I know… Most treatment centers are focused on normalizing eating behaviors, weight restoration (or loss) and that is pretty much it. At SunCloud this stuff all matters but treatment is much deeper and so much more! I have been encouraged to look at what drive me to the disordered eating behaviors in the first place. I have looked at early childhood trauma, I have looked at dysfunctional and unhealthy relationships in my family, I have learned skills to help me respond differently to my thoughts and feelings and most importantly I have learned that I am not alone in my journey. Dr. Kim and her team genuinely care. This place is special. Thank you! I suggest seeking treatment at SunCloud!!!!

Get Help Now

Thinking about seeking help or know someone who does? Click below to have one of our professional team members contact you.

Explaining SunCloud’s Integrated ModelWhy is an integrated treatment model essential to successfully treating patients?

Dr. Kim Dennis, Co-Founder and Medical Director at SunCloud Health, discusses the vital role the integrated model (that she is pioneering at SunCloud Health) plays in the success of treating patients with co-occurring disorders and underlying trauma. How does SunCloud create an authentic culture of patient support?

Rachel Collins, LCSW
Site Director of Northbrook PHP and IOP

Rachel Collins, LCSW, is the Site Director of SunCloud Health’s Northbrook Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs for both adolescents and adults. Rachel earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and went on to complete her master’s degree in social work from Michigan State University. She has since worked in a wide range of settings, including inpatient treatment, PHP/IOP programs, therapeutic group homes, and private practice. Rachel specializes in treating trauma (using Cognitive Processing Therapy) and anxiety, practicing through a relational, compassionate, and client-centered lens. She is passionate about creating a therapeutic space in which clients feel safe and able to explore various parts of themselves with curiosity as opposed to judgement. In addition to her leadership and clinical work, she is passionate about creating art, and learning about the intersection between creativity and mental health.

Kayla Corirossi, MA, LCSW
Site Director, Naperville PHP/IOP (Adolescents & Adults)

Kayla Corirossi, MA, LCSW, is the Site Director of SunCloud Health’s Naperville Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs for adolescents and adults. She brings extensive experience working with individuals across the lifespan, including adolescents, adults, and geriatric populations, and specializes in the treatment of mood disorders, trauma, substance use, family systems, forensic populations, and individuals in crisis.

Kayla has worked in a wide range of clinical and community settings, including community-based interventions, police crisis response, correctional facilities, inpatient treatment, PHP/IOP programs, and with vulnerable and underserved populations. In addition to her clinical and leadership work, she is passionate about providing mental health education and advocacy within the community.

Kayla earned her Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Psychology and Sociology from Aurora University and went on to complete her Master’s degree in Forensic Social Work, also at Aurora University. Her clinical approach is evidence-based, compassionate, trauma-informed, and integrative, emphasizing collaboration and individualized care.

Driven by a personal mission to meet individuals where they are, Kayla is committed to helping clients feel safe, supported, and understood. She strives to create a natural and empathetic healing environment while ensuring individuals from all backgrounds and identities know they are not alone and have access to meaningful resources and support.

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 came to Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health 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


 https://youtu.be/JbmELh2UGXE

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