Heroes Don't Always Wear Capes
Being an intern at the Central Coast Treatment Center (CCTC) has been an incomparable experience. Working with a staff team of women whose careers are focused on helping, empowering and supporting individuals in need makes for an opportunity like no other. The Registered Dietitians- Emily Stingl and Marlena Tanner- work hands on with eating disorder clients. They provide counseling about nutrition, health, wellness, positive eating behaviors, and they work to define the difference between one’s Eating Disorder Self compared to their True Self. I have had the opportunity to work with both amazing women and see the differences in their counseling styles. Though both these RD’s have different techniques in handling clients' sessions, they have the same end goal- Recovery. To help a client through Recovery makes you the hero in their life!
Emily Stingl is the full-time dietitian on staff at CCTC. She was raised in Wisconsin and completed her Dietetic Internship at Florida Hospital, Orlando. Following this achievement, she moved to California and stumbled upon the job opportunity to work at Central Coast Treatment Center. When I asked her about her life journey and what it took to get here, she explained to me her passions and how they have led her to where she is now. She stated that people did not believe that she would stick with eating disorder treatment as a pathway, but as her career has progressed, she knows she belongs here and loves what she does. Her words were “go for what you dream to do and see how you end up liking it.” As a Registered Dietitian, she is very open to working in many areas of this career field, and as an intern shadowing her, this inspires to me remain open-minded, continue to follow my dreams and work hard for what I want to achieve.
When discussing Emily’s career path, she said she has known since high school that nutrition and psychology were her passions, and after doing research, she found that working with eating disorders would be the perfect combo of each. “One day in high school PE class a fellow female student asked me what I wanted to do in the future, and I told her that working with eating disorder clients was my goal; she thanked me. This girl had been struggling with bulimia for years and had told me how grateful she was to know people out there wanted to help people struggling like her.”
Emily also told me about her previous work experiences. During high school and college her jobs were always doing food service, mostly working in commercial kitchens in long-term care facilities, but never working around eating disorders. “After completing my DI, I worked at the Florida Hospital I interned at and covered the Neurosurgical and Neuromedical units - I absolutely loved that experience.”
Emily continued, explaining that she has only been in California since the end of January 2019 and started working in mid-March at the Central Coast Treatment Center. “It has been a wonderful experience that just fell into my lap. It has been a lot of living and learning since I have been here.”
Emily said she would consider working in a private practice setting as her career continues, but she claimed “I like the team setting a lot so I could see myself sticking in an IOP (intensive outpatient) or PHP (partial hospitalization program). However, I know I will be moving around a lot in my life with my boyfriend in the military, so moving every four years or so will allow me new job opportunities frequently.” According to Emily, she truly hopes to stay in this field, working with eating disorder clients and developing as an RD.
Emily has been such a wonderful dietitian to work alongside. Her compassion, knowledge and gentleness make her the perfect fit as an RD working with this population. Likewise, learning more about eating disorders and working directly with eating disorder dietitians has been such an empowering experience for me as an intern! Interacting with clients and learning more about their individual stories has been very impactful. The opportunity to be an intern at the Central Coast Treatment Center has touched my heart and opened my eyes to another possible pathway to pursue in the nutrition field.
