Sara Cantu, PhD LPC-S LMFT RPT-S CED-S CIMI
Clinical Director
Sara Cantu has worked with clients suffering from eating disorders for more than ten years and holds a tremendous amount of knowledge and education. She specializes in eating disorders, play therapy and other areas. Sara earned many certifications and achievements including a Doctorate of Philosophy, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Supervisor, Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, and Certified Infant Massage Instructor. Sara loves working with kids, families, counselors, and therapists to find the best versions of themselves, remove blocks that are keeping them from being their most awesome, and help them to learn to live a life they have always dreamed about. She enjoys walking alongside her clients as they overcome these disorders and are able to find out what true recovery means. Stephanie has extensive experience working with teens and adults in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She believes that the therapeutic relationship is an important one and that a person must have a good relationship with their therapist while utilizing an individual treatment plan tailored specifically for each one of her clients. Stephanie created the clinical programming for Eating Disorder Solutions by utilizing a combination of therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, solution-focused therapy, and acceptance commitment therapy.
Emily Baum, M.S., RDN, LD
Lead Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Emily Baum graduated with a BS in Nutrition from the University of Texas at Austin and an MS in Nutrition from Texas Woman's University. During graduate school, Emily began working as a Milieu Therapist at the Eating Disorder Unit at Children's Health in Plano. Here, Emily became passionate about working with children and families leading her to pursue a position as a Behavioral Health Counselor and Dietary Assistant at Eating Recovery Center. Upon completion of her studies, Emily was accepted into Keith & Associate's Dietetic Internship to become a Registered Dietitian. As Lead Dietitian at Eating Disorder Solutions, Emily has been able to combine both her studies and in-field experience to create a nutritional program unlike any other treatment provider for disordered eating. Emily’s philosophy is that all foods are good foods, in a healthy and acceptable moderation. Emily will work individually with each client to develop a nutritional program specific to their needs, not only applicable while they are in our care, but to be practiced and followed when they leave Eating Disorder Solutions.
Dr. Ahsan M. Riaz, M.D.
Medical Doctor
Dr. Ahsan Riaz was raised in Jersey City, New Jersey and completed his undergraduate degree with honors from Rutgers. He obtained his degree from Saint George’s University in Grenada. Thereafter, he completed a residency at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, an affiliate of Cornell University. Dr. Riaz is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, where for the last seven years, he has been actively practicing in Dallas. Dr. Riaz has nearly ten years of experience as an Internist, primarily catering to the mental health population at Medical City Hospital in Dallas. His experiences in the acute care setting led him to the post-acute care world in hopes of bridging the gap and potentially preventing medical problems from progressing to requiring inpatient care. Dr. Riaz utilizes his knowledge and experience to provide treatment specifically to clients suffering from eating disorders, addiction, memory disorders, short and long term acute care, and others.
Dr. Anil Swarup, M.D.
Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist
Dr. Anil Swarup is a Double Board Certified Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist. After completing his residency at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, he opted to focus further on children and adolescent mental health by completing his fellowship with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine services at Elmhurst Hospital Center in New York. Dr. Swarup has served as Medical Director with community mental health centers and residential programs throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He has experience working with incarcerated adults and adjudicated adolescents in placement, substance use residential program for adolescents and adults and eating disorders in adolescents and adults. Dr. Swarup joins Eating Disorder Solutions with more than 20 years of experience in treating clients suffering from disordered eating. Dr. Swarup's upbringing and exposure while growing up all around the world lends to his understanding of the cultural challenges that exist in various populations. His vision is to see mental health awareness and treatment at the forefront of wellness in all age groups.
Tess Patterson, M.S., RD, LD
REGISTERED DIETITIAN NUTRITIONIST
Tess Patterson graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor's degree in Dietetics and a minor in Psychology and continued on to complete her Master's Degree in Nutrition & Health Sciences with a minor in Educational Psychology. Upon completing her Bachelor's, Tess continued on to complete her Master's degree from UNL, where she fostered her education by involving herself in both psychology and nutrition research among adolescents and preschool-age children. Tess went on to complete her Dietetic Internship from Iowa State University in June 2018, where she was given the opportunity to spend extensive time in the IOP treatment facility at Children's Medical Center in Omaha. Tess’s goal for all clients she meets with is that 'the changes we foster in sessions are changes that can/should be fostered for the entirety of one's' life'.
Julie Herndon, MS, LPC-Intern, NCC (supervised by Whitney Russell, MS, LPC-S, CEDS-S (#65929))
Therapist
Julie Herndon has a Master’s of Science in Counseling from the University of North Texas and has earned her recognition as a National Certified Counselor from the National Board of Certified Counselors. Julie completed her graduate internship at a non-profit organization focused on providing affordable counseling to the community and free counseling to trauma survivors, most of which were affected by eating disorders. Julie’s personal mission is to treat others better than they treat themselves.