Eating disorder behaviors and negative body image can feel all-encompassing. The thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with eating disorders can significantly negatively impact one’s emotional, physical, social, academic/occupational, and psychological parts of life. Specialty care for eating disorders makes a difference and can often be quite critical for recovery and to return to a life that is fulfilling and vibrant.
Dr. Sproch has dedicated the majority of her career to the treatment and research of eating disorders, as a clinician, supervisor, researcher, educator, and administrator. She has worked at eating disorder specialized treatment facilities across the country. Most recently, she was the Program Director of the New England Eating Disorders (NEED) Program at Sweetser, a premier eating disorder treatment facility in the state of Maine, where she led a multidisciplinary team in applying evidence-based treatments at multiple levels of care for adults and children. While at NEED, Dr. Sproch had the privilege of providing supervision to supervisors, clinicians, dietitians, and nurses and expanding the reach of the program. Such expansion included both opening up an outpatient practice dedicated to evidence-based care for eating disorders, and transforming the program into a telehealth treatment facility to reach more individuals across the state with specialty care. As an important part of her leadership role, she provided comprehensive eating disorder evaluations, individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy for patients at all levels of care. Prior to her time in Maine, Dr. Sproch was the Research Coordinator at the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt (currently Eating Recovery Center- Baltimore). While there, she provided individual, group, and family therapy, as well as assessment, for patients at all levels of care, from inpatient hospitalization to outpatient therapy. She facilitated multiple research studies, including leading a randomized controlled clinical trial for anorexia nervosa. Dr. Sproch has also worked in the eating disorder inpatient program of Friends Hospital in Philadelphia (currently Brandywine Hospital's eating disorder program) and 'Ai Pono's intensive outpatient program for eating disorders in Honolulu. Dr. Sproch has received extensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders, interpersonal therapy for eating disorders, and family-based treatment (FBT) for anorexia nervosa. She is a certified eating disorder specialist consultant through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals. She has completed extensive training in enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) through the Centre for Research on Eating Disorders at Oxford. She has also received extensive individual and group supervision and training by Kim Anderson, PhD, CEDS, Executive Director at Eating Recovery Center. Dr. Sproch has developed CBT and CBT Body Image group therapy protocols for eating disorders, as well as protocols for evidence-based treatment at higher levels of care. |