Eating Disorder Treatment in Birmingham, Alabama

Mary Elizabeth Akinaka currently serves as Regional Executive Director at Alsana in Birmingham, AL. She is an LPC and CEDS-S and has been working in the eating disorder community and with Alsana for almost a decade. Mary Elizabeth is passionate about leading a team who have a compassionate drive for serving clients with intentional, effective, and individualized care. She enjoys being a part of a space that allows clients to have a brave space to work on their recovery journey.

Mary Elizabeth received her bachelor’s degree in Collaborative Special Education from Auburn University. She received  her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health and a Certificate of marriage and Family Counseling from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Mary Elizabeth loves interacting with individuals from all walks of life and is a believer that a significant aspect of our growth as human beings is through interaction, specifically those who stories look different from our own. In her spare time she loves spending time with her husband and two boys.

Ronda believes that one of Alsana’s most important guiding principles is “clients first,” and that the team will be there every step of the way. As the Regional Executive Director at the Alabama location, Ronda loves her job because she feels that everyone shares the same vision and is dedicated to the mission in an environment where everybody is there for each other.

Ronda currently oversees all day to day operations and administration for Alsana’s programs in Alabama and she enjoys being able to witness the journey of our clients from beginning to end, and to watch as the road of recovery unfolds.

Prior to Alsana, Ronda spent several years as the program coordinator for Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention in the state of Washington, developing eating disorder prevention programs and creating several presentations and publications on the subject. Ronda also has a strong research and analytical background having worked as a program manager for the Department of Medicine and Anesthesiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Ronda graduated magna cum laude from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

Outside of work, Ronda enjoys spending time with her friends and family, sitting in nature and feeling the sunshine on her face, taking long walks on the beach and feeling the sand between her toes, traveling to distant places, listening to music, going to the theater, and losing herself in a good book. Ronda is proud to share that all her pets since 1977 have been named after Star Wars characters, the greatest movie franchise in existence.

Lindsey started with Alsana in 2020 as a Direct Care Staff following graduating from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is currently working on her Master’s in Social Work at Samford University. Lindsey has moved through different leadership roles such as lead DCS to Program Coordinator and is currently the Program Director at Alsana Birmingham RTC, a 20-bed residential facility in Birmingham, AL.

In her time with Alsana, Lindsey’s passion for working in the eating disorder field has grown from watching our clients go one step further than they believe is possible every day. She values walking alongside clients in every stage of recovery, from the moment they walk through the doors to the moment they move to the next part of their recovery journey.

In her free time between work and school, Lindsey enjoys exploring nature and creating designs on her Cricut.

Alexis joined the Alsana team in July of 2020 as a Direct Care Staff Member shortly after graduation from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She has been a member of our Birmingham RTC since its opening moving through various roles such as Lead Direct Care Staff, Program Coordinator, and now serves at the Program Director.

Alexis is passionate about ​working with the ​eating ​disorder ​populations and enjoys being able to learn more about how ​each of our clients are affected differently. She also loves being able to see clients grow into their most authentic selves while in treatment as they are rediscovering themselves and their passions. She loves talking about her Direct Care experiences and getting to know each client on a personal level.

During her time at Alsana, Alexis has gained many life enhancing skills that she ​has been able to apply in several aspects of her life. She aspires to attend a graduate program in Industrial Organizational Psychology where she will be able to apply what she has learned to create better work environments and the individuals they serve.

Liz started her career with Alsana as a member of the Direct Care Staff in 2021. She was chosen to be the Lead DCS and then moved into her current role of Program Coordinator earlier this year. Liz is very passionate about the work that she does as it gives her the chance to have a hands-on impact in achieving our client’s goal – a life without an eating disorder.

Liz graduated from The University of Alabama in 2020 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Addiction and Recovery. Her studies pushed her to seek career opportunities in the realm of behavioral addictions, which ultimately led to her career at Alsana. Since being here, Liz has discovered a deep and ever-growing passion for learning, helping, and healing. These discoveries pushed her to begin earning her master’s degree in Social Work from The University of Alabama. Roll Tide!

Liz loves that Alsana is Client’s First in all things they do and that it shows through the quality of care that our clients receive. She thrives in the high energy, ever evolving environment and loves every interaction she gets to have with clients or staff. Liz values the input and feedback that she gets from her team and that it pushes her to be the very best version of herself. She shared that she does not recognize the person she was before she started her career at Alsana.

David joined Alsana as a staff nurse in 2021. Before joining Alsana he worked in a hospital on the intensive care unit. He is passionate about helping people with the medical aspect of their treatment. As the nurse manager, he works closely with the psychiatrists and medical doctors to provide the best care possible for our clients. He loves working at Alsana because of its holistic approach to client care.

Katherine interned at Alsana and would leave each day fulfilled from spending time with the amazing clients. Now a dietitian with Alsana, she is inspired daily by clients’ bravery and courage. She also appreciates the cohesive team that pushes her to not only become a more effective dietitian, but also a better person.

Katherine loves supporting clients as they gain a healthy relationship with food. This includes experiencing the enjoyment and nourishment of food in harmony, creating an environment for individuals to trust their bodies as well as the food they use to fuel it. She believes it is an honor that our clients share their story and their recovery journey with us day in and day out. She values seeing clients’ relationships with food transformed and true freedom entering their lives—mind, body, and soul.

Katherine graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Food and Nutrition. As a registered and licensed dietitian nutritionist, she is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Supervisor, a member of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Katherine loves cooking, boxing, traveling, and anything that involves being outdoors. She’s traveled to 11 countries including China, Tanzania, and Cuba.

Leslie received her Master of Education in Community Agency Counseling at the University of Montevallo, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Theatre Arts at Birmingham-Southern College. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist. She has received specialized training in Motivational Interviewing and experiential therapy.

Before joining Alsana Leslie served as Director of the Recovery Resource Center, a collaborative initiative dedicated to simplifying the substance use treatment process, she was a Substance Abuse Counselor for residential and partial hospitalization levels of care at UAB Addiction Recovery and a Substance Abuse Counselor for intensive outpatient and outpatient levels of care at UAB Beacon Recovery. Leslie held various roles at another local eating disorder treatment center including Primary Therapist, Clinical Program Coordinator, and finally Clinical Director.

Leslie enjoys watching clients challenge their eating disorder(s) and discover their authentic selves through recovery. She believes that Alsana’s Adaptive Care Model® is truly a gamechanger when it comes to eating disorder treatment. The intentional, holistic, and integrated treatment approach provides thoughtful care and results for our clients. Leslie is also passionate about effectively addressing co-occurring substance use in conjunction with eating disorders.

In her spare time, Leslie enjoys spending time with her family. When she is not working or chasing after her children, she loves reading, baking, decorating, listening to podcasts, and jumping on her bike “that goes nowhere.”

As the lead therapist at Alsana, Alyssa loves getting to know the clients and helping them find the hope they need to step toward recovery every single day. It’s the team environment at Alsana in Birmingham that makes her enjoy stepping through the doors each morning.

Knowing that everyone cares for each other and is passionate about the work makes this such an amazing career. Alyssa has been working with eating disorder clients since her first internship in 2016.

Alyssa graduated from the University of Montevallo after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Art and Psychology and her M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

As a lead therapist at Alsana BHM, Amanda is passionate about creating a supportive and safe environment for clients to explore all aspects of treatment through a client-centered approach. The team at Alsana BHM is committed to multi-disciplinary collaboration to provide quality and holistic care for our clients which interested Amanda in joining the team. Amanda enjoys getting to know clients individually and encourages them to hold hope in their treatment and recovery.

Amanda graduated from Stonehill College after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology. She then graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work receiving her Master’s in Social Work.

In her free time, Amanda loves to ski, and spending time with her family and dog, Bailey.

Prior to joining Alsana, Johnny served as the Medical Director at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center in the Chicagoland area, caring for individuals diagnosed with various eating disorders.  He has over 6 years of experience in the treatment of eating disorders.

Dr. Williamson completed his undergraduate degree at the University Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He earned his medical degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.  Subsequently, he completed both general psychiatry and child and adolescent residencies at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Dr. Williamson spent much of his early career in community psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and hospital-based work.  More recently Dr. Williamson provides care in a mix of inpatient work, residential treatment and private practice.

Dr. Williamson is board-certified in General and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and has over 20 years of experience in mental health.