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Research in the field of eating disorders is advancing quickly.  However, there is a great deal of misinformation about eating disorders.  I am committed to the sharing of accurate and current information about eating disorders and am excited to be able to use this site to share information.    

Experience

Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., CEDS (PSY15045), is a clinical psychologist who specializes in providing evidence-based cognitive behavioral psychotherapy for a variety of problems experienced by adults and adolescents, including depression, anxiety, stress, and eating disorders. She has a B.A. from Princeton University and a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. She has been providing psychological counseling since 1991.

During graduate school Dr. Muhlheim trained in the Rutgers Eating Disorder Clinic under the mentorship of internationally renowned eating disorders expert, G. Terence Wilson, Ph.D. There she was trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for bulimia, and eating disorders have been a primary focus and interest of study ever since. More recently, Dr. Muhlheim obtained training in Maudsley Family-based treatment (FBT) for adolescent eating disorders and is certified in FBT by the Training Institute for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders.  Dr. Muhlheim is also certified as an eating disorder specialist (CEDS) through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP).

Dr. Muhlheim has worked in a variety of settings with clients with many different issues including an Obesity Research Clinic, inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics, group homes, and private practice. For nearly ten years she was a staff psychologist at Los Angeles County Jail where she gained expertise in diagnostic assessment and crisis intervention. She spent 3 years in Shanghai, China working as a clinical psychologist treating expatriate foreigners in two different settings, one of which was a primary care clinic at Parkway Health, the largest international healthcare provider in Asia (www.parkwayhealth.cn). Dr. Muhlheim has experience supervising and training psychology interns and other mental health professionals.

Dr. Muhlheim has a special interest in and appreciation for cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity.  In her work in both Shanghai and Los Angeles, she gained experience working with clients of many different nationalities as well as varied cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds.  Dr. Muhlheim works with clients of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

Dr. Muhlheim spearheaded the establishment of the Shanghai International Mental Health Association (SIMHA) and served as its first president. Dr. Muhlheim is active in the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) and currently serves on the Academy’s Board of Directors as Director for Outreach. Previous positions include Co-Chair of the Membership Recruitment and Retention Committee, Co-Chair of the Social Media Committee, and Co-Chair of the Family-Based Therapy Special Interest Group.  She is chair of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association’s Eating Disorder Special Interest Group and a member of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association’s Ethics Committee.  Dr Muhlheim is Clinical Director of the Eating Disorder Information website, Mirror-Mirror Eating Disorders.

Dr. Muhlheim is active professionally on social media.  In her previous role as a co-chair of the Social Media Committee for the Academy for Eating Disorders she helped to manage the AED’s Facebook, LinkedIN, and Twitter pages, and helped educate professional AED members about social media. She provides training about ethical and safe use of social media to clinicians and graduate students.

Education

Dr. Muhlheim received her B.A. in psychology from Princeton University in 1990 and her Psy.D. in clinical psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers, The State University in 1995.  She completed her predoctoral internship at the VA Northern California Health Care System.