This event in collaboration with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).
Join us for an engaging and informative session exploring anxiety and its connection to eating behaviors among H/L communities. This presentation will provide an overview of the prevalence of anxiety and the factors that contribute to it, while also examining how anxiety may influence the development and persistence of disordered eating among both youth and adults.
Participants will gain insight into how community-specific values, body image expectations, gender roles, and adaptation experiences can shape eating behaviors and overall mental health. The session will also highlight practical, informed engagement strategies to support H/L individuals and families navigating anxiety and eating-related challenges.
Through a combination of research-informed content and lived experiences, this session aims to deepen understanding and strengthen approaches to care, outreach, and support within H/L communities.
Objectives:
-Identify prevalence and contributing factors to anxiety among H/L communities.
-Discuss how anxiety may contribute to the development or maintenance of disordered eating behaviors among H/L youth and adults.
-Assess the impact of community-specific values, body image ideals, gender roles, and adaptations on eating behaviors and mental health.
-Integrate informed engagement strategies when working with H/L individuals and families affected by anxiety and eating disorders.
-Share experiences of H/L living with anxiety and eating disorders.
PRESENTERS:
Michelle Evans, DSW, MBA, LCSW
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a career dedicated to supporting individuals and families impacted by mental illness and addiction, particularly within the H/L community. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Elgin Mental Health Center, a state forensic psychiatric hospital in Elgin, Illinois. She has also worked as a bilingual forensic evaluator and treatment provider.
In her private practice at Nickerson & Associates, PC, Dr. Evans specializes in evaluating and treating adolescents and adults facing mental health, substance and sex addictions. Her clinical work addresses the complex intersection of addiction, trauma, and mental health, helping clients rebuild their lives and relationships.
Dr. Evans is also an educator. She teaches social work and mental health courses at Aurora University and Indiana Wesleyan University. A passionate advocate for parity, justice, and responsive care; she is committed to advancing awareness, compassion, and effective services for marginalized and underserved populations. Her career exemplifies a dedication to person-centered, context-specific, grounded approaches in addressing addiction and mental health challenges.
Rocio Avila Salinas, LCSW-S
Rocio is a bilingual therapist serving individuals from varied backgrounds who has dedicated the last 16 years of her career to working with those with mental health needs in the central Texas region. Rocio earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas State University San Marcos, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Rocio’s experience includes managing clinical operations at multiple levels of care, including acute inpatient psychiatric, and outpatient clinics. She has also served on various hospital and company committees, including bioethics and workplace belonging initiatives. Rocio has extensive experience in working with individuals with severe mental illness, complex trauma, eating disorders and disordered eating, obsessive compulsive disorder, and acute crisis intervention. Currently Rocio works as Clinic Director for Family Care Center, Cedar Park, Texas. Rocio is passionate about working with individuals with varied backgrounds and family systems and strives to educate, support, and empower others to promote healing.