PSA: POC Have Eating Disorders Too w/ Dr. Marcella Raimondo

There’s this idea, especially among people of color, that eating disorders do not affect us and is an affluent skinny, white girl issue. Aside from not being true, this type of thinking is dangerous and harmful to people of color living with an eating disorder. It creates additional barriers to recovery, and erases the experiences of people who don’t see themselves in that stereotype. Today we’ll be unpacking this with Dr. Marcella Raimondo, a psychologist specializing in social justice and eating disorders.

Marcella Raimondo, PhD, MPH is a passionate and spirited clinical trainer speaking from her heart on social justice and eating disorders since 1995. In 1997, Marcella worked with About-Face, a nonprofit organization that addresses media impact on body image serving as the Director of Media Literacy until 2005. Today she is on the About-Face Board of Founders and a consultant. She is also on the Advisory Board for the Association of Size Health and Diversity (ASDAH), on the Board of Eating Disorder Recovery Support (EDRS) as Past President. and serves as Co-Chair of the Academy of Eating Disorders Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee. Marcella received her B.A. from UC Berkeley, and Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan.

Marcella’s desire to address eating disorders drove her to pursue her doctorate in clinical psychology, receiving her PhD in 2012. She completed her post- doc internships at an eating disorder outpatient program and an eating disorder residential program for adolescents. Marcella currently serves as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PSY # 27037) in Kaiser Permanente’s eating disorder clinic in Oakland and runs a private practice. Marcella herself recovered from anorexia nervosa over 20 years ago. Marcella trains in Kajukenbo at Hand to Hand Kajukenbo Self Defense Center in Oakland.

In This Episode We’ll Cover:

How Marcella got into this work and her lived experience with an eating disorder (ED)
The prevalence of eating disorders within POC communities
How poverty and/or immigration can create unique challenges for people with eating disorders
How to incorporate cultural competence when working with people that have ED’s
Helpful things you can do if you think a loved one has a ED + MORE!

Resources