About Us
Our Philosophy
The Alberta Wellness Center for Eating Disorders is a multidisciplinary practice that specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and eating related struggles, across the lifespan.
Our center integrates best practice guidelines, evidence-based treatments, and promising innovative approaches to provide our clients hope for a meaningful and long-lasting recovery.
Our center embodies a collaborative and compassionate approach to eating disorders treatment, focused on healing from within. We approach treatment from a holistic lens, which addresses not only physical healing but also psychological, emotional, relational, and spiritual. The healing power of families is an integral part of our treatment model and we strive to ensure that all members are supported through the recovery journey.
We believe everyone is capable of making a full recovery, including freedom from eating disorder thoughts and urges.
Our Founders
Dr. Amanda Stillar & Dr. Michelle Emmerling
Drs. Emmerling & Stillar first met in 2014 in Edmonton, Alberta. A friendship quickly formed as they bonded over their passion for helping individuals struggling with eating disorders and eating related concerns, their commitment to also supporting family members, and their belief in the healing power of emotion.
With the hope of meeting a dire need for more eating disorder services in Alberta, they came together to co-found the Alberta Wellness Center for Eating Disorders in 2021.
Our Guideposts
At Alberta Wellness Education, we are dedicated to guiding you on your journey towards holistic well-being. Our guideposts represent the foundational principles that shape our approach to education and personal growth. They reflect our commitment to fostering a supportive and enriching environment, empowering individuals to achieve their fullest potential in mind, body, and spirit.
Collaboration
We believe in collaborating with clients and family members. We believe that everyone has unique insight and knowledge that can help with recovery.
Advocacy
We believe in advocating for our clients and their families. This may mean helping a client apply for financial support to defray the costs of their treatment, advocating for parents to seek their own support, and advocating for clients to receive non-judgmental care from their medical doctors.
Holistic
We believe in holistic healing that involves mind, body, and spirit. We aim to help our clients heal from within, addressing not only physical healing but also psychological, emotional, relational, and spiritual.
Compassionate
Compassion is at the forefront of our center. We believe that each client deserves a compassionate and empathic team to help support them through their recovery.
Empowerment
We believe in empowering our clients and their caregivers and partners to feel confident and capable of achieving a holistic recovery.
Dynamic
We are informed by best-practices but also use promising innovating approaches to work dynamically with our clients to help achieve recovery.
Respect
We respect that everyone is unique and everyone has their own journey to walk. We do our best to help each individual client find their own unique road to recovery.
Acceptance
We accept our clients and their families where they are when they walk through our doors. We understand that many families may be a shadow of what they once were. We accept and do not judge.
Knowledge
We believe in empowering clients, parents, and family members with knowledge so that they can understand both their illness and factors that help with recovery.
Connection
We believe that healing happens in community and connection, not isolation.
Families are Allies
We believe that parents and caregivers are part of the solution, not the problem.
Families Deserve Help Too
Everyone in the family is impacted by an eating disorder and we believe that everyone in the family deserves help!