Today, Kathy continues her conversation with Dr. Nicole Hawkins they pick up where they left off about the power of the narrative and what she likes her patients to focus on in their first year of recovery.
Dr. Nicole Hawkins received her PhD in clinical/counseling psychology from Utah State University in 1999. In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, she completed a dissertation entitled “The Impact of the Ideal Thin Body Image on Women.” She completed her internship at the Salt Lake Veteran Affairs Medical Center, where she provided inpatient and outpatient treatment for adults suffering from PTSD and depression. Dr. Hawkins has also worked at Logan Regional Hospital, USU Eating Disorder Clinic and Laboratory, USU Counseling Center and Bear River Mental Health, focusing on women’s issues, eating disorders, depression and anxiety.
Dr. Hawkins has provided clinical expertise at Center for Change since 1999. She is a regular presenter on body image and the treatment of eating disorders on a local and national level. Having developed a comprehensive body image program that focuses on the media, diet industry, plastic surgery, childhood issues and learning to appreciate one’s body, she leads these groups for the inpatient and residential clients. She is a member of the Power and You committee, is active in many eating disorder prevention projects and has been a consultant for magazines and news programs which led to her appearing in The New York Times, Self magazine, and on 20/20. Dr. Hawkins has also published several articles on the media and how this relates to eating disorders, and she also presents nationally at conferences.