Divya Kakaiya, Ph.D., CEDS - Program Founder and Clinical Supervisor:

Dr. Kakaiya has been working with eating disorders since 1985 and is a true visionary in her field. She is a seasoned expert in the field of eating disorders, and has been presenting at national conferences for over 12 years. She is a national expert with cross cultural issues with eating disorders and a frequent cultural issues consultant to other eating disorder treatment programs. In San Diego she presents about 5 - 6 times a year to other Psychologists and Marriage and Family Therapists who want additional training with eating disorders. She has also published extensively on issues related to family dynamics, treating adolescents with eating disorders and issues related to South Asian Women. Additionally, she is on the editorial board of numerous eating disorder journals, and journals of cultural diversity. She has also been on the conference committees for the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP) and the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Dr. Kakaiya conducts individual therapy, family therapy and couples therapy for the program as well as holds a private practice. Her additional areas of interest include eating disorder prevention. She is the main driving force behind the prevention activities that Healthy Within engages in. Additionally, she founded the Healthy Within Foundation in 2002 with the hopes of being able to conduct more aggressive prevention programs particularly in middle schools. She currently oversees approximately 20 volunteers for the Foundation, and an additional 6-10 undergraduate interns from UCSD. Majority of these interns are conducting research studies with eating disorders and Dr. Kakaiya is their direct supervisor at Healthy Within. Dr. Kakaiya has a multifaceted practice and outside of eating disorders her other areas of expertise are alcoholism, drug addictions, women's issues, trauma, co-dependency and dysfunctional family dynamics. She is a very dynamic, warm, real, and engaging therapist who has brought about major changes in the ways family members relate with one another. She is very seasoned in family therapy and has treated some very challenging families with great success. She also supervises several Interns in San Diego and is a mentor to other psychologists who regularly consult with her regarding their difficult cases, especially pertaining to challenging families. She is also an approved supervisor for International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals. Dr Kakaiya recently appeared twice on the Tyra Banks Show as a expert on Eating Disorders. She is also on the Healthy Girls Healthy Lives Committee for the Girl Scouts of San Diego.

Divya Kakaiya. Ph.D., CEDS
Asian Pacific Heritage Month: 2010 Honoree

One of San Diego County's first Indian psychologists Dr. Divya Kakaiya has been treating eating disorders since 1985, specializing in cultural issues within eating disorders. Founder of the Healthy Within Foundation, which trains volunteers to conduct eating disorder prevention outreach, Kakaiya gives more than 50 free presentations each year about preventing and eradicating eating disorders and obesity in girls. She also co-founded the South Asian Women's Initiative (SAWI), which has evolved into a vibrant organization called SDNari. Kakaiya serves on the boards of the Center for Creative Leadership's Young Women's Leadership Program and on the honorary editorial board for the Eating Disorder Journal of Treatment and Prevention.