An integrated team designed to help you reach your treatment goals.

Steffani Roller is the Co-Founder and Clinical Director at Empowered. With more than 10 years of experience in behavioral health, her background includes work in substance use treatment centers, counseling support within a psychiatric clinic, and private practice. These experiences have allowed her to support individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, eating disorders, relationship challenges, and major life transitions.

Steffani believes eating disorders often emerge as responses to pain, overwhelm, disconnection, and unmet needs. Core to her philosophy is helping clients understand the function or protective role their eating disorder has been trying to serve, reestablish a sense of safety, strengthen emotional regulation, and challenge the beliefs that keep people feeling stuck. Her approach is collaborative and grounded in the belief that clients are the experts of their own experiences.

Brittni Pogue is the Co-Founder and Director of Admissions at Empowered, where she brings more than a decade of experience supporting individuals and families navigating eating disorders, substance use disorders, and co-occurring mental health challenges. Her career has been rooted in one guiding belief: healing happens best in small, compassionate spaces where people feel seen, safe, and cared for.

She believes the first call someone makes for help can define their entire recovery experience, and she is committed to ensuring every person feels valued, respected, and understood from the very beginning. In her free time, Brittni enjoys spending time with her husband, her children, and their four dogs.

Monica LeBansky is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations and Marketing at Empowered. With nearly a decade of experience in digital marketing and seven years on the management team of a local yoga studio, she brings community-building, communication, and compassionate leadership to the program.

Monica's path is deeply informed by her own recovery from alcoholism and addiction over the last 12 years. She brings structure and steadiness to the behind-the-scenes work that supports both clients and clinicians, and is dedicated to creating an environment where people feel respected and cared for from their very first interaction.

Sydney has been a therapist in the Austin community for over 8 years, working in non-profits, hospitals, and private practice with clients from teens to adults. She specializes in trauma, depression, life changes, anxiety, body image concerns, and disordered eating.

Sydney believes you are not just a diagnosis, and that each client is unique. When it comes to healing our relationship with food, her focus is to get to the core of what challenged that dynamic in the first place. In her free time she enjoys dancing, fantasy books, and learning new board games.

Megan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker dedicated to providing compassionate therapy tailored to each client’s unique journey. Holding a Master of Social Work (MSW) and a Master’s in Nutrition (MS), she pairs strong clinical practice with specialized experience in eating disorder recovery to support the whole person.

Her professional background includes experience across school systems, non-profit settings, community mental health, and outpatient care, alongside intensive eating disorder treatment in PHP and IOP settings and specialized training in ADHD support (ADHD-CCSP).

Megan’s practice is grounded in trauma-informed care. Known for a warm, gently assertive, and non-judgmental approach, her sessions focus on seeing clients as whole, nuanced individuals rather than a set of symptoms. Blending clear skill-building with genuine empathy and lighthearted humor, therapy becomes a safe space where individuals feel truly seen, supported, and empowered to cultivate self-compassion, build resilience, and achieve sustainable, long-term healing.

Outside the office, downtime includes bike rides, tending to a growing collection of plants, and challenging friends to board games. Back at home, life revolves around a dog named Cheeseburger and a cat named Coconut.

MayLinh is a therapist who works best with individuals who feel exhausted by their relationship with food, their body, or the constant thoughts and rules that seem to take up so much space in their lives. Her approach is rooted in compassion, curiosity, and zero judgment. Together, you will work to untangle the patterns that keep you stuck and build a more peaceful, flexible relationship with food and your body.

MayLinh utilizes DBT and CBT as real tools to manage big feelings and untangle stuck patterns, motivational interviewing to support change at your own pace, and a strengths-based, trauma-informed lens that honors what you already bring to the room. She moves at a pace that feels safe and workable.

Her hope is to help her clients quiet the noise, reconnect with themselves, and make more room for the people, experiences, and things that bring meaning and joy to their life. Outside of the office, you can usually find her near a body of water, exploring the city with her husband and two small dogs, or trying out new restaurants around Austin. MayLinh believes there is so much more to life than the things we often find ourselves struggling with, and she loves walking alongside people while they find their way back to the parts of life that make them feel most like themselves.

Chase is a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate who specializes in helping people navigate challenges in their relationships and personal lives. He earned his Master's degree from Texas Woman's University and brings a compassionate, evidence-based approach to therapy.

Chase is trained in the Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy. He works collaboratively with clients to uncover patterns that no longer serve them, build connection, and create meaningful change.

Under the clinical supervision of Leila Anderson, LMFT-S.

Emily Van Eck, MS, RDN became a dietitian because she believes everyone deserves to eat well and feel at peace with food. With a Master's in Nutrition Science from Texas State University, certification as an Intuitive Eating Counselor, and over nine years of clinical experience, she specializes in eating disorder recovery, disordered eating, and body image distress using a weight-inclusive, trauma-informed approach.

Her work is grounded in Health at Every Size principles and the belief that eating disorders are underdiagnosed, particularly in marginalized bodies. She is known for her warmth, honesty, and ability to hold space for the hard feelings that come with healing.

Madeline Thomas is a registered dietitian with a Bachelor's from Texas State University and a Master's from Texas Woman's University, and five years of experience in mental health and eating disorder treatment. Her mission is to support clients as they rebuild trust with their bodies using a weight-neutral, HAES-aligned approach.

She specializes in counseling and behavior change, with experience at the intersections of nutrition, mental health, trauma, substance use, and socioeconomic stressors. Her style is relational, laid-back, supportive, and non-judgmental.

Curissa is a Registered Dietitian who is passionate about helping people find freedom and flexibility with food. Using a compassionate, evidence-based, and weight-inclusive approach, she supports clients in healing their relationship with eating, movement, and body image.

Raised on a small farm in South Texas, Curissa developed an early appreciation for food and the many ways it connects us to our health, culture, and daily lives. She believes recovery is possible for everyone and strives to create a space where clients feel supported, understood, and empowered.

Curissa earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nutrition from Texas State University and has experience working across outpatient and higher levels of care. She values a collaborative approach to treatment and enjoys working alongside therapists, physicians, and families to support the whole person throughout recovery.

Outside of work, Curissa enjoys hiking with her dog, Dolly, exploring new places around Austin, and playing recreational softball.

Reggie is a highly skilled advanced practice nurse with dual certifications in psychiatric mental health and family care. Based in Austin, he brings over nine years of experience in psychiatry, specializing in psychiatric emergency, intensive care, mobile crisis units, chemical dependency, and nursing administration. He conducts comprehensive psychiatric evaluations and medication management for a diverse patient population, using collaborative, patient-centered strategies across acute and residential settings.

Reggie holds a Master of Science in Nursing with specializations in Psychiatric Mental Health from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he also earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing. He is an active member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and Houston Area Nurse Practitioners.

Dr. Saeed completed his addiction psychiatry fellowship at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven. Prior to that, he was a resident in general psychiatry at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans.

He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Houston College of Medicine. He is trilingual in English, Spanish, and Urdu/Hindi.

Maryam has a passion for helping individuals and families navigate their own paths to recovery, with roles spanning from Therapist to Executive Director in substance use and co-occurring treatment. She has learned that the journey to recovery must continue beyond the walls of treatment.

She received her Bachelor of Social Work from Texas State University and her Master of Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington, and is formally trained in EMDR, DBT, and multiple parts-work modalities.

Under the clinical supervision of Angela Viesca, LCSW-S.

Chris Ellis brings over 6 years of experience in the substance use disorder field and an unwavering commitment to helping people in recovery find joy and happiness. As our Director of Experiential Recovery Services, he supports clients directly and oversees our coaching staff, so each client receives care tailored to their needs.

His expertise spans residential and outpatient settings, having served as a Substance Abuse Counselor, Program Director, Case Manager, and Recovery Coach. Chris is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor Intern and a certified Recovery Support Peer Specialist, and he also has experience working with mental-health primary clients. He fully embraces our experiential model, often venturing outdoors with clients to explore the Texas hill country.

Outside of work, Chris enjoys time with his wife and son, seeking out off-the-beaten-path fishing holes, playing golf, and contributing to the recovery community.