Van Dusen Nutrition®

Asking for help is the first step in taking care of oneself; something that is very difficult to do. We often struggle with our thoughts and feelings and find ourselves using unhealthy behaviors in an effort to cope with everyday life. I believe that we all want to do better and feel better in our lives and in our bodies and that we can achieve this through a positive, nonjudgmental, therapeutic connection.
I specialize in eating disorders and offer my clients a space to hear themselves think and try to understand what drives their symptoms while encouraging them to self-nurture and discover who they are beyond their weight.
I invite you to reach out and let us figure out together, whether we might be a good fit to help you begin or continue your journey.

Naya Schere, MSW, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Van Dusen Nutrition®. Naya currently works in the Needham office, offering in person and virtual sessions, and sees adolescents and adults for Individual Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Meal Support®.

Naya’s mission is to foster a therapeutic environment where clients can heal their relationships with food and their bodies while exploring their identities beyond the eating disorder. Naya has post-graduate experience working as an eating disorder clinician across different levels of care where she has conducted individual psychotherapy, facilitated groups, and offered meal support. She tailors her methods to each client’s individual needs to support sustainable change towards a life where they can cultivate a balanced relationship between their body and mind. Naya utilizes a psychodynamic approach, incorporating elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, motivational interviewing, and Cognitive Processing Therapy.

Naya holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Brandeis University. She began her career at McLean Hospital, working first at Gunderson, a women’s residential program for Borderline Personality Disorder, and then in the psychotic disorders inpatient program. She earned her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University, specializing in advanced clinical practice. During her MSW, she interned with Crisis Text Line and the Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia (CSAB).

Van Dusen Nutrition® launched STEP® nearly 2 years ago, an in-person program for eating disorders intended to fill a gap in the levels of care. Leigh Van Dusen, the practice Owner and Director of Clinical Operations, developed the program after observing for nearly two decades the lack of gradual and incremental steps throughout the continuum of care and subsequent increased risk of relapse. STEP® was originally designed to sit below the IOP level of care and above the outpatient level of care. However, with need being high and most local programs being virtual throughout the pandemic, STEP® expanded to include an IOP level of care and IOP+ level of care.

Currently, individuals are assessed for level of care and recommended to either STEP® (2 days or evenings/week), STEP®-IOP (4 days or evenings/week), or STEP®-IOP+ (4 days or evenings/week plus 5-10 individual services/week). STEP® is a highly specialized and individualized eating disorder program based in experiential and exposure work. Programming centers in hands-on, behavioral work to guide and support individuals in developing the necessary skills to live and flourish independent of their eating disorders.