Biography

Rhonda Scarlata, LCSW

Rhonda received her Master's of Social Work from the University of Tennessee in May 2000. While employed at the Vanderbilt Mental Health Clinic as a mental health clinician she completed over 2,000 supervised hours of psychotherapy. In October 2002 Rhonda passed her licensing exam becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She then began a private practice to include psychotherapy services and mental health consulting. From September 2004 to June 2005, she was hired by the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital as a consultant to the Eating Disorders Clinic. From March 2004 to June 2007, Rhonda worked as the part time Social Worker for the Legal Clinic at the Vanderbilt Law School. Since July 2007, she has devoted herself full time to her private practice.

Rhonda has been an active member of the Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee (EDCT) since 2003. She now serves on the Board of the EDCT. She has been a member of the Nashville Psychotherapy Institute (NPI) since 2000 and served on their Board of Directors from February 2004 to January 2007. Rhonda completed a two year (180 hours) Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (APP) training program in May 2004. Rhonda's training specific to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) includes the following:

Cognitive Behavioral Training Workshop presented by Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Psychiatry, August 2000, 20 hours (course instructor: Steven Hollon, PhD).
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Workshop, September 2000, 11 hours (course instructor: Marsha Linehan, PhD).
Cognitive Behavior Therapy: From Action to Insight Workshop, October 2006, 6 hours (course instructor: Steven Hollon, PhD).

Rhonda's training specific to the treatment of Eating Disorders includes the following:

Eating Disorders from a Practical Psychiatric Perspective, October 2002, 6 hours (course instructor: Shelley Doumani, MD).
2004 EDCT (Eating Disorder Coalition of Tennessee) Forum: Unraveling the Mysteries of Eating Disorders, April 2004, 6 hours.
2004 NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) Conference: Getting Real About Eating Disorders, October 2004, 10 hours.
2005 EDCT Forum: Disordered Eating: Conversations with the Professionals, April 2005, 7 hours.
2006 EDCT Forum: Understanding the Many Faces of Eating Disorders, April 2006, 6 hours.
2007 EDCT Forum: What Works: Making Theory Relevant, April 2007, 6 hours.

Rhonda's volunteer work includes serving as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in foster care since January 2003. She has been an active volunteer with Better Decisions, serving women at the Tennessee Prison for Women, since 1996 and has served on the Better Decisions Board of Directors since 1999.

Prior to receiving her Masters in Social Work, Rhonda worked in the business of consumer product sales and marketing for Procter & Gamble, S. C. Johnson Wax and Perrigo. She received a Masters in Business Administration in May 1991.