Dr. Kakaiya's Background

Divya Kakaiya Ph.D, CEDS

Clinical Psychologist

Biography

Divya Kakaiya, Ph.D., Clinical Director and Founder of Healthy Within treatment program in San Diego and President and Founder of Healthy Within Foundation, California, has been treating eating disorders since 1985. She presents at numerous national conferences on eating disorders. Additionally, she has presented at numerous conferences in San Diego with local psychologists and therapists, and regularly consults with physicians and psychologists regarding their cases. She is an approved supervisor for the IAEDP(International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals) certification requirements. She has served on the conference committee for the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP) and the National Eating Disorder Association (formerly EDAP). She is also on the Honorary editorial board for Eating Disorder Journal of Treatment and Prevention and an ad-hoc reviewer for the journal Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. Her area of specialty within eating disorders is cultural issues. She has presented at numerous national conferences on diversity issues.

Her passion for working with Eating Disorders translates into the extensive prevention work she conducts in San Diego, California. Since 1994, Dr. Kakaiya had begun massive outreach efforts in the community, and since 1999 she and her team have conducted about 50 to 80 presentations a year in high schools and middle schools. In October of 2002, she founded the Healthy Within Foundation through which she has trained over 25 -30 volunteers each year, who conduct outreach efforts in the community with prevention issues. Her prevention work has translated into Life Skills workshops which her team has begun to implement in San Diego Middle schools. In February 2010, Dr. Kakaiya and her current team of 24 active volunteers are simultaneously launching FREE “Full of Ourselves” program in 5 locations in San Diego. FOO is a 12 week Wellness Program that Dr. Kakaiya and her team have been presenting in the community.

In August of 2003, Dr. Kakaiya won the KGTV 10 News Leadership Award which honors leaders in the community that make a difference. Dr. Kakaiya was also the Symposium Co-Chair and Presenter for the "Healthy Girls, Healthy Lives" initiative of San Diego County Girl Scouts for 2005, 2006 and 2007. In 2009 Dr. Kakaiya received an award from the Girls Scouts Council that named her as one of the “Top 10 Cool Women of San Diego.” The Poway Chapter of Soroptimist International honored Dr. Kakaiya with their annual “Making A Difference for Women” Award in May 2009 for the work she does for girls and women! She has been a plenary speaker at numerous conferences and is highly regarded in the field of prevention at a national level.

In February and April 2006, she appeared nationally on the Tyra Banks Show, as an expert on eating disorders. She makes numerous appearances each year on local TV and radio on the issue of prevention and detection of eating disorders. She is also a regular presenter for the Young Women's Leadership conference which is organized by the Jenna Druck Foundation. She is also on the Board of the Young Women’s Leadership Program which is presented by The Center for Creative Leadership. She is very active in local schools and has served on numerous PTSA Boards for the schools that her daughter and son attend. Her service orientation is a value that she inspires her volunteers with and together the Healthy Within Foundation team becomes a force to be reckoned with!!! She is an avid proponent of the non-dieting philosophy and rejecting our toxic food culture!