Why Hidden River - Hidden River

Why Hidden River?

Hidden River opened its doors in July 2019 as the first residential treatment center for individuals with eating disorders in the state of New Jersey. Our highly experienced interdisciplinary team is led by Kenneth W. Willis, MD, CEDS, Executive Medical Director. Dr. Willis is an expert in the field of eating disorders, having worked for over 25 years at all levels of care.

We provide a program of recovery and healing for girls and young women struggling with eating disorders and related mental health difficulties. To achieve this, we offer a beautiful facility in a peaceful, natural environment, and utilize compassionate, goal-oriented clinicians working as a team to help motivate patients to confront barriers and resistance to change.

We treat patients with respect and dignity while acknowledging the seriousness of their illnesses and the sense of urgency required to expedite movement toward health. We focus on interrupting the specific destructive symptoms and behaviors constituting the illness, while addressing and minimizing, whenever possible, the underlying causative or maintaining factors involved. We emphasize family therapy and family education as important components of treatment.

About Eating Disorders

Below is a list of eating disorders we treat. If you or a loved one suffer from an eating disorder, we can help. Please contact us today: jvargas@hiddenriverhealing.com or 908.895.4931 ext. 203

Anorexia Nervosa

People with Anorexia Nervosa restrict their food intake relative to their needs, leading to significantly low body weight for their age, sex, level of development or general health. Often there is intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though one might be underweight. There is also typically a disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, excessive importance placed on weight or shape, or denial of the seriousness of the low weight despite the risk or presence of medical complications. Binge eating or purging may also occur during Anorexia Nervosa.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Individuals with ARFID limit or avoid eating certain foods (for example, avoiding foods with specific sensory qualities or due to fear of negative consequences other than weight gain),often resulting in significant weight loss and/or nutritional deficiencies. ARFID does not involve the disturbance in the way in which one’s body is experienced or fear of weight gain that is typically seen in Anorexia Nervosa.

Binge Eating Disorder

This disorder involves engaging in repeated episodes of binge eating. Binge eating consists of eating a large amount of food, more than most people would eat, in a discrete period of time and feeling out of control while eating. In Binge Eating Disorder, binging episodes typically include eating more rapidly than normal, eating until uncomfortably full, eating large amounts when not feeling physically hungry, eating alone, and/or feeling guilty or disgusted after eating. The diagnosis is not made on the basis of weight.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa involves engaging in repeated episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors that are attempts to alleviate or avoid the psychological or physical effects of binging (e.g., weight gain). Binge eating refers to eating a large amount of food, more than most people would eat, in a discrete period of time and feeling out of control while eating. Compensatory behaviors may include self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic misuse, or excessive exercise. Bulimia may or may not result in weight gain.

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)

This term describes feeding or eating behaviors that interfere with proper nutrition intake and cause distress or impairment in daily living but do not meet full diagnostic criteria for any of the other eating disorders. These behaviors may involve multiple features of one disorder or features of several disorders, and may lead to inability to maintain weight. Conditions categorized as OSFED still can be so severe that they warrant treatment with an eating disorders professional, or management in higher levels of care than traditional outpatient treatment.

Meet Our Leadership Team

Lynn Corey MSW, LCSW, CEDS-S, CETP

Clinical Director

Lynn has been a stable presence in the eating disorder field and trauma for the past 21 years. As Clinical Director with Hidden River, she is leading the clinical team in facilitating a specialized and comprehensive therapy program that addresses the many complexities patients enter treatment with. During her professional career, she was the Clinical…

Dr. Rowena Francisco

Associate Psychiatrist

Rowena Francisco MD is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and has been in practice as an Adult/Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist for more than 30 years. She has active medical licenses in New Jersey and California. She obtained her medical degree at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical…

James “Buck” Runyan, MS, LMFT, LCP, CEDSS

Executive Director

James is well known within the professional arena for eating disorder treatment. Since 1994 he has developed many eating disorder treatment programs throughout the country. His many roles have included Executive Director, Chief Operations Officer, Clinical Director, Program Director, and Therapist. James has been an expert consultant for several treatment centers and has provided private…

Burty Macwan “Mac”, RN

Nursing Director

Burty Macwan ‘Mac’ brings to Hidden River a combination of emergency Nursing, behavioral care, and executive experience. Mac received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center – College of Nursing. Mac has worked in the Emergency Department for more than 10 years and is Certified in Emergency Nursing (CEN). …

Dr. Mariam Bekhit

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Mariam Bekhit is a thoughtful physician with a long history of providing excellent psychiatric care to a diverse population of children, adolescents, and adults. She facilitated eating disorder care within various hospital settings for several years. She is well versed in the unique features and care needs of those who struggle with eating disorders and their correlating dual…

Jennifer Vargas Guerra, MA

Director of Business Development & Admissions

Jennifer Vargas Guerra brings a decade of experience working in various eating disorder treatment settings to her role as the Director of Outreach & Admissions at Hidden River. Jennifer received her Master’s in Clinical Counseling Psychology from LaSalle University and began her career at an inpatient eating disorder program in Pennsylvania where she was a…

Treatment Setting

Hidden River is located on 12 acres of beautiful grounds in the charming and bucolic town of Chester, in Morris County. Our 15-bed house, built in the 1920’s, has been completely renovated and modernized while maintaining its old-world character. The striking common areas feature large windows with panoramic views of our surroundings, the bedrooms and bathrooms are well-appointed, and multiple patios permit easy access to outdoor time.