Our Team
Philip Walker, M.S., President
Prior to launching Walker Wellness, Philip spent ten years at The Cooper Clinic at The Cooper Aerobic Center, known throughout the world for their expertise in preventive medicine. He was a world class athlete competing in numerous international events for his native country as a member of The British Biathlon Team (x-country skiing & shooting) and The British Triathlon Team (swimming, cycling, running). He has managed healthcare and wellness facilities in England, Germany, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, as well as lectured on healthcare issues throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. Philip’s sports & hobbies include rowing, swimming, windsurfing, traveling, and reading classical European literature.
Susan Parish-Walker, M.S., L.P.C., Clinical Director
Susan has worked in the field of mental health for 28 years and she and Philip met and married while she was a clinical consultant and had a private practice at The Cooper Clinic at The Cooper Aerobic Center. Susan has extensive clinical experience in working with adolescents, adults, and families in an outpatient and inpatient setting. Her areas of clinical expertise include: comorbidity diagnoses such as eating disorders, depression, generalized anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Moreover, she has designed the clinical programs that are offered at The Walker Wellness Clinic and has incorporated a myriad of adjunct therapies such as music and art therapy, cooking classes, equine therapy, and body image classes. She is currently completing a Walker Wellness Clinic cookbook, textbook, and workbook that will be used as a clinical and educational tool for patients. Susan’s hobbies are ballroom dancing, playing classical piano, traveling, reading, and playing with their two Simese cats, Brahms and Liszt.
Susan E. Justitz, Ph.D., Director of Psychology
Susan holds a doctorate degree in counseling psychology from the University of Houston and a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University. She has worked in mental health facilities and higher education for over 14 years. Her areas of clinical expertise are as follows: grief and loss, marriage and family therapy, attachment issues, and eating disorders. Dr. Justitz has custom designed the adolescent and adult groups at The Walker Wellness Clinic. She brings a unique psycho-educational approach to the group process by using educational tools to not only educate patients on overcoming their eating disorders, but making the group process enjoyable and fun. She is clinically trained to offer Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a theoretical approach to treatment. In addition, she conducts clinical test batteries including psychological, career development, and ADD/ADHD testing. Currently, she is responsible for developing the psycho-educational component of treatment for the family support week and clinical objectives on how to measure outpatient progress with eating disorders. Dr. Justitz loves the outdoors, as well as running with her dog Aggie, cooking, and spending time with her two lovely daughters.
Elise Gordon, M.S., R.D/L.D., Director of Nutrition
Elise has been a registered dietitian for 8 years. She holds a master's degree from Texas Woman’s University in Sports Nutrition. Her clinical expertise ranges from pediatrics to adults and her specialties include eating disorders, weight management, and sports nutrition. Elise’s native country is South Africa and she brings an array of international influence to her professional work at The Walker Wellness Clinic. She has developed the clinical programs for patients that incorporate meal therapy, cooking classes, nutrition groups as well as individual nutrition counseling. Elise is responsible for the clinical supervision, development of the nutrition programs, and training of all of the dietitians. Elise is married with two lovely daughters Julia, who is 31/2 and Sarah who is 6 months. Her hobbies include shopping, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Carey Garrett, M.S., R.D/L.D.
Carey has been a dietitian for 20 years. She earned a BS degree in Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics from the University of California at Berkeley and an MS degree from the University of Texas in Change Management. Carey has experience in clinical, outpatient, corporate and 3rd world settings. She enjoys learning about the history of surrounding foods, diets and health and how they have changed through generations and cultures. Her specialties include eating disorders, weight management, personal change/transition and optimal supplementation. Carey loves to cook and enjoys working with patients to help them conquer their anxiety surrounding cooking and eating. She offers cooking classes and meal therapy sessions tailored to each patient. Carey and her husband, Al, have a son and two daughters ages 13, 10 and seven. She enjoys traveling, walking, skiing, yoga and sailing with family and friends.
Kathryn Kalahan, L.P.C., MT-BC
Kathryn is a psychotherapist and music therapist. Her work in psychiatric hospitals, intensive outpatient programs, and violence intervention agencies has included therapeutic applications of expressive arts and traditional psychotherapy. Kathryn’s clinical areas of interest include anger resolution, eating disorders, and body image. She is responsible for conducting the music therapy classes and as well as the body image sessions. Kathryn is a vibrant and energetic professional who clinically designs the adjunct therapy to improve one’s body image by using clinical tools that are not only educational, but very enlightening in learning more about one’s distorted body image and learning to embrace and enhance their body image. In addition, she offers music therapy whereby the patient learns to express their emotions through a musical instrument or voice or even compose their own lyrics. Kathryn’s hobbies include riding cross country motorcycles, performing as a pianist, playing with her two dogs and two cats.
Natalie McPeters, M.A., L.P.C.
Natalie has worked in the mental health field since 2004, specializing in the treatment of Eating Disorders. She has clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and families in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques into her counseling sessions, and feels that talking about alternative coping strategies and relapse prevention techniques help better support her patient’s on their road to recovery. Natalie also coordinates Intake and Assessments for the Walker Wellness Clinic, as well as providing individual and family therapy. She is a licensed professional counselor and is also a nationally certified counselor. Natalie enjoys reading, good company, and taking walks with her husband and bulldog, Jackson.